Credibility is the foundation of leadership. People want to believe in their leaders. People who believe in their leaders because those leaders are credible show greater commitment and loyalty to the organization. This leads to more energy and more productivity within the organization.
How does a leader become credible? Do what you say you will do (DWYSYWD)--keep promises. This builds trustworthiness which is a key element of credibility. It's a good idea to underpromise and overdeliver. It's also important to "walk the talk" because people believe what you do more than what you say-- our actions more than our words tell who we really are. It's like the quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson, "What you are shouts so loudly in my ears I cannot hear what you say." A credible leader is also someone who stands for something and has the courage to stand by her convictions.
It bears repeating--credibility is the foundation of leadership.
The foundation for this post comes from:
Encouraging the Heart by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner
Received this email from Barry Posner on 12/04/10:
ReplyDeleteBarbara,
and... thank you for sharing this feedback and encouraging our hearts!
Be on the lookout for the latest edition of our book Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It, Why People Demand It, which will be published next July.
All the best,
Barry