inspiration:with Cynthia Chirinda
Trust is an enduring bond that links leader to follower. As enduring as that bond may seem, it can be as fragile as glass when it is broken. Trust comes from earning the respect of others because it is earned over time. While credibility can be elastic, it is not unbreakable. Ethical transgressions will sever credibility, and once credibility is severed, trust bleeds away. Credibility is hard to establish and easy to lose. In my work as a leadership development consultant, I have seen really good leaders lose the confidence and credibility of their teams by making well-intentioned and innocent mistakes. Leaders lose credibility when the words in play are too big or small for the situation at hand. What is credibility?
The root of the word “credibility” is “credo”, which means “I believe” in Latin. Put simply, credibility is the feeling of trust and respect that you inspire in others. No single thing creates credibility. Rather, a combination of things must be in place for you to establish it. Credible leaders attract enthusiastic and committed followers, and people want to work for them. But credibility is important in many areas, not just in leadership roles.
Integrity and character
Why do leaders known for integrity and leadership engage in unethical activities? Why do they risk great careers and unblemished reputations for such ephemeral gains? Simplistic notions of good and bad only cloud our understanding of why good leaders lose their way, and how this could happen to any of us. Leaders who lose their way are not necessarily bad people; rather, they lose their moral bearings, often yielding to seductions in their paths.
Very few people go into leadership roles to cheat or do evil, yet we all have the capacity for actions we deeply regret unless we stay grounded. If credibility were a pyramid, then your character and integrity would make up the foundation. To build character, first identify the core values that you won’t violate — people with strong character stand up for what they believe in, even when it goes against popular opinion. This is why it’s important to know yourself inside and out, and to demonstrate authenticity in everything that you do.
The leadership trap and values-centred leadership
Leading is high stress work. There is no way to avoid the constant challenges of being responsible for people, organisations, outcomes, and uncertainties in the environment. Leaders who move up have greater freedom to control their destinies, but also experience increased pressure and seduction. Leaders can avoid these pitfalls by devoting themselves to personal development that cultivates their inner compass, or True North. This requires reframing their leadership from being heroes to being servants of the people they lead. This process requires thought and introspection because many people get into leadership roles in response to their ego needs. It enables them to transition from seeking external gratification to finding internal satisfaction by making meaningful contributions through their leadership.
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While most people value fair compensation for their accomplishments, few leaders start out seeking only money, power, and prestige. Along the way, the rewards fuel increasing desires for more. This creates a deep desire to keep it going. Many times, this desire is so strong that leaders breach the ethical standards that previously governed their conduct, which can be bizarre and even illegal. Authentic and sustainable leadership begins with personal leadership. When an individual can take responsibility of their own personal life, their moral campus takes on a very stable foundation.
Developing personal credibility
“Whether you’re an employee, a leader, or an entrepreneur, personal credibility is truly a ‘magic bullet’ for success,” says Allgeier, author of The Personal Credibility Factor: How to Get It, Keep It, and Get It Back (If You’ve Lost It). “It forms other people’s opinions of you, shapes their interactions with you, and helps them decide whether to trust and respect you. In other words, it leads to healthy, productive relationships — and relationships are the vehicles through which business happens.” If you have no credibility, people won’t trust you. If they don’t trust you, you won’t persuade them. And if you can’t persuade, you’ll never be able to problem solve, innovate, or lead. You’ll become increasingly irrelevant — and vulnerable to the staggering numbers of others, worldwide, who are vying for your spot.
We should aim to avoid “credibility busters” which include failing to do what you say you will do, constantly showing up late, being disorganized, Bringing too much “personal life” into your workday, telling little white lies that morph into Big Hairy Lies, Putting others down to pull yourself up, making too many excuses, casting blame when you should be solving problems and exhibiting contradictory body language amongst many others.
Reclaim your credibility
Professionalism is an important element in credibility because it shows others that you truly care about your relationships and your work. To exhibit professionalism, you need to control your emotions, dress in a professional and appropriate manner, meet the deadlines and always deliver high-quality work without excuses. You establish credibility when you inspire trust in others, and it’s important to your success, no matter what role you are in. It’s especially important if you’re in a leadership role. To build your credibility, demonstrate honesty and integrity in everything that you do. When individuals have lost their credibility they must call upon the reservoir of trust to begin to earn back what they have lost. That begins by apologising and making amends. Anyone can say he they are sorry; only a trustworthy person can prove it through example, specifically righting the wrong and seeking to what is possible to repair the damage. Trust is bankable but when credibility is withdrawn you will find nothing inside.
Your credibility is dramatically reduced when your body and tone are not in sync with the words you’re saying. As humans, we react much more quickly to tone and body language than we do to words, Be conscious of your body language and your tone and make sure you’re sending the message you mean to send. l Cynthia Chirinda is an organisational and personal development consultant, life coach, author and strategist. Her two new additions to the Connection Factor Collection — The Connection Factor for Leaders and The Connection Factor for Women — speak to matters that position organisational leaders and women respectively, to achieve greater levels of success through their strategic connections. Looking at improving your career, personal effectiveness, communication skills, relationships, focus, faith and happiness? Wholeness Incorporated Coaching offers you strategies you can implement today to review your progress and achieve your goals. E-mail: [email protected] LinkedIn: Cynthia Chirinda. Mobile: 263 717 013 206. Website: www.cynthiac.net.in
