Credibility

It needs to be earned

People want to follow someone they trust.

So be worthy of their trust.

Follow through on your commitments. Do the right thing, even when it’s not the easy thing. Establish your standards, and then walk the walk to meet them. Hold your people accountable.

Admit when you don’t know the answer, and defer to those who have expertise. Trust-but-verify, so you and your team will not be blindsided. When you make a mistake, do what you can to make things right. Own it—don’t throw other people under the bus.

Grow the competencies of your team members, so they can be safely trusted with more responsibility. Remember that trust and respect are two-way streets.

When these ideas are applied consistently over time, the leadership credibility of the person in charge grows, and it also builds up a leadership culture for the entire team. That will improve morale, retention, growth, client satisfaction, and help everyone on the team succeed.

(Photo by Leslie Cross on Unsplash)