Leadership is a weighty responsibility that requires some crucial qualities. Credibility is one of them as it goes to the heart of the leader’s character and enables free-flowing interactions in work relationships and business advancement.
Michael VanBruaene and John O’Sullivan describe credibility on Medium as “a key factor in your success as a manager and leader” and ask whether you have the credibility to successfully lead and manage. They highlighted the following four essential qualities of credible leaders:
- Perspective – you put things into their wider contexts with respect to how you see and tackle them. In questioning issues, you can determine worst-case scenarios and apply creative thinking, which will produce information you can use to help you arrive at good answers. This is a process for arriving at the best results, which a credible leader should be skilled at managing. Involving and listening to your team and displaying a sense of humor further lend to your credibility.
- Presence – you are composed, alert, and totally involved in your work with your team. Your presence shows in your choice of words, expression, posture, and body language. When you need to be alone to consider and make a weighty decision, you are still present in general activities. Your presence is manifested physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
- Vulnerability – you will control your ego, be humble, and let your true self be known. When you show your true self, you will enjoy a wholesome, trusting relationship with your employees and the working environment will foster open, positive communication and employee engagement.
- Gratitude – you will build the three traits above on the foundation of gratitude. With a thankful attitude in all circumstances, you will be able to impact employees’ behaviors positively, which can help to reverse high turnover, poor performance, disengagement, and low profitability, among other negatives occurrences.
eCornell’s Executive Leadership certificate carries a component on how to lead with credibility. It’s a leadership quality you cannot afford not to have.
eCornell courses are approved by SkillsFuture Singapore for SkillsFuture Credit as well as by HRDF Malaysia under its SBL Scheme.