To become a well-respected leader who people believe in and follow, you must consistently project credibility.

Credibility is not an entitlement; it must be earned. Yet it can be lost faster than it’s earned. Even small slip-ups can become kill others’ trust in you.

Leadership Tip
Determine what gives you credibility, then evaluate your consistency in being believable to others.

Watch out for the credibility killers that might lurk in your world.

Take aim on the credibility killers that undermine your leadership. Which of these can you improve?
1. You ask people for their opinions, then ignore them.
2. You don’t hold people accountable-including yourself.
3. You see people struggle with assignments but offer no support.
4. You don’t know what your team members are thinking.
5. You don’t show genuine appreciation to others for their accomplishments.
6. You let yourself get out of touch with what your customers want.
7. You don’t keep up with changes in your industry.
8. You don’t spend time on professional development for you and those on your team.
9. You exert a lot of energy reacting to situations instead of being proactive.
10. You spend too much time in the weeds instead of studying the big picture.
11. You don’t do what you said you’d do (or offer reasons why you didn’t).
12. You make decisions that might be good for you but not the organization.

To be an effective leader, you can’t display credibility once in a while; you must show it all the time.