credibility

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Listening over telling

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Lead with your competencies, because they can be a proxy for your experience. Expertise is built through the repeated delivery of excellence. So ask yourself: What are your strongest functional leadership competencies, and can you demonstrate them consistently?

Reputation and credibility are built on strength of character, reliability and trustworthiness. People need to know that they can rely on you, particularly when the pressure is on. Capability is about demonstrating that you know how to get things done. Are you a good problem solver? Are you resourceful? Can you navigate complexity, find solutions and mobilise what is needed? Leadership requires you to stay on top of your game and continue developing your capability.

Then there is commitment. Will you see it through? Are you tenacious when things become difficult? Can you align the necessary resources, maintain momentum and hold yourself and others accountable for delivering what you have committed to? Competence may get you noticed. I think credibility, capability and commitment are what allow people to trust you with responsibility.

Are you interested in working with someone who asks you questions that make you question yourself? If so, contact me here for a complimentary discovery call.

““Difficult times will define you, they may diminish you or develop you. It’s up to you to decide.””
— Burrellism
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It's OK

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Why is it so hard to admit a mistake? And why does it get harder the higher up you go?

I hear a version of this in almost every coaching conversation I have with senior leaders. Not "I don't know what I got wrong," they usually know exactly. It's "I can't be the one to say it out loud." The fear is not irrational as admitting error at a senior level carries real risk to credibility, to authority, to how you are read by the people who decide what happens next. I think the cost of not admitting it doesn't disappear, it just gets paid by everyone below you, in the form of the same mistake happening again.

This is often where the work of coaching sits: not in supplying the answer, but in giving someone a confidential space to say the thing they cannot yet say in the room, and to work out what it would take to say it there. Organisations need role models who admit when they were wrong. A culture where mistakes surface openly is the only kind where innovation and creativity genuinely exist. And If mistakes do not surface, they happen again and again.

Is value subjective?

If we accept that value is subjective, reputation becomes a critical signal of trust. When an individual or organisation invests significant time, attention, and resources in building and maintaining a reputation, they create something meaningful at risk. The existence of reputational risk signals accountability, which increases confidence for those considering engagement.

I think a strong reputation indicates that the relationship extends beyond a single transaction. It suggests a long-term orientation in which future interactions, referrals, and broader networks matter. This ongoing stake in how one is perceived is what reassures others and supports trust in decision-making.

Small actions

Our mission in life should be to make a positive difference, not to prove that we are smart, and not to prove that we are right. Ego takes over when we become more focused on showing how smart or right we are, instead of focusing on creating real, positive change.

It’s important to market yourself and build credibility. And I think credibility must be earned in two ways:
1. You have to do great work.
2. You have to be seen doing great work.
These are two very different things, and both matter.

Leadership credibility

I think status means nothing without credibility. Research shows that leaders who lack credibility are far less effective at gaining trust and inspiring their teams. For example, a study by Kouzes & Posner found that credibility is the cornerstone of leadership, with 89% of respondents saying they follow leaders they trust. If people don’t believe you belong in a leadership role, it becomes difficult to lead effectively. Credibility is built through competence, which comes from consistently performing at a high standard over time. Leaders like Angela Merkel and Satya Nadella earned respect by demonstrating expertise and making decisions that consistently yielded positive results.