BLT #18 | Building Credibility

When you think about career development, you probably think about things like skill building, learning and development, or exploring different job paths. These things are important, but there's one skill that is often overlooked when it comes to getting where you want to be in your career: the art of building credibility.

WE BELIEVE:

Trust is the most valuable currency you have at work.

Credibility is defined as "the quality of being trusted and believed in." Said differently, credible people say what they mean, and mean what they say. Now if you can imagine the best days you've had in your career (and some of the hardest), think about who you wanted on your team in those moments. More often than not, you're thinking about the people who you really trust, not necessarily the smartest or fastest people from the group. Following through on your commitments, being curious (vs. "knowing all the answers"), and showing up authentically are all ways that you can build deep credibility with your team. This trust will carry you through hard moments more than almost any other skill out there.

SOMETHING WE LOVE:

The best teams prioritize trust.

Watch this 90-second video by Simon Sinek about his work with the Navy Seals and the importance of trust and credibility on high-performing teams.

YOU SHOULD TRY:

Build some credibility today.

There are many ways you can build credibility, but one of the simplest is to hone in on your follow-through. The concept of follow-through is pretty straightforward (it's generally understood that we aim to do what we say we are going to do at work), but it can be one of those things that is easier said than done.

One way to assess your follow-through credibility is by using a concept called the Say:Do ratio. In an ideal world, your Say:Do ratio would be 1:1: every commitment you make is one you follow through on. When you have a rhythm of say, do, say, do, people know they can trust you.

Now here's the funny part: most folks have solid Say:Do ratios for the big, important things, like project deadlines or big milestones. This is great news and we want to keep this up. But at the same time, many people are accidentally lowering their Say:Do ratio with "off the cuff" commitments that don't seem like a big deal in the moment, but really do add up in the long term. Think about how often you say things like, "I'll call you later" or "I’ll send it tomorrow," and then never do. Be mindful in these moments. Following through on all commitments - big and small - builds trust and establishes your credibility over time.