October 22, 2008, 10:01 PM — Leaders need credibility to shepherd their organizations through good times and bad. When others believe, trust, and have confidence in them, they receive their respect -- they are someone with personal credibility.
But personal credibility is hard to fake. You are either credible or you aren't, and a leader's actions inform our opinions, relationships and decisions of whether to trust and respect a leader. Basically, it all comes down to trust and believability.
The current U.S. Presidential election is the perfect opportunity to examine credibility. While candidates' words are often penned by speechwriters and their every move is choreographed by a campaign team, actions tell us a lot. And what a candidate does throughout his or her political career, and what he or she says during those rare unscripted moments in the campaign, shines a spotlight on the presence or absence of credibility.
Here are three key "credibility secrets" for leaders, and how to cultivate this important quality using Senators Obama and McCain as cases-in-point. These are excerpted from my book The Personal Credibility Factor: How to Get It, Keep It, and Get It Back (If You've Lost It).
- Secret #1: We're always probing for your true motivation.
Message to Senators Obama and McCain: People with strong personal credibility are driven by deeper purposes than personal status and position. Sure, you may achieve status and position during your life, but that comes as the result of your efforts and not because they were your initial goals. As president, we want you to be more concerned with doing the right thing, getting the job done, and serving than with accumulating the prestige and power that comes with the office. And we're always looking for proof of that quality.
Of course, we all know that politicians and government leaders both seek and possess position and status. But the real issue is this: What has caused and what currently motivates the candidate's behavior? Is it power and position—or is there an indication of the desire to first work and serve?
Determining this is simple. Look at the candidate's past actions. What does the record show about his willingness to serve the needs of others? Seek out information on how each has sacrificed and worked to achieve a greater good for citizens. Find out where he or she stands on rolling up the sleeves and doing the hard work needed to make something difficult yet worthwhile happen. The more evidence of this you have, the more you can trust that individual's motives.
Message to Senators Obama and McCain: Authenticity is about being the person you are, no matter what pressure you're feeling or where it comes from. When you have strong personal credibility, you are aware of your own faults and issues, but don't build your life around trying to hide or shore up your own insecurities. You are approachable, you are truthful, you have a "what you see is what you get" attitude. You don't see life as a performance. You are real. And we want a president who is real and authentic, not one who is just a really great actor.
This is another 'secret' that requires research. We've become accustomed to a visually stimulating and televised world of sound bites. We would rather just look at candidates, have a 'gut' reaction to what we see, do little to assess that candidate, and then use our own 'gut' reaction to form an opinion. But to truly determine the candidate's authenticity, we must look a little deeper.
A few suggestions:
- Look for indications of humility. Does the candidate admit past mistakes? Can he listen to criticism, take ownership for errors, explain his thinking at that time, and tell us what he would do differently now?
- Listen without the benefit of watching. Shut your eyes. Go to another room and listen to what is being said. Don't allow your impressions to be overly impacted by the visual image. You will learn more, and your mind and automatic response system will not be distracted by body language signals. Body language is a powerful persuader in human beings. If we eliminate the impact of what we see, we may remain more open to hearing the real message. There was a time when we relied only on what we read and heard. We probably made more thoughtful decisions as a result.
- Look for real, raw, and true emotion in the candidate's responses to questions on a topic. Of course, not all topics will generate emotional responses. But if all we ever see is polished prose, we never know who we are really seeing. The person who is willing and able to put himself out there for everyone to see demonstrates at least the ability to be authentic. However, the emotion that we see must match up with the candidate's message that the candidate has been giving. We immediately distrust candidates who suddenly veer away from past behaviors in an emotional display that seems to be contrived or radically different from what we've seen previously.
- Secret #3: You must be willing to consider other points of view.
Message to Senators Obama and McCain: We do want to know who our presidential candidates are, what they believe, and what they will stand for. But we also know we'll be better served by a leader who can put his decision making on hold for a short period while he honestly considers the thoughts and opinions of others. This requires solid listening skills. It means you must be a leader who both seeks out the thoughts and ideas of others, and creates an environment where others feel totally confident in expressing them, even when there is expected disagreement. And this is a tough thing to do, especially when the pressure is high.How do we know if candidates understand and apply this third secret? We must look for evidence of it in their actions and prior experience. Who has listened to the opposing side in an argument? Who have they chosen to surround themselves with? Is it all "yes" people, or is it people with differing views and thoughts?
Look at town hall meeting formats. How much time do the candidates spend making sure they understand the issue or question before responding to it? How good are they at paraphrasing questions back to the press or to citizens to ensure that they understand correctly and that they are giving themselves adequate time to think?
Please understand: This is not the same as equivocation or 'waffling.' The truly credible candidate will always find his or her position on an issue, stand for that issue, and defend it. Suspending judgment is about the process of coming to the decision on a given position—and remaining open to listening to and understanding differing beliefs, even when those beliefs are not held by the candidate in the end.
In the end, learning the subtle language of personal credibility will help us in many ways. We can use this knowledge to choose not only our next president, but all of our political leaders. And even more important, we can use the political process as a "learning lab" of sorts through which to examine and strengthen our own credibility.
Yes, it's important to elect credible leaders, but it's just as important to be credible citizens. Personal credibility is the secret to career success, strong professional and interpersonal relationships, and a happy life. An America filled with authentic, confident, trustworthy people who also trust each other can be the healthiest, most productive nation on earth—no matter who is in the White House.
About the Author:
Sandy Allgeier is a credibility expert and author of The Personal Credibility Factor: How to Get It, Keep It, and Get It Back (If You've Lost It). She is also a consultant, trainer, and facilitator who assists organizations in maximizing their human potential. Prior to beginning her consulting business in early 2000, Sandy had over 25 years of experience as a human resources professional. Sandy's corporate human resources management experience includes having served as Senior Vice President, Human Resources for Atria Assisted Living with 7,000 employees located in 26 states, as well as serving as Director, Human Resources for Providian Corporation, a Fortune 500 Financial Services company. Prior to this, Sandy was Director, Field Human Resources for KFC Corporation. She is experienced in directing all phases of human resources management, including recruiting and selection, compensation and benefits, employee relations, and training and development.
