Leading with Credibility

Leading with Credibility

Leading with Credibility is a course about leaders and managers who want to enhance their leadership skills. Choosing credibility as the central course theme was decided after much conversation and dialogue about the necessary skills that a leader needs to inspire others to follow. There are thousands of courses on leadership and so many opinions about the essential elements that a leader must possess in order to be successful. Through the review of hundreds of books, articles, web searches and client conversations, one word describing leadership was repeated over and over. Credibility. When it comes to leadership, nothing else matters. Credibility is the one word that will define management leadership success, and it is the one word that can topple a leader from the height of power when this essential ingredient is lost.

Noted authors James Kouzes and Barry Posner wrote the international best-seller The Leadership Challenge in 1980. These two acclaimed writers re-wrote the book in 2005 – 25 years later. The most important information in the book is the result of a survey conducted with 75,000 people in 1980. The same survey was conducted in 2005 with a different group of 75,000 people. The strategic question posed in the survey was:

What are the qualities that you most admire in a leader? What makes you follow someone?

The survey respondents were instructed to place their thoughts in order of importance. In 1980, there were four leadership attributes listed in order of importance:

1. Honest
2. Forward-looking
3. Competent
4. Inspiring

Here’s the remarkable information. In 2005, the same four qualities were listed – in the same order.

Communication experts refer to the four characteristics noted as Source Credibility.

Above all else, the majority of the working population wants to:

  • believe in the leaders they follow
  • trust what leaders say
  • connect a match between the leaders’ words and behaviors
  • feel that leaders have personal passion about the direction in which they are taking the organization
  • feel confident that the leaders being followed have a full complement of knowledge & skills

 

Credibility is a leader’s currency. Credibility creates a climate of the leader being believable, worthy of respect and able to be trusted. Credibility paves the way to inspiration, motivation, and influence. Credibility achieves results.

Leadership is a process of influence dependent upon relationships between people.

Leading with Credibility was developed based upon this one strategic belief. Without influence, you cannot exercise leadership. When you lead, you attempt to have an effect on another person’s attitudes, beliefs, values or behavior. This process of influence cannot occur without relationships between people that make that influence possible. And, it’s called a process because all of these ingredients have to happen every day.

Course Concepts

1. Contribute
A leader must contribute two elements in order to be trusted as competent and inspiring:

  • Innovation
  • Critical Thinking

Innovation is creativity, new thinking, opening your mind to diverse opportunities to create change.
Critical thinking is the ability to take ideas apart and put them back together in a stronger, more cohesive,
more profitable way.

2. Communicate
The two necessary communication ingredients in the most effective leadership package are:

  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Influencing Teams

People want to know that they are actually making progress toward the leader’s intent or the organization’s
vision. They want to know whether they are succeeding. A leader that creates and communicates a clear
and compelling vision and develops commitment to that vision, but cannot lead the organization to execute
the vision loses credibility. A healthy comprehension and application of EQ will enable a leader to realize
the vision through other people. Through teams. Through trusted influence to take you to the finish line.

3. Core
Core is basic. Core is your heartbeat. Core is the most important piece of the leadership equation. Core is:

  • Personal Accountability
  • Leading with Values

A credible leader acts with character and integrity. Leaders earn and maintain credibility when they hold
themselves accountable and when they behave in ways consistent with the values of ownership. Leadership
values enable followers to develop judgement and initiative, grow and become better contributors, inspire
and reinforce effective performance to move on and become leaders themselves.

Call 800.282.3374 or email: info@edsiusa.com about licensing and pricing.