Leadership and Influence
CHAPTER 6: LEADERSHIP AND INFLUENCE
Page No.166: Credibility: The Key to Successful Influence
First, if there is one defining characteristic of leaders who are effective over long periods of time, it's that they behave in ways that cause people to see them as credible. That means that they are believed, and trusted, both in the specifics of what they say, and generally, as people.
How do they do this?
First, credible leaders are consistent in their words and their behaviors. They are not constantly shifting courses, and reversing their decisions. They do not shift their leadership and management styles here and there. They are relatively predictable.
Second, they are honest to the degree that it's reasonably possible to be so. That may sound odd, but leaders may be in positions where they cannot reveal everything they know to followers. In this sense honesty does not necessarily mean sharing everything (since some things often need to remain confidential). It does mean that what a manager can share is the truth, even if it may not be the whole truth.
Third, credibility and trustworthiness occur through personal contact, and effective interpersonal communication. For example a responsive leader will be perceived as more credible and trustworthy, as compared to a relatively non-responsive leader. And, a leader who knows when to interact face-to-face (rather than, let's say via email) will tend to be seen as more credible, and inspire greater loyalty compared to a leader who uses technology based communication.
Leadership is a process of influencing relationships among people and, accordingly, leaders achieve credibility through human contact. Credible leaders interact with people, listen and communicate. By listening to constituents, leaders maintain situation awareness, receive important information, know what's going on and stay in touch with critical feedback.
Leaders enhance their credibility when they distribute leadership throughout the organization,
Page No.166: Credibility: The Key to Successful Influence
First, if there is one defining characteristic of leaders who are effective over long periods of time, it's that they behave in ways that cause people to see them as credible. That means that they are believed, and trusted, both in the specifics of what they say, and generally, as people.
How do they do this?
First, credible leaders are consistent in their words and their behaviors. They are not constantly shifting courses, and reversing their decisions. They do not shift their leadership and management styles here and there. They are relatively predictable.
Second, they are honest to the degree that it's reasonably possible to be so. That may sound odd, but leaders may be in positions where they cannot reveal everything they know to followers. In this sense honesty does not necessarily mean sharing everything (since some things often need to remain confidential). It does mean that what a manager can share is the truth, even if it may not be the whole truth.
Third, credibility and trustworthiness occur through personal contact, and effective interpersonal communication. For example a responsive leader will be perceived as more credible and trustworthy, as compared to a relatively non-responsive leader. And, a leader who knows when to interact face-to-face (rather than, let's say via email) will tend to be seen as more credible, and inspire greater loyalty compared to a leader who uses technology based communication.
Leadership is a process of influencing relationships among people and, accordingly, leaders achieve credibility through human contact. Credible leaders interact with people, listen and communicate. By listening to constituents, leaders maintain situation awareness, receive important information, know what's going on and stay in touch with critical feedback.
Leaders enhance their credibility when they distribute leadership throughout the organization,