Credibility Must Be Earned Through Confidence

By Marty Stanley

Recently I was asked if credibility was more important for a woman-owned business. My initial thought was: “What an odd question.”

Would someone actually think that a sleaze-bag male business owner doesn’t need credibility and a woman does?

Now don’t get me wrong, I know there are still (unfortunately) some industries that hold women to a different standard. I’m not that naïve. And I do remember the days when I was trying to establish credit in my own name, as a married woman. To some this may sound like the dark ages in a time when you receive a gazillion credit card applications in the mail on a daily basis. But back in the 1970s, when I got my very first credit card, I had a heck of a time getting someone to accept it as payment.

One time, I was asked repeatedly how I was going to pay for my purchase. And I repeatedly and proudly said “with my credit card.”

Finally, the light bulb went on in the guy’s head, and he smugly said: “Oh! You’re one of those!”

To which I replied: “I am? What am I?”

“A feminist!”

Caught again!

So here we are 30 years later, and the old credibility question is still being asked.

However, I will say that the inquiry about “credibility” has come up in several coaching conversations, and the context has been quite interesting. Thankfully, those conversations were not about gender.

So, here are some thoughts to ponder about credibility.

Is it more important for the business owner or leaders in an organization to have credibility than the people who work there?

I’d like to suggest that if you can think of a position in your organization that doesn’t require credibility, then perhaps that position isn’t necessary. If that seems unreasonable, I suggest that you’re settling for less than you deserve.

Why would you want to have people who can’t be trusted to be true to their word? Whether it’s the receptionist, janitor or CEO, you want to trust that the person is credible in doing the work they were hired to do.

If you lower your standards in what you accept in terms of credibility, what does that say about you and your organization? Are you really willing to run your business based on the lowest common denominator? Are you willing to tolerate people not being true to their word?

Then there’s the link between credibility and confidence.

I have heard the question:  “How can a person be credible if they haven’t ‘earned their stripes’?” Somehow, it seems that when a person is new to a job or has changed industries or positions, there’s a link between their credibility, their confidence and effectiveness.

For example, many people have left the corporate world to embark on the entrepreneurial path. Although their severance packages have funded the switch and helped to set the ball in motion for the new endeavor, there is a certain lack of credibility, because they haven’t yet earned their stripes in the new role. It’s hard to describe, but ask any entrepreneur and they will acknowledge the fake-it-till-you-make-it mentality, which may all be part of the process of gaining credibility.

Then there are the people who think they can get by on good looks, charm and some good connections. And in many cases, as it’s been reported to me by their bosses, these people “lack confidence.” No kidding. They haven’t produced—they’ve tried to take short cuts and hoped that their name-dropping will open doors.
Excuse me, but did they forget that we’re in the land of the “Show Me” mentality?

The bottom line is that people gain confidence when they produce value and results. Bravado, masquerading as confidence, can only work for so long.
When a person has real confidence that they are producing results, then there’s credibility.

So here’s the coaching for the month:
Are you tolerating people who aren’t true to their word—or aren’t being “credible” in their work? What’s the impact of this on you and the rest of the organization?
Are you, or your employees, trying to take shortcuts to becoming credible? Again, what’s the impact of this on you and the organization?
Finally, if you or people in your organization are in the “fake-it-till-you-make-it” phase, and we’ve all been there at one time, what can you do to bolster your confidence, without the bravado, to gain that authentic credibility that will put you over the top?

Marty Stanley is a certified business and life coach. She works with business leaders and their teams to put the structures in place to increase personal, professional and organizational effectiveness and get results. She can be reached at (816) 822-4047 or .