Is Credibilty Declared or Bestowed?
I've deemed myself credible. Yes, I have and I actually think I do it pretty darn regularly, out loud, to others. My credibility is likely included somewhere on my in-dire-need-of an-overhaul LinkedIn profile somewhere.
Oh, don't judge me, I am sure you've done it too. And why shouldn't we? We do our homework, follow through on the things we say we are going to do, maintain our SPHR certification and don't lie, cheat or steal. I never even gave it a second thought.
Until now. Until I started preparing my credibility presentation and picking at the notion of crediblity. Until I started to wonder. Until I started to pose the question to others.
And until I read what my friend Steve Browne had to say.
Steve addressed the Touchy Issue of Credibility At Work on TLNT and wrote,
"Credibility is determined by others. You can’t proclaim yourself credible. The reality of credibility at work is that others get to determine whether you are credible or not. May not seem fair, but it is reality. Understanding that this is something that occurs vs. being bestowed is important. People that posture for attention and focus to seem credible often are people that are the farthest thing from actually being credible."
Is credibility something that is declared or something that is bestowed?
Yikes. Have I been making the greatest faux pas of all time? Have you? What do you think?
Photo credit iStockphoto
April 6, 2011
Reader Comments (4)
I submit that all value is bestowed value. Who really cares about gold anyway? It's just metal, right? Unless someone else values it.
I agree - it's because they're placing a value on us. Just the same as we do as a consumer. We value our time, our convenience, our money, or our experience. We shop for people the same way we shop for clothes. They are 'it'. They are 'them', but they are not 'us', 'we', or 'me'.
I teach clients all the time to forget about their resume, skills and experience and instead focus on What's In It For Me (WIIFM)?
I tell them they can become valuable, (credible, reliable, trustworthy, and all the other value statements) by focusing on helping others, in a sense becoming an 'it' to 'them'.
Having said that, yes, there are many people who puff it up (fake it) and don’t earn credibility on a community level. Though there are people who will always regard others as credible (or insert other value statement here).
I have found that my clients can make the process of bestowing value much easier for others to do by assuming they will value you (they will assume you are credible, reliable, trustworthy, kind, loyal, brave, etc.) because we as social creatures are sensitive to relationship assumptions. Madison Avenue has built quite a reputation by finding celebrity endorsements for all kinds of products. “Be like Mike” is one of the more memorable ones.
For example: When you see someone who is confident we assume (or bestow) that confidence upon them. Further, if others think that person is confident we’ll much more likely tend to agree.
One of the reasons I have such fantastic success with my clients is because I show them their intrinsic worth. Once they see themselves as valuable, they believe they are (which they always were), then they act valuable, then they are treated with value by others. I also show them how to explain it to others who are likely to treat them as an ‘it’ with whatever convenient label (job seeker, employee, consultant, etc.)
P. S. I hope you find this helpful (and valuable) for your talk - good luck! :)
Sorry, but I completely agree with Steve. This question is not unlike leadership in my mind. An individual can have or obtain a title and declare their status but, in the end, true leaders are ultimately determined by the loyally and respect of their followers.
I completely agree that credibility is bestowed and not declared! It does mirror the similar leadership conversation as Shaun mentioned. It seems to me that credibility goes along with being authentic and humble and that it truly is only those that are authentically reliable and honest upon which credibility is bestowed. Thanks for your exploration of this topic, it really got me thinking...