Gordon Ochs

Think of credibility as having benefits similar to that of a house’s foundation during a huge storm.  If the foundation is sound, then it will hold up against raging waters.

When people trust and believe in you as a leader, they’ll follow you far and without much question.  But without credibility, the fundamental foundation of leadership, you face an uphill battle, because you’ll have the extra strain of trying to pull people along with you. 

Credibility stands on three legs:  

Trustworthiness, Integrity and Expertise.  Let’s ‘TIE’ them together.

Trustworthiness is a subjective judgment, formed over time from a person’s experience interacting with you.  Do you do what you say you’re going to do?

Integrity is another subjective judgment, formed over time from a person’s observations of you.  Do you walk your talk?  Are you honest?  Do you admit and take responsibility for your mistakes?

Expertise is an objective judgment, determined by such things as your credentials, your position in the organization and your prior accomplishments.

If you are on a team, the highest compliment you can receive is, “I can count on you.”

Gordon Ochs, MBA, is a certified coach/healthcare executive coach and founder of Sequential Solutions. He has more than 35 years of long-term care administration experience ranging from administrator to chief operations officer.