Credibility

Trust is an essential ingredient of leadership. Without it, your leadership ambitions cannot be realized. The equation for building trust is simple: credibility + reliability + intimacy divided by self-orientation. Understanding the power of each of these variables is as easy as thinking about the type of people that have yet to master one of the factors.  

If you met someone that lacked basic credibility, you would have a hard time trusting them. If they don’t know what they are talking about you would probably think that they were a blowhard. I know plenty of perfectly likeable people that I would not trust simply because they lack the personal credibility that would instill confidence in their ability.

It is also true that those that try the hardest to convince you of their credibility are the ones that probably lack it. Attempting to sell yourself by talking about your qualifications often erodes trust. Credibility is best established by demonstrating it. Do your homework, know your stuff, and show it.

The trust equation is a powerful leadership tool. Study it and work on your weakest variable to build a solid foundation for trust-based relationships.