If I had to pick one trait that defines a good leader, it would probably be credibility. Almost all of us who have been in the workforce for a while have experienced environments where the leader is credible and those where the leader is not.
We are drawn to credible leaders and are not interested in following those lacking this quality. Credibility is a quality we sense in our gut, but what does the word really mean?
Credibility is multidimensional; it has several facets. One of those facets is consistency. When you're in the leader's presence, you "know the rules."
The leader behaves according to a clear set of principles and preferences and is not chaotic. You have confidence that if you behave a certain way around the leader, you won't be praised one day and humiliated the next. People feel safe working for leaders who exhibit consistency. Teams run smoothly under them. By contrast, capricious, unpredictable, and volatile leaders create anxiety, a walking-on-eggshells atmosphere where people are afraid to act or speak.
Believability is another aspect of credibility. It is extremely important that when a leader says they're going to do something, they do it. Nothing is more disheartening than when a boss says, "I'm going to take this up to HR, and we're going to make it happen," then, weeks later, you find out the item never left their desk. Follow-up builds credibility. Lack of follow-up, whether through omission or intention, can destroy it.
A measure of competence and willingness to act also plays into credibility. The military teaches us not to ask our troops to do anything we're unwilling to do ourselves.
Of course, the further up the chain of command you go, the less bandwidth you have to do all the things the troops are doing. But still, part of your credibility as a leader is that team members can look at you and say, "He or she can do that, has done that, and is willing to do it again," whether it's taking a physical fitness test, jumping out of an airplane, or putting on the "spacesuit" during COVID and going into the operating room to treat a patient who's tested positive.
To be credible as a leader also implies a certain strength of character. Your team can expect you to stick to your guns and not fold at the first sign of a challenge. They believe you will fight for them and stand up for them if necessary.
Lastly, credibility entails authenticity. Authenticity, as I see it, means that you are genuine, you care about people, and you show it. And what you show is truly what you're feeling. This is particularly important in healthcare, a stressful environment where things can get edgy from time to time.
Perhaps, for example, a child you have known as a patient for years has died. Authenticity means showing vulnerability to your team, letting them know you may not be on your best game that day because you just got the terrible news.
Of course, that doesn't mean you should fall apart or behave unprofessionally. That in itself could result in a decrease in your credibility. There's a lot of talk these days about "bringing your authentic self to work." But this needs to be moderated.
My authentic self, for example, loves sitting around in jeans, drinking coffee, and reading. But that's not what I bring to work. I know I need to present a professional appearance and create value for the organization in a way the organization wants. Another individual's authentic self might be abrasive or angry. But again, they can't bring that to work. We must modify our behaviors to fit the work environment while letting our true selves shine through.
Developing credibility as a leader means, first and foremost, getting to know that true self. Self-awareness is the cornerstone of credibility. We must be credible to ourselves before we can be credible to others.
And so, whenever we're placed in a leadership role or moved to a higher position, we should view it as an opportunity to do a thorough self-inventory and deepen our understanding of the effect we have on others. Credibility "begins at home."