Instructions:
- Post a new discussion related to the topics covered in this module. Your post needs to provide specific lessons learned with examples from this module helping you enhance your leadership capacity at work.
- After posting your discussion, review posts provided by other students in the class and reply to at least one of them.
7 Comments
In the video with Barry Posner he discusses the list of things people look for in someone they are willing to follow: honesty, competence, inspiring and forward looking. People follow people who are forward looking and have a purpose, vision, point of view, and sense of direction. He makes the point that we don’t want to follow someone who is lost and this could not be more true. I think of the people in my agency that seem to have a clear purpose and sense of direction and how people are more likely to follow them. These characteristics are called credibility, which is key to good leadership.
As a leader, credibility is one of the most essential qualities to possess. Without it, your team will unlikely trust your decisions or follow your lead. Ethical leadership is a critical key to being seen as credible.
For example, a CEO who consistently makes decisions prioritizing profit over the well-being of employees and customers is unlikely to be seen as credible. On the other hand, a CEO who prioritizes the well-being of all stakeholders, even if it means sacrificing some short-term profits, is more credible.
Ethical leadership also involves transparency and honesty. A leader who is open about their decision-making process and willing to admit when they’ve made a mistake is more likely to be seen as credible than one who tries to cover up their missteps.
Ultimately, credibility leadership is about building trust with your team. By demonstrating ethical leadership, you can show your team that you value their well-being and are committed to making decisions in their best interest. This, in turn, will help you build a more engaged, productive, and loyal team.
I liked your example of the CEO who values stakeholders over short-term profits. In business as in leadership, credibility is being trusted by the target audience which ultimately leads to a loyal customer base. Credibility encompasses trust, reputation and authenticity associated with the company which attracts customers and fosters loyalty.
I thought the Ted Talk by Barry Posner was a great summary of a credible leader. Being a credible leader is essential to have subordinates that truly follow because they have trust and respect for that leader. At the end of the day, people will not believe the message if they don’t believe in the messenger. Posner listed four universal fundamental characteristics of credibility as:
Honest – telling the truth and being trustworthy
Competent – being capable, having good judgement and always trying to improve and learn new things
Inspirational – enthusiastic and passionate
Forward Looking – have a vision, purpose, and sense of direction for others to follow
It’s all characteristics we’ve talked about before, but I think credibility is the keystone to ensuring success as a leader. It’s things we have to be consistent in, day in and day out, and communicate clearly with our followers to maintain that credibility.
I completely agree with you! Being a credible leader is crucial for earning the trust and respect of subordinates. The four universal fundamental characteristics of credibility listed by Posner are essential to becoming a credible leader. Consistency in demonstrating these characteristics is critical to maintaining credibility. Communication is also crucial in ensuring that followers know the leader’s vision, purpose, and sense of direction.
As leaders, it is important for us to be moral and ethical in our personal and professional lives. We want to be able to set the example of what should be occurring on the job and off the job. However, what is morally and ethically accepted in our personal lives may not be morally and ethically accepted in our professional life. We have to be aware of the difference and know when our members or we have crossed the line. To build trust with our members we have to be honest and have respect for one another. A leader can be honest with their members while at work, but if they learn that the leader is having an affair they may begin to lose trust and respect for that individual (Long, 2017).
Reference
Long, L. (2017). Credible leadership. 3.6, Week # 10. National Command and Staff College. Retrieved from https://cloud.scorm.com/content/courses
/NAGVXPB5E6/CredibleLeadership3f2d4843-8be4-4ae4-b5e2-24c28b2ee4f6/4/index_lms.html
I agree that off-duty life matters, especially for leaders. It’s hard to tell your subordinates “do the right thing” when you’re cheating on your wife in your off time. It beings into question what else they may be cutting corners on or lying about. We are held to a higher standard and need to be mindful of the things we do, whether at work or not.