3 Credibility Blocks That Could Be Harming Your Career

How do you transition into the new world of work, impress during every client call or job interview and solve huge business problems? By identifying the blocks that could be sabotaging your career and implementing my no-brainer solutions.  

Whether you’re in an established role, considering pivoting your skills and experience, are job-hunting and need to ace interviews, or are a change consultant who has to think on their feet when potential clients come to you with problems to solve, credibility is king.

Here are 3 credibility blocks to blast through if you still want to skyrocket your career in challenging times:

1. You don’t have enough self-belief 

Without adequate self-belief you are unlikely to pursue the really big, interesting, challenging change projects and opportunities - and we need innovators like you to do exactly that.

A lack of self-belief often shows up in our fears. Maybe you’re fearful there are no opportunities right now. This is simply untrue. Look around and see the possibility for change is everywhere. Literally every company wants to change and if they're not moving towards that change, it's because they don't think they can. But they can move into action with just one person (you!) in their network saying, “We can do this and I can help.” Career growth isn’t about having all the answers, it’s about knowing that if you are authentic, respectful and transparent, you will be able to deliver. If you have found a way in the past, you will find a way now.

The lack of self-belief could show up in a fear of failure if you decide to pivot your skills and experience to work in change and transformation (a huge growth sector now). Growing your career isn’t about knowing you can do something because you've done it before. It’s about doing more and doing differently. Recognise that the first time you do something outside your comfort zone, fear and self-doubt is to be expected. Self-belief doesn't equal not being scared. This kind of fear keeps you on the right side of the arrogance line and always questioning how you can be better - and that’s a good thing.

 2. You don’t have an established suite of tools and methodologies

Not having a set of established tools and methodologies harms your career because big problems don’t tend to come with advance warning - and you need to be prepared for how you would solve them.

When you’re called into a meeting or get a phone call asking if you can help solve a big problem, what people really want is a yes or no answer. People with the power to promote or hire you are looking for you to know at least a couple of tools and methodologies that could work to solve it. 

Decision-makers don’t need you to come back to them in a couple of weeks once you’ve done some research and written up potential methodologies. Do that and you go to the bottom of their list. Even if the proposal you go back with is amazing, that first impression was not a credible one. 

You build credibility by showing you have knowledge at your fingertips. Actually all you're doing is implementing your established tools and methodologies onto their problem. But there is a significant difference between that and the person who has to re-create their tools and methodologies for every single client or employer they work with.

Having a suite of possible tools and methodology at your disposal gives you both confidence and credibility. Of course no tool or methodology will fit every situation, but your unique professional genius is to see the problem and pick those you know are likely to solve it.

3. You don’t have a supportive and engaged network 

It’s not enough to have a network. If your career isn’t going the way you want it to, the problem is not having a supportive and engaged network.

If you have a network with whom you regularly butt heads and compete for who can tell the most amazing story about your career, it’s unlikely they’ll be the same people who help you out of problems when you fall into them. 

Having a supportive and engaged network is like having a safety parachute; it enables you to take risks. If you've promised something you have little idea how to deliver, your network will catch you. They will co-create solutions with you because they want to help you out, but that requires you to be authentic and vulnerable with them.

A LinkedIn list is not a proxy for a network. Having a network is being able to pick up the phone or write an email to people who know, like and trust you, and are therefore happy to help. Your network could be composed of mentors, your trusted inner circle, people you’ve worked closely with in the past and/or people you’ve been on a course with.

Without the safety of a supportive network, you stay inside your comfort zone and are unlikely to go after the big, scary change projects or huge business problems available to solve. 

With a brilliant network, you are confident that even if you don't know exactly how to solve your industry’s problems, someone in your network will.

Every time you have a vision and big goal in mind but don’t have a clear path to reach it, remember this simple career equation:

Self-belief + tools and methodologies + supportive network = the way forward.

Which of these 3 credibility blockers are you struggling with?

If you want to pivot or advance your skills to become a change maker in your industry, my new programme is for you. 

You could piece together ‘How To’s’ from blogs and websites, but that wastes time and doesn’t give you the big picture. Instead jump on the waitlist for The Change Maker Academy. 

Not another online course, it’s a 100% supported programme of insight, development, education and feedback. It will give you everything you need to become one of the Change Makers of tomorrow and, as a bonus when you sign up to the waitlist, I’ll give you 25% off the cost of the course and an optional payment plan. 

Money doesn’t have to be a barrier to you reaching the next stage in your career so join the waitlist now.

About Us

Oakwood is a Transformational Change Consultancy that works with mid-sized + companies, local authorities and individuals who are on a mission to create successful, sustainable and self-sufficient change. With our proprietary, comprehensive and proven 5i Framework and our collection of tools and processes, we have a higher record than most at creating the result you desire, without it being all about us … because your success isn’t about us, we’re here to support, guide and empower the change YOU make. 

With our unique Matrix Method we can see things that others can’t, no matter how complicated the problem, it can be analysed and simplified into a system you will understand, and our enviable network of experts means that no problem is too big or too difficult to find a solution for. 

Our experience spans private, public, local and global which means we understand the inner workings of change in each environment, without losing the feeling of real relationships - we truly have a global reach with a local feel. www.oakwoodmanagementconsulting.com