Building your credibility in the scale up phase of growing a business

There’s a lot of moving parts involved in the scale up phase of a growing business…

Systems need to be updated, processes need to be reviewed, new talent needs to be acquired, old talent needs to be reshuffled - the list goes on.

With so much going on, it’s easy to let things slip.

But as a CEO of a now scale up company, you need to be careful not to forget about yourself.

As a leader, you are the one who sets the example for your teams. People look up to you, expect you to come up with solutions, and do things the right way.?

They want someone they can trust; they want someone credible.

During the scale up phase, it’s more important than ever to demonstrate your expertise, and show people exactly why you’re the person for the job.

So how do you do that? Check out the steps below for some ideas to get you started.

Step 1: Shut up and listen!

Showing you care builds trust, and there’s no simpler way to show you care than to listen to what someone has to say.

Don’t go into things with all guns blazing. Slow down, shut up and listen to the people around you. They will have a lot more respect for you if you take the time to get their perspective on things before you start throwing out orders.

Plus, people are more likely to listen to those who listen to them. So if you want your team to see you as a credible leader that deserves to be listened to, it’s only fair you offer them the same courtesy.

Step 2: Be consistent

It’s simple: do what you say you’ll do.

Over promising and under delivering is only going to lead to a breakdown of trust, unhappy teams, and unfinished work.

As much as you think people want you to simply say “yes”, if you don’t think you’ll be able to follow through it’s always better to say no.

To be a credible leader you have to learn to prioritise.

Before you make a promise or agree to something, be sure to ask yourself, ‘Is this a priority? Can I really take this on right now?’ As hard as it may be to say no, it’s only going to benefit everybody in the end.

Step 3: Own your mistakes

Entrepreneur, Jeff Bezos, admits that his failures played a big role in the development of Amazon and has stated he “made billions of dollars of failures.”

We can’t all be Jeff Bezos (and a fair few don’t want to be) but you get the idea. In a scale up, things are bound to go wrong. The process involves a lot of risks, some of which won’t work out.

Rather than letting this hold you back, take it as a learning opportunity. Gain feedback and work with your teams to review and identify what went wrong. (If you want a template for this, click here!)

Step 4: You don’t always have to be the good cop

During a scale up tough decisions will need to be made and difficult conversations will need to be had.

Nobody enjoys these things but avoiding them doesn’t do anyone any favours in the long run. If you want to gain people’s trust, you have to show them you have the ability to make decisions and have these conversations for the good of the business and everyone in it.

The way you handle these situations is key, and usually depends on the particular context. But as long as you are being considerate, fair and acting for the benefit of the company, people are only going to respect you for your decisions.

It’s not over yet…

There’s no finish line when it comes to building trust and credibility; it’s an ongoing process.

You need to be reflecting regularly on your credibility and how you’re perceived by others. Try asking a trusted colleague, friend or coach to provide feedback.?

Then you can adjust your behaviour and make sure you’re doing everything you can to show your teams why you’re the boss!