Trust Me: How Personal Credibility Can Transform Your Career

In a world where professional success relies not only on competence and knowledge, credibility emerges as a critical cornerstone, responsible for establishing trust and respect with your team, partners, and clients. Reflecting on my personal journey across various companies and roles, I have discovered the transformative power of cultivating credibility in shaping my career trajectory and driving growth within organizations. In this article, I delve into my insights, experiences, and lessons learned, aiming to inspire you to embark on your own credibility - building journey, ultimately unlocking your potential as a professional others can rely on and admire, while fostering a positive impact on your work environment.

1. Embracing Consistency and Adaptability in Diverse Sectors

Throughout my career, I have worked in various companies and industries, from directing businesses and driving regional development to recruitment and creation of leadership teams and providing strategic assistance to senior management in high-pressure circumstances. In these diverse roles, I have learned the importance of embracing consistency and adaptability to ensure success. For example, when faced with an unexpected change in situation, I quickly adapted and reprioritized tasks to accommodate the new requirements. By setting realistic goals, prioritizing tasks, and utilizing common sense methodologies, I have been able to maintain a high level of performance and personal integrity as I adapted to the unique demands of each role and job.

2. Nurturing Collaborative Relationships with Internal and External Stakeholders

The value of building strong collaborative relationships have been my key takeaways of managing cross-functional teams and working closely with internal and external stakeholders. When one is responsible for overseeing highly complex, multi-stakeholder projects, one of the best skillsI have learnt is to foster open communication, always offer assistance to all, and celebrate team achievements. By doing so, I was able to create an environment where everyone felt valued, supported and moved mountains when they were called up to the task. This collaborative leadership approach has enabled me to effectively manage people, projects, mitigate risks, and deliver results on time and on budget.

3. Demonstrating Accountability and Learning from Mistakes

One generally always celebrates the wins, but we ever celebrate the mistakes. In my opinion, celebrating a mistake is by taking ownership and accountability for the mistake, informing everyone around about the mistake and ensuring that collectively everyone learns not to make the same mistake again. We have all faced challenges and made our fair share of mistakes. By owning up to one’s errors, learning from them, and making amends, you have demonstrated your commitment to accountability and personal growth. This has not only earned the respect of my team but also reinforced a culture of learning and improvement within our organization.

4. Prioritizing Professional Development to Stay Ahead

Prioritizing professional development can be challenging if one does not get the support of the organization and their manager. Having a dedicated structured time during office hours to pursue it makes it equally essential for both the manager and the employee. Throughout my various roles, I have tried to make learning a priority and continuously expanded my skill sets. This has enabled me to develop valuable skills in project management, risk mitigation, team leadership and stakeholder management. Working with multi talented peers, I have also cultivated a strong business acumen, honed my problem-solving attitude, and developed a self-motivated, outcome-focused approach.

As a leader, one of the critical professional developments I have focused on has been emotional intelligence. The difference one makes when one has empathy, self-awareness, and effective communication skills, is that I have been able to better understand the situation or person, manage it, and respond to the emotions of not only myself but others around me. This enabled me to? build trust and credibility around me and within the workplace as well. Navigating the complexities of a high-growth startup or corporate environment requires strong emotional intelligence today. What worked for me is making a conscious effort to improve my emotional intelligence by always seeking feedback and always seeing things from both perspectives. As a result, this has helped me build stronger relationships and create a more supportive and collaborative ecosystem for disruption, open communication and performance.

5. Ensuring Clear and Confident Communication in Dynamic Environments

In my previous organization, I headed operations and new business at a high growth start-up company, where I played a crucial role in setting up the entire new business and operations divisions within a fast-paced, dynamic and ever changing environment. I learnt the importance of clear, crisp and confident communication to keep everyone on the same page and ensured success.

An example that comes to mind, was during a Christmas project handover, we were faced with a major project delay due to contractor and supplier issues, I took the initiative to communicate the situation transparently to all stakeholders and propose a revised timeline. This proactive approach helped maintain trust and credibility among the team and clients, ultimately leading to the successful completion of the project.

6. Addressing Potential Obstacles and Strategies for Overcoming Them

Building credibility can be challenging, especially when faced with obstacles such as resistance to change, negative perceptions, or organizational politics. In my experience, I have found the following strategies to be effective in overcoming these challenges:

Overcoming Resistance to Change

Address resistance to change by involving key stakeholders in decision-making processes, clearly communicating the rationale for changes, and providing ample support and resources for the transition.

Countering Negative Perceptions

Counter negative perceptions by demonstrating consistent performance, actively seeking feedback, and being transparent about your intentions and goals.

Navigating Organizational Politics

Navigate organizational politics by building alliances, understanding the power dynamics within the organization, and focusing on delivering results that align with the company's strategic objectives.

7. Encouraging Reflection and Self-Assessment to Enhance Credibility

It is essential to continually assess and reflect on your credibility. By evaluating your current credibility levels, identifying areas for improvement, and creating a plan for growth, you can ensure that you continue to develop as a professional and maintain the trust of your colleagues and clients.

For example, I regularly seek feedback from my team, peers, and supervisors to identify areas where I can improve my credibility. I then use this feedback to set specific, achievable goals and track my progress over time.

In conclusion, building personal credibility at work is a journey that requires continuous effort and self-awareness. As I reflect on my experiences, I realize that my credibility has been shaped by my ability to adapt to diverse situations, forge strong relationships, learn from my mistakes, and prioritize self-improvement. In turn, these qualities have allowed me to make meaningful contributions to my organizations and create a positive impact on my teams and clients.

The process of building credibility is deeply personal and unique to each individual. I encourage you to consider your own experiences and the lessons you've learned along the way. What has made you more credible in the eyes of others? How have your actions and decisions contributed to your professional reputation? By engaging in this introspection and striving for continuous growth, you can unlock your potential and become the kind of professional others trust, respect, and admire.

As you embark on this journey, remember that personal credibility is not just about what you know but also about who you are and how you approach challenges and opportunities. By staying true to your values, fostering genuine connections, and pushing yourself to grow and adapt, you can build a strong foundation of credibility that will serve as a catalyst for lasting success in your career.