Building credibility for long-term success
Credibility is one of the most important measures of success, be it in personal or professional relationships. Yet, while it can take years to build credibility, it can take mere minutes to lose it.
The effort it takes to maintain credibility ties in well with words from the Kyocera philosophy: “Another important point is that this unrivalled effort must be a relentless daily practice. In other words, you must not forget that every great achievement is an accumulation of tedious efforts.”
While the pursuit of credibility takes sustained time and effort, it helps to build a reputation of reliability, respect and trust – and what person or business doesn’t want that?
This article outlines some of the ways in which you can build credibility, and which, if followed, can lead to the respect of your peers and customers.
- Get things done: no exceptions: no excuses
- Always look to the bigger picture and ensure that the task at hand is delivered on time and without excuses.
- Keep your lines of communication open
- If, for whatever reason, a task is delayed, or you are unable to deliver on it, communicate immediately with the relevant stakeholders and let them know how you plan to resolve any issues.
- Shoulder the blame where necessary: never blame others
- As the saying goes “life happens” and things go wrong from time to time regardless of your efforts. Take the blame and be honest.
- Go the extra mile
This should be a given for anyone who hopes to achieve success. Always put in extra effort to help where you can.
It’s also important to remember that “building” credibility is only half of the picture. It’s just as important to avoid losing credibility. To this end, ensure that you show up at all times, not just when the boss is around, speak up when required (even if it’s not comfortable) and admit it when you don’t know something. In time, all these small efforts will sustain your reputation as a person of integrity.
Michelle Frenzel- HR Manager - Kyocera Document Solutions South Africa
