Deciding which candidate to vote into office is simply a matter of party affiliation for many people. However, others cast their votes based on specific traits they look for in their candidate of choice. So should political leaders possess or lack credibility?
It is quite appalling that the crop of leaders we have today around us are people of no character, humanizers, liars, looters and people with excessive quest for materialism with little or no regard for humanity. Being a leader, you must appear honest, though it can sometimes be difficult because it makes individuals vulnerable. But it reveals who we really are and discloses our mistakes, which gives others the opportunity to criticize or reject openly. Honesty develops character and builds credibility and trust, which are the foundation to evoke confidence and respect from those around you, and in the case of political leaders, teammates and constituents.
On the other hand, compassion is the humane quality of understanding the suffering of others and wanting to do something to alleviate that suffering. While many see compassion as a weakness, true compassion is a characteristic that converts knowledge to wisdom. Good political leaders use compassion to see the needs of those he or she leads and to determine the course of action that would be of greatest benefit to all those involved.
For the avoidance of doubt, leaders who succeed are those with integrity i.e. ‘the adherence to moral and ethical principles; the soundness of moral character.’ It is a synonym for honesty and uprightness, and is a vital characteristic for those in political leadership. Political leaders who possess integrity can be trusted because he or she never veers from inner values, even when it might benefit them to do so. A leader must have the trust of followers. This requires the highest standard of integrity.
To be credible means having confidence, faith and belief that he or she will act in a right, proper, or effective way. A good political leader needs to be both confident in himself or herself as well in their ability to lead. Leaders who possess this quality inspire others, drawing on a level of trust which sparks the motivation to get others on board and get the job done.
No bad leader succeeds twice if he fails to be flexible in decision making. Flexibility for a political leader is about understanding the give-and-take aspects of politics, and the ability to find the common ground. Good politicians listen carefully to all sides, to not only hear their arguments but to especially learn what it will take on behalf of all parties involved to reach a consensus. This characteristic allows political leaders to recognize setbacks and criticism, to learn from them and move forward.
Great political leaders have all of these exceptional qualities and more. Each aspires to respect different views, analyze problems, and identify the best solutions – not based on loyalty to political party, but rather based on what is good and right and in the best interest of the people as a whole.
According to the American Heritage Dictionary, credible means: “Capable of being believed; plausible or worthy of confidence; reliable.”
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James Kouzes, author of Credibility says that “Credibility is the foundation of leadership. If people don’t believe in the messenger, they won’t believe the message.” In business, if you lack credibility, you may never be able to get a team to follow you and will probably never advance to a position of authority. Let’s face it: If people don’t believe what you say, nothing else really matters.
Your credibility is based on your words and actions. If these two areas of communication are incongruent, your credibility will suffer. So if you are a team member and tell your teammates you will help out but never do; your credibility will diminish as a result.
Whether you are sharing information or job recognition, if you are not credible, it will be of little consequence. If you expect others to believe what you say, you first have to believe it yourself.
If there is one defining characteristic of leaders who are effective over long periods of time, it’s that they behave in ways that cause people to see them as credible. That means that they are believed, and trusted, both in the specifics of what they say, and generally, as people.
However, credible leaders are consistent in their words and their behaviors. They are not constantly shifting courses, and reversing their decisions. They do not shift their leadership and management styles here and there. They are relatively predictable. They are honest to the degree that it’s reasonably possible to be so.
Meanwhile, this attribute may sound odd, but leaders may be in positions where they cannot reveal everything they know to followers. In this sense honesty does not necessarily mean sharing everything (since some things often need to remain confidential). It does mean that what a manager can share is the truth, even if it may not be the whole truth.
Credibility and trustworthiness occur through personal contact, and effective interpersonal communication. For example, as we have indicated elsewhere, a responsive leader will be perceived as more credible and trustworthy as compared to a relatively non-responsive leader. And, a leader who knows when to interact face-to-face (rather than, let’s say via email) will tend to be seen as more credible, and inspire greater loyalty compared to a leader who uses (ormisuses technology based communication).
Of course, there’s much more to the psychology of creating credibility, but it can be boiled down to this: Employees and followers will watch the leader, and look for the degree to which the leader behaves in ways consistent with his or her expressed values. In other words, walking the talk, while a bit of a cliché, is absolutely critical.
People are exceedingly clear about the qualities they expect leaders to demonstrate before they will enlist in a common cause and freely commit to action. People most want their leaders to be honest, forward-looking, competent, and inspiring.
Leaders are judged by their level of honesty and fair-play. Honesty is selected more often than any other leadership characteristic. For people to willingly follow someone, they first want to assure themselves that the individual has integrity and is worthy of their trust. Leaders are expected to have future orientation. Whether it’s called a vision, mission, or a personal agenda, the message is clear: leaders must know where they’re going if they expect others to willingly join them on the journey.
Obviously, if people are going to enlist in a cause, they need to believe that the individual leading the effort is capable. The type of competence that constituents look for may vary somewhat with the context, but whatever a leader’s role, people need to believe in the leader’s ability to get the job done.
Very remarkably, people want to work with leaders who are dynamic, uplifting, energetic, positive, and optimistic. The enthusiasm of leaders is contagious; it lifts people up and spreads the belief that they can make extraordinary things happen.
Taken singularly, the characteristics of honest, forward-looking, competent, and inspiring provide a highly useful guide for leadership selection, action, and development. Taken together, however, they communicate an even more powerful message, one that offers a deeper understanding of people’s expectations of leaders.
Credibility is the foundation of leadership. If people don’t believe in the messenger, they won’t believe the message. If you want people to follow you, they must believe that your words can be trusted, that you have the knowledge and skill necessary to lead, and that you are personally excited and enthusiastic about the future direction in which you are headed. Without a firm foundation of personal credibility, leaders have no hope of enlisting others in a common vision.
We found that the more people say their leaders exhibit credibility, the prouder they are to tell others they are part of the administration, the stronger their sense of team spirit, the more they see their own personal values as consistent with those of the organization, the more committed they are to the organization, and the greater their sense of ownership of the organization.
People who report that their leaders have low credibility indicate that they are motivated primarily by money, may say good things about the organization publicly but criticize it privately, and feel unsupported and unappreciated.
The loyalty, commitment, energy, and productivity of your constituents depend on their assessments of your credibility. Credibility will determine whether others want to follow you or not. And the effect of personal integrity of leaders goes far beyond employee attitudes. It also influences customer and investor loyalty.
People are just more likely to stick with you when they know they are dealing with a credible person and a credible institution. In business, and in life, if people don’t believe in you, they won’t stand by you.
The truth is that credibility is the foundation of leadership. If you are going to lead, you must demonstrate to others that you are someone they can believe in. Earning and sustaining personal credibility is a continuous human struggle and the ultimate leadership struggle.
Constituents do not owe leaders allegiance. Leaders earn it. The gift of another’s trust and confidence is well worth the struggle and essential to meeting the challenges of leading people to places they have never been. Cheers!
By Sir Jude Ejiogu
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