Promised promotions aren’t happening. Instead of increasing headcount you’re laying off. How can you maintain credibility with your team when upper-management changes decisions?
Your word feels like a promise to your team.
Broken promises corrode credibility.
10 practical ways to maintain credibility:
#1. Tell people what YOU are doing.
- I submitted paperwork for your promotion.
- I gave our proposed budget to my boss.
- I explained that we need to increase headcount.
#2. Don’t tell people what you think higher-ups are going to do.
#3. Narrow the audience.
Give information to people who need it, not the whole team. Who needs to know you put someone up for promotion?
#4. Show empathy toward your team and upper management.
Unthinking bobble heads lose credibility. Explain why decisions were changed and express empathy. “It feels disappointing.”
#5. Communicate changes with optimism. “I know it’s disappointing, but we’re going to keep doing our best.”
#6. Speak up for your team. You lose credibility when teams feel like sacrificial lambs.
#7. Don’t minimize challenges. Empty-headed cheering lowers credibility.
#8. Model the way.
The best way to lose credibility is to grant yourself exemptions while holding others accountable.
#9. Build relationships.
#10. Apologize.
Make things right and do differently next time.
Credibility…
- Has trajectory. It’s always being validated, gained, or lost.
- Opens doors but doesn’t give permission to drift.
- Enables people to predict how you will act.
Credible people enjoy opportunities untrustworthy people lose.
You maintain credibility in the present.
Still curious:
The Secret to Credibility, Influence, and Impact
Personal Frailties and Leadership Credibility
7 Effective Ways Leaders Can Establish Credibility in the Workplace
