Believe You Can Lead

Part of being credible as a leader is demonstrating that you have the right and the talent to lead.  In part, credibility is granted to you by those who you lead and in part by those who have given you the opportunity to lead.  At least that’s how it works at a Fortune 100.

For the rest of the world, it’s really about believing that you have the right and the talent to lead.  You seize credibility and walk in the door with it.  Nobody is going to just hand credibility to you.  You will it into existence, then keep your spot through the results of your action.  It’s unfortunate that this isn’t always the way it works in a rather large bureaucracy.  

That said, in the end, you can’t fake credibility.  You eventually have to show that you deserve to lead.  The paths to get their may differ according to who or what you are leading, but producing results always helps.

You can’t lead by love alone.