Is Credibilty Declared or Bestowed?

I've deemed myself credible. Yes, I have and I actually think I do it pretty darn regularly, out loud, to others. My credibility is likely included somewhere on my in-dire-need-of an-overhaul LinkedIn profile somewhere. 

Oh, don't judge me, I am sure you've done it too. And why shouldn't we? We do our homework, follow through on the things we say we are going to do, maintain our SPHR certification and don't lie, cheat or steal. I never even gave it a second thought. 

Until now. Until I started preparing my credibility presentation and picking at the notion of crediblity. Until I started to wonder. Until I started to pose the question to others.

And until I read what my friend Steve Browne had to say. 

Steve addressed the Touchy Issue of Credibility At Work on TLNT and wrote,

"Credibility is determined by others. You can’t proclaim yourself credible. The reality of credibility at work is that others get to determine whether you are credible or not. May not seem fair, but it is reality. Understanding that this is something that occurs vs. being bestowed is important. People that posture for attention and focus to seem credible often are people that are the farthest thing from actually being credible."

Is credibility something that is declared or something that is bestowed?

Yikes. Have I been making the greatest faux pas of all time? Have you? What do you think?

Photo credit iStockphoto

Where Does Credibility Lie for You?

I don't like people telling me what to do and how to do it. But since I am not the top of the pyramid, it's something I run into, oh, every now and then. When it happens, I take it better if the person walked in my shoes, brings experiences or perspectives I don't have to the issue.

Be it social media use, addressing a human resource issue, unveiling a new initiative, or talking with me about my performance, experience is key for me. It's not about what was read, indicated or surveyed -  it's much deeper than that. It gets into the what, the meaning, the how, the why . . . and the why not.

It comes down to credibility. 

 

People will talk and when they do, I may choose to listen. And I listen for the "I" as in, "what I learned from my experience," because that's where credibility lies for me. 

Last week I asked, "Am I credible? Are you credible? How do you (we) know?" I received some wonderful perspectives in the comments.

Master Resume Writer was thinking along the same lines as me when she commented that, " 'proof' of credibility ultimately lies in meaty, meaningful experience that you can 'speak' to in some depth/breadth; and a record of tangible results that you can show (not just tell) others."

Two opinions, even as aligned as they are, do not make a consensus or end a conversation so I was glad to see comments from others.

One in particular stopped me in my tracks. 

Alan Hill commented that, "Most of the time this question is speaking of credibility of my work - is my track record credible (y/n)? I believe there is more to credibility than work or character." He went on to say that credibility goes beyond experience and includes credibility of vision and credibility of awareness. (It's a wonderful comment I am only paraphrasing here.)

Alan ended by asking, "what other areas of credibility are there?"

See, that's why I love this gig - I get to hear ideas, and take my mind places, I would never have gotten to on my own. I had not even considered that realms of credibility existed beyond experience - but Alan did. 

Awesome. So let me know . . . where does credibility lie for you? 

Photo credit Visual Thesaurus