Credibility is absolutely essential in effective leadership and effective communication.
Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner spent more than two decades researching what makes leaders effective and concluded that credibility is the most important leadership characteristic. They wrote, “More than anything, people want leaders who are credible. Above all else, we must be able to believe in our leaders.”
Aristotle made a similar case centuries earlier. To effectively communicate with others, you need ethos (credibility), logos (logic), and pathos (passion). A person can have a wisely crafted message delivered with great passion, but it will go unheard if the person delivering the message is not credible. And a person could quickly add some logic or some passion to their message, but they could not quickly remedy a credibility gap.
Christian leaders have an unfair advantage when it comes to credibility. While competence, capacity, chemistry, and commitment all add to one’s credibility, character is the most important attribute of credibility. Christians can and must grow in integrity because our Savior commands us to walk as He walked and empowers us to do so by His Spirit. God is committed to developing the character of His children. He has promised that He will carry to completion the good work He began in us. Of all the “C” words commonly and widely used (character, competence, commitment, capacity, and chemistry), the biggest detriment to a leader’s credibility is a lack of character, and it is not even close. You can recover from a lack of competence. You can grow in your capacity. You can find another team where you enjoy greater chemistry. But losing credibility from a lack of character is a much longer recovery process.
To enjoy the fruit of credibility, growing in your character is essential. And as a Christian, you already have a Savior committed to growing and developing you. In my new book, The Rooted Leader, there is a whole chapter designed to help you build lasting credibility.
