A former US Marine outlines how to earn people's trust, in 4 steps
It's also hard to outline a concrete plan for achieving high credibility among your coworkers, other than simply turning in projects on time.
In their new book, "Spark: How to Lead Yourself and Others to Greater Success," three military veterans do just that.
The authors - Angie Morgan, Courtney Lynch, and Sean Lynch - are the cofounders of and a senior consultant at leadership development firm Lead Star. In "Spark," they write that credibility boils down to four key behaviors:
1. Understanding and meeting the standards of others
These standards are the unspoken expectations that your coworkers have for you.
Morgan, who served as an officer in the US Marines, visited the Business Insider office in March and told us: "First and foremost, understand what's expected of you within this relationship. And sometimes expectations aren't always bright-lined in a job description. You really have to build that relationship so you can understand what people want from you."
In "Spark," Courtney Lynch writes about a coaching client she worked with who was dismayed about not getting picked for big assignments.
At some point, the client realized that the people who were getting picked for these projects networked with senior leaders and volunteered for assignments, instead of waiting to be selected. So she started displaying the same behaviors.
2. Having a very narrow 'say-do gap'
According to the authors, that's "the space between your words and your actions. When it's small, you're consistent. When it's large, you're at risk of frustrating others."
The authors write that it's important to minimize this gap even when other people don't seem to notice or care.
Maybe your coworkers consistently show up late for meetings or accept excuses for subpar work. Being a "Spark" is about demonstrating leadership behaviors to those around you, so that you inspire them to follow suit.
As Morgan said, it's about "making sure you're the person who can follow through on your commitments."
3. Communicating your intent and expectations to others
"You have to make sure that you see your success with and through other people," Morgan said.
The authors write that it's better to communicate the "what" to your coworkers than the "how."
In other words, give your team expectations for deadlines and deliverables - but not the exact steps they'll need to take to achieve them. That way, you'll inspire creative problem-solving.
"Chances are good," the authors write, "that someone's poor performance is a result of something you did not do versus something [your coworker] did do."
4. Holding others accountable when they fail to meet standards
Just as leaders should keep themselves accountable (see No. 2: the say-do gap), it's important to hold your teammates responsible for their behavior.
You don't have to be someone's manager to deliver feedback on their performance. In fact, sometimes it's advisable to bring up the issue yourself.
The authors write: "If someone had a problem with your performance, which would you prefer: that she go to your manager to discuss it or that she come directly to you with it?"
You can start the conversation with something like: "Hey, I've observed something lately that you might find valuable - are you open to hearing it?" Assuming they say "yes," make sure you "focus on what you've observed and the impact it's had on you."
It's hard to argue against the importance of credibility in the workplace. If no one can trust you to get your work done, you're basically useless.
Bottom line: Being credible at work is not about how you see yourself; it's about whether others can trust you.
As Morgan told Business Insider, "credibility is really in the eyes of the beholder. I can influence my credibility, but ultimately you determine whether or not I'm credible."
Watch the full interview below: