When it comes to leadership, your intentions count. Blind ambition might help you climb the ladder as an individual contributor, but it won’t help you galvanize groups of people to move mountains, conquer markets and develop a culture that sustains excellence.

Step one on your journey towards becoming an effective leader is to ensure that when people look and listen they find you believable, honest empathetic, consistent, capable and interested.  And remember, credibility is hard earned and easily squandered.  Guard yours well.

The Nine Credibility Builders-Rules for Effective Leaders to Live By:

1. Your positive attitude and high energy level are infectious to everyone around you.

2. Your attention to others and your willingness to listen are the ultimate signs of respect that you can pay your team members and colleagues.

3. Honesty is an all of the time policy.

4. A visible agenda builds trust. Broadcast yours constantly.

5. Do the right thing.  All of the time.

6. ABCDEFGH  JKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ-It’s not about you.  There’s no “I”

7. Your job is to support the career development of others. This is how you positively impact the lives of the people around you.

8. Mistakes are the best teachers.  From IDEO: “Encourage people and teams to fail  often to succeed sooner.”

9. Humility is a virtue, practice it.

Bonus #10-One of my favorites from a survey participant

10  The “Do Must Match the Tell” for a leader to have credibility. Actions count!

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note: “The Nine Credibility Builders” partially excerpted from Practical Lessons in Leadership by Art Petty and Rich Petro