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Does Your Credibility Show in What You Do?

July 9, 2012 by Liz 14 Comments

about credibility and what we do.

Not long ago, while we were listening to a talk show, a friend made a remark about a woman caller who argued a passionate opinion. She talked a bit longer than was acceptable for the the show in question. What he said was, “Anyone who can’t stop long enough to let someone else talk isn’t worth listening to.”

Have you met the pot that called the kettle black? With that sentence his credibility was shot.

BigStock: Black pot and kettle

This friend loves to argue science, politics, and how things work — he uses the same arguments more than once. His style is exactly that. He makes his voice such a strong force that no one has the energy to argue his point. It’s fine tactic for winning, but not one for reaching the truth. It’s also, as he himself said, not a way to win people who want to listen to you.

I’ve been thinking about that dissonance ever since. What struck me is how often we dislike in others what is our own habit or fault. We hold up our values when we call someone out for misbehaving, but we lose our credibility when the misbehavior is something we do too.

I’m going to be a little slower to talk. I’m going to check for my own version of someone’s bad behavior before I point theirs out. I don’t want to be the pot that calls the kettle black.

Credibility is hard to renew.

Credibility means believability. How believable can we be if we knock a behavior we do ourselves? .

Does your credibility show in what you do?

Be credible.
Be irresistible.
Be the best version of you.

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Seriously, How Credible Can You Be?

January 31, 2012 by Liz 10 Comments

You Don’t Even Know My Name

Many years ago, when telemarketers began the annoying practice of interrupting dinner, I decided to change the name on all of my credit cards. Since that day the cards read with two initials and my last name. It’s been fun to receive the “personalized” calls, direct mail, and email that comes to me with a hello that has been chosen just so the sender can’t call me by name.

Then a friend told me how, whenever she is asked to give up her contact information, she customizes her name in such a way that she will know who sold her name to that business spamming her when she never opted in.

Do you think those business count my friend and I when they quote their reach?

Yet,the basis of relationship — inside or outside of business — is credibility.
The offers that succeed are those in which our credibility is at least as big the size of the investment we’re asking.

Buying my information and marketing to me isn’t that different from starting a first conversation with “I think you’re sexy. Will you sleep with me?”
Who knows if you’re a theif, a slasher, or someone with some pernicious disease?

What good is reach if you don’t even know my name? Credibility is what makes the sale, not reach. Reach is not credibility.

How Credible Can You Be?

It’s no longer about only about how far our message can reach. Has it ever been or was that the only measure we could think up then? It’s not even about how many people will receive our message and consume it. Just because I understand what you said, doesn’t mean I’m inclined to do as you ask or even remember the message when 10 minutes have gone.

The question is whether a clear, credible message can travel far and still be believed.

Steven M. R. Covey, who wrote, The Speed of Trust, points to 4 Cores of Credibility — integrity, intent, capability, and results. Together they carry the four reasons we trust ourselves, our friends and the people and companies with whom we choose to work.

Integrity. A guy runs up to you on the beach, opens his coat and says, “Wanna buy a watch?” Your response is likely to be negative. It’s hard to believe that watch is the deal that he says it is. A man of integrity probably wouldn’t choose that form of approach. Integrity is the ultimate of walking your talk. The etymology of integrity is “wholeness, soundness, uncorrupted virtue.” It’s a person’s character who gives “his word,” shakes a hand. makes a promise, and signs a contract. Integrity is the conviction to always choose for your values no matter what people are around you.
Do you show up as the same person everywhere people find you?
Do you live your message with the people you work with and with your customers?
Do you keep promises to yourself, your friends, your family, and your colleagues?
Do you tell the hard truth as easily as you tell your best stories?

How do your actions demonstrate what you believe?
BE what you believe. Stand for something.
Intent. Ever get an email or a request from a friend that sounded as if it was sent just to you, then realized that he or she send the exact words to a whole list of people with a personalized greeting? A situation like that can make us wonder about what his or her someone’s intent. Intent is the reason we do what we do. It’s good intent to understand the power in partnership that is forthright and mutually beneficial. People and companies with good intent build relationships before promoting self-interest. Think of the respect Warren Buffet has earned. He’s a great combination of integrity and intent. Through demonstrations of good intent, Warren Buffet accomplishes many things that benefit others and his own companies.
Do you reflect on what motivates you and how that might work for others?
Do you move yourself outside the center to get a more balanced view of world?
Do you make the success of other people mission critical to our own success?
Do state your true intentions to yourself and to others before you act?

How do you make it easy to see what you’re up to?
Share your plan and your purpose. Focus on mutual benefits.
Capabilities. Think of leaders who inspire. They have knowledge, talent, skills, ethics, attitudes, and identity. It’s not simply that they’re intelligent and visible. They attract us to follow because they are good at what they do. They have means and the confidence to do the job and the way they talk about their capabilities raises everyone on their team.
Do you know your strengths, talents, what comes naturally, and why people follow you?
Do you have the expertise to do what you set out to do?
Does your style attract and encourage relationships and learning?
Do you establish a culture that is open and supportive?

How do you use your abilities to inspire confidence and leadership?
Know what value only you can bring. Do the same for others.
Results. Talent and skills are nothing, if we don’t do, produce, and respond to the right things. People and companies we trust focus on delivering right results that meet the highest expectations. They fulfill their promises — faster, easier, and more meaningfully than anyone might expect. Their record for results precedes them.
Do you show up, make clear decision, and put your best work into all you do?
Do seek out a team of people who are smarter and more experienced than you?
Do you focus on delivering outstanding satisfaction to every customer?
Do you look to consistently raise the bar higher?

How do you make outstanding and successful things happen?
Be engaged. Take responsibility with intent to win.

The difference between reach and credibility is the difference between Handing out flyers to every person who passes on the street and developing relationships with people who who value integrity, shared intent, competent commitment, and consistent performance.

Credibility is trust without fear or worry of the wrong results. Credibility means we don’t have to prepare for consequences because positive outcomes don’t hurt us. Credibility relieves us of the burden of having to build extra safety nets because we know that you’re looking out for our best interests — you’ll still be there if something goes wrong. Can’t say that about the guy on the beach offering to sell us a watch.

Reach is only valuable if it stands on a foundation of credibility.
Seriously, how credible can you be if you bought my information and you don’t even know my name?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
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The HUGE Gap Between Reach and Trust

September 20, 2010 by Liz Leave a Comment

Do You Trust Yourself?

During a discussion of The Difference Between Begging for and Building Influence a a few weeks ago, @StevePlunkett asked me to do a long think about credibility and reach. I’ve been doing just that and now I’m writing another post his challenge inspired.

The Pulitzer Prize Paper, Reach, and Engagement

Once upon a time, I subscribed to the Chicago Tribune. (I apologize to the New York Times and my friends who Yankees fans. I also live in Wrigleyville.) I subscribed to daily delivery during the period that the Tribune won 11 Pulitzer Prizes. I’m not certain that I read any of the winning articles. Though the paper came as promised, with a job in the city, my schedule often didn’t offer me the time I wished to read it. Even when it did loosen a bit, I didn’t read every word of it.

So though the paper reached me. I wasn’t exposed it. I was on their list and I would bet that I was counted in their ad fees based on circulation.

My point is that reach only meant I was paying for it.

I don’t watch television, so I don’t need a TIVO to skip the commercials. On the rare occasion that a television movie or event might attract me back to the huge screen monitor that we usually use as a computer, we end up talking through the ads or channel surfing just because we can.

I know a number of people online who own online tools that charge small fees and send out informational mailing lists. I know thousands more that belong to social sites and read blogs that carry ads. Whenever I ask about the ads, I find that we’re becoming advertising blind … except when we’re shopping or looking to see what sort of ads our friends are using.

So, technically those ads are reaching me, but they’re equivalent to a sales rep who knocks on my door but never gets an answer.

Then a new algorithm emerges from social media. If I pay close attention and “prune” my power network just right, I should be able to connect to the perfect 150 power people who have each also connected to another 150 power people and so on outward. A mere two generations out would be a network of 3,375,000 power people. But just to hedge the bet, perhaps I should connect to 150,000.

Thing is any message I send to my own group only gets read the same as the Tribune did … when they have time. Probably less than that, because I don’t have 11 Pulitzer Prizes behind what I’m saying.

Let’s not even talk about the email newsletters and direct mail that gets pitched without being opened.

Reach is not a guarantee of engagement, participation or even exposure.
Reach is merely a possibility.

Andrew Smith at marcom international points out,

“For decades, PR has been seen by many marketeers as âcheap reach via editorialâ â in other words, the goal of PR was to gain editorial coverage that provided the greatest number of opportunities to see â at a significantly lower cost than advertising.”

But even cheap is expensive if no one is paying attention.

And even when I do pay attention, can you assume that I trust what you’re saying?

No. Not unless I know you.

Reach and Trust

We interact with thousands of people through our lives and if we’re a corporation that number of interactions can grow to millions. Still the fact remains that people prefer to work with people we know and business moves faster, more easily, and with fewer micro-decisions when we can depend on people we trust.

The ability to reach millions with our message means hardly anything if they don’t trust the people or place the message is coming from. Now that we work online even Google has been trying to figure out how to trust.

A good marketer should always be able to reach more people. A great marketer knows that ideal customers who share the marketers’ values might actually pay more for products and services that incorporate those values in everything. An irresistible marketer knows and trusts those customers.

Reach is not nearly as powerful as attraction.

What Moves People to Trust You and Your Brand?

Trust … credibility … authenticity … transparency These words have become key terms in the social business lexicon. But they’re not new to business. Relationships have been the foundation of solid partnerships since growing businesses started growing. Ask any number of successful Venture Capitalists, if they have to choose, they will tell you that they will put their money on the team they can trust.

What moves us to trust?

Steven M. R. Covey, who wrote the book on Trust, points to 4 Cores of Credibility — So that’s where I went to start my think on credibility, with his words. integrity, intent, capability, and results. Together they carry the four reasons we trust ourselves, our friends and the people and companies with whom we choose to work.

And we’re finding that social business has made it more complicated than we might think.

It’s no longer about only about how far our message can reach or how many people will receive and consume it. The question is whether a credible message can travel that far and still be believed.

Integrity. A guy runs up to you on the beach, opens his coat and says, “Wanna buy a watch?” Your response is likely to be negative. It’s hard to believe that watch is the deal that he says it is. A man of integrity probably wouldn’t choose that form of work.
Integrity is the ultimate of walking your talk. he etymology of integrity is “wholeness, soundness” from the Latin, *intetritatern* “sense of uncorrupted virtue.” It makes a foundation upon which a person’s true character can stand. It’s a person’s character who gives “his word,” shakes a hand. makes a promise, and signs a contract.

Integrity is what we rely on when we say that a person (or a company) will never lie to you, that he has no hidden agenda, that her behavior is stellar, that they will always make good on what say they will do.

Whether we’re acting as a company or an individual looking in the mirror is what we say we believe totally in line with our standards? Integrity is the conviction to stand up for what is true and valuable to you and to trust yourself to always choose for your values no matter what people are around you. Integrity builds trust and respect in its Have we the personal and professional strength to say “no” to deals and relationships with people who stay sitting down.

Do you show up as the same person everywhere people find you?
Do you live your company’s message with the people you work with and with your customers?
Do you ever keep promises to yourself, your friends, your family, and the people you work with?
Do you tell the hard truth as easily and with as much love as you tell the great things?

Decide to BE what you believe. Stand for something.

How do your actions demonstrate what you believe?
Intent. Ever get an email or a request from a friend that sounded like it was just for you, only to find out that it was a sales pitch and he or she send the exact words to a whole list of people? A person of pure intent would never set up a situation that would make you wonder about what his or her agenda might be.
People and companies live with intent. They lean forward and stretch toward building open relationship before promoting self-interest. It’s good intent to understand the power in partnership that is forthright and mutually beneficial. Think of Warren Buffet and the respect he has earned. He’s a great combination of integrity and intent. And through good intent, Warren Buffet accomplishes many things that benefit others and his own companies.

Do you reflect on what motivates you and how that might work for others?
Do you move yourself outside the center to get a more balanced view of world?
Do you make the success of other people mission critical to our own success?
Do state your true intentions to yourself and to others before you act?

Share your plan and your purpose. Focus on mutual benefits.

How do you make it easy to see what you’re up to?
Capabilities. Think of the leaders who inspire. They have knowledge, talent, skills, ethics, attitudes, and identity. They’re not just smart and visible, but they attract us to follow them because they know where they’re doing. They have means and the confidence to do the job and the way they talk about their capabilities raises everyone on their team.
Do you know your strengths, talents, what comes naturally, and why people follow you?
Do you have the expertise to do what you set out to do?
Does your style attract and encourage relationships and learning?
Do you establish a culture that is open and supportive?

Be constantly learning. Know what value only you can bring. Do the same for others.

How do you use your abilities to inspire confidence and leadership?
Results. Talent and skills are nothing, if we don’t do, produce, and respond to the right things. People and companies we trust focus on delivering the right results to meet the highest expectations. They bring all of their resources to fulfill their promises — faster, easier, and more meaningfully than anyone might have imagined. Their record for results precedes them.
Do you show up, make clear decision, and put your best work into all you do?
Do seek out a team of people who are smarter and more experienced than you?
Do you focus on delivering outstanding satisfaction to every customer?
Do you look to consistently raise the bar higher?

Be engaged. Take responsibility with intent to win.

How do you make outstanding and successful things happen?

The difference between reach and credibility is the difference between sending a message out to everyone who might listen and communicating integrity, shared intent, competent commitment, and consistent performance.

What all of us wish for is to be able to trust without fear or worry of the wrong results. We prepare for negative consequences because positive outcomes don’t hurt us. In those relationships where trust is truly present, we’re relieved of the burden of having to build extra safety nets because we know that you are looking out for our best interests — we know you’ll be standing beside us if something goes wrong.

The huge gap between reach and trust is that with trust I believe …

I will always be able to say I bet on you and I won?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
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How to Wear the Hats of a Social Media Champion — 5 Key Traits of Credible Social Media Champions

November 24, 2008 by Liz Leave a Comment

It Starts with Amber’s Hats

Last week Amber Nashlund wrote post about the hats a social media champion wears. Whether we’re working inside a company or independently, anyone who offers new ways to do anything knows the challenge is not meant for the faint of heart. Knowing which of Amber’s hats to wear and which skill to call on for each situation is part science and part art. That’s the expertise of a social media champion — it’s the key leadership trait of any business manager leading change.

The proverbial hats — the know how, the expertise — won’t get far with a group that doesn’t know and trust the person wearing them. I know that Amber agrees. We’ve talked about this on other projects we’re planning together.

Remind You of Anything?

In the early years of educational publishing, dedicated teachers wanted more authentic materials than those offered by big publishers. So they made their own tools, activities, and classroom materials. Soon other teachers noticed and asked to use them. A business was born. Teachers made products and sold them to other classroom teachers they knew. The products were handmade, bound with plastic, and copied somewhere like Kinkos.

Rough edges were a mark of authenticity. Hand drawings and low-design meant the quality was in the content. Those qualities said “A real teacher made this.” New customers knew the books were good because they knew the teachers who made them.

The best of those dedicated teacher-publishers gained experience and perspective. Some left their own classrooms to serve more classroom teachers full time. However, they found growing their business wasn’t as easy as starting their business had been.

Our dedicated teacher-publishers saw other dedicated teachers offering homemade products for individual classroom teachers. Inexperienced copycats and opportunists were selling look-alike products that made empty promises and offered bad practices. Big educational publishers began to make books for individual classroom teachers too.

Classroom teachers had trouble discriminating the value from the noise.

When their customers knew them, the “rough edges” had been a certain kind of credibility, now those same homemade values made their products look shabby. Dedicated teacher-publishers needed a new way to connect their expertise with the classroom teachers they served.

Remind you of a situation anywhere near us right now?

How to Wear the Hats of a Social Media Champion

In the early days of blogging and social media, people learned by trial and error and then taught other people. We read their blogs or worked with them personally. Only so many sources existed. Someone new could recognize a wise teacher from a fool by seeing what the wise teachers had in common. We knew who was credible.

Then the blogopshere and the world of social networking exploded. Whole populations exist that have no contact with each other. Anyone can put on the social media hats. It’s hard to discriminate the value from the noise. We need to find new ways to connect with the people we want to serve.

When faced with the same challenge, those teacher-publishers shifted their thinking. They took their expertise out of the handmade package. They raised their production values to match the market. The successful dedicated teacher publishers made careful choices to convey their shared values with their classroom-teacher customers.

They offered the same solid expertise, the same content, in a new presentation.

In any noisy market what newcomers first encounter is presentation. Presentation is more than first impression. Presentation lays the groundwork for connection and relationship.

The way we wear the hats of a social media champion — our presentation verbally, visually, in text, in tone, in personal relationships — is a vital part of the expertise those hats represent.

A social media champion is a living presentation of his or her social media expertise.

Our presentation shows whether we understand who we’re talking to and what they value. From the choice of the photos and the type on a blog — new design in the works — to the choice of whether to wear a grunge jeans to visit a lawyer client, the way we “package” a message communicates even before our first word is offered.

5 Key Traits of Credible Social Media Champions

I’m not thinking we should change our identity. Just the opposite. What I’m proposing is that we make our best traits visible — that we walk our talk in the following ways. I see 5 key traits of in the social media champions I most admire and so I recommend them here.

Know who you are. — Be a person, not a personal brand. People make credible relationships. You make things happen. Your brand is a reflection of that. Credibility is based in actions that build trust and relationships.
Communicate what you stand for. — Define social media in detail in clear terms. Expertise leads a champion to have opinions about what works and what doesn’t. Be certain about your philosophy so that like-minded folks can find you.
Connect through the tangible and the intangible. Social media is about connections. An expert connector is focused on meeting other people where they feel comfortable. Everything from the vocabulary we use to our choice in dress code can be a bridge that connects. Great connectors show relationship expertise by using every chance to relate.
Be able to explain the social media culture in concrete world terms. Incidents like what happened to the Motrin ad earlier this month cause concern. Champions offer a open doors and reach out with guidance. Give context and offer familiar analogies. You’ll build bridges to replace what was fear.
Value Their Expertise and Be Available to Them Champions know that every voice brings value expertise of its own. They see the potential of new ideas adding to the culture. Find small, low-risk ways to invite interested questioners to listen, watch, and participate. Be available to explain what they encounter.

Long before they offer us a chance to speak or show off our social media hats, people evaluate our credibility. By the time we talk, they’ve already decided whether they will listen. Jason Falls says it best,

“Social media, you gotta live it.”

It takes quite a skill set — and several hats — to be a social media champion: listening, understanding, building on what went before, showing proof of success, engaging skeptics in meaningful conversation, inviting them into new ways of participation, planning action appropriate to their history, demonstrating ways that make jobs easier, more effective, and more efficient, helping keep the focus, and cheering people on when they lose the faith.

That’s why it’s a called champion, not a manager.

What traits do you see in the social media champions you trust? Who’s earned your credibility?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
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Customers and Credibility

April 29, 2006 by Liz Leave a Comment

Two Words

Two words I guard ferociously when it comes to my brand — customers and credibility. They, in fact, mean the same thing as Brand You and Me. I cannot think of better brand promotion than valuing customers and earning credibility.

Darren is running a fabulous series on Credibility. If you’ve not been there yet. You need to be. There’s nothing else like it on the Internet.

Come back and tell me what you think of it.

–ME “Liz” Strauss