Building Credibility

Making Deposits

I'm preparing to start a new role, so the idea of building credibility has been on my mind. I actually wrote about it last year, so I've been revisiting some of my own advice to see how well I think it will hold up.

I’ve realized that credibility is very much like like an investment account. You add a little bit to it at a time, and it starts to grow. And once you’ve made enough deposits, you can start tapping into it without drawing down too much. But you can’t make withdrawals if you haven’t made deposits, at least not without seriously damaging yourself."

That comes from 4 Ways to Make Credibility Deposits: Starting a New Role Right

It is interesting because we often have to build trust in so many contexts, especially as we move jobs or roles or neighborhoods. We often go from a place of high credibility (a place we hopefully have earned with good work) to a place with lower credibility as we move into something new. So bridging that gap, and doing it quickly, is a key element of success. I'll probably need to explore that some more, especially as I go through the cycles soon.

Additional Links

The Trust Battery
This is a really good interview with the founder of Shopify from last year. It has stuck with me.

​How Leaders Around the World Build Trust Across Cultures
A good article from the Harvard Business Review that I think reiterates some of the key ideas I had as well, with the rigor of HBS of course. 
"Starting with the right mindset is key. The executives we spoke with understood that the process of trust building can take different paths, different amounts of time, and different sets of criteria in different parts of the world and with people from different backgrounds. Patience and understanding are of the essence."

The Secret to Rebuilding Trust in Tech: More Emotionally Intelligent Humans
This will continue to be an interesting space as trust in technology and technology companies is questioned. 
"​We don’t like what we don’t trust, and we don’t trust what we don’t understand."

Other Stuff

Favorite Books from the Past Month:
Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World
Thoroughly enjoyed this book and its look at dealing with complexity in war. It is incredibly applicable to all of us given how networked we today and how much complexity we all deal with.

The Gods Themselves
If you're a fan of science fiction, Isaac Asimov is a go-to for great stories. And this one didn't disappoint. Especially if you like the idea of alternative universes and what the implications of that might be.