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Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It, Why People Demand It
"Leadership is personal. It's not about the corporation, the community, or the country. It's about you. If people don't believe in the messenger, they won't believe the message. If people don't believe in you, they won't believe in what you say. And if it's about you, then it's about your beliefs, your values, your principles."-- from Credibility
In this best-selling book, Kouzes and Posner (authors of The Leadership Challenge), explain why leadership is above all a relationship, with credibility as the cornerstone. They provide rich examples of real managers in action and reveal the six key disciplines and related practices that strengthen a leader's capacity for developing and sustaining credibility. Kouzes and Posner show how leaders can encourage greater initiative, risk-taking, and productivity by demonstrating trust in employees and resolving conflicts on the basis of principles, not positions.
In this best-selling book, Kouzes and Posner (authors of The Leadership Challenge), explain why leadership is above all a relationship, with credibility as the cornerstone. They provide rich examples of real managers in action and reveal the six key disciplines and related practices that strengthen a leader's capacity for developing and sustaining credibility. Kouzes and Posner show how leaders can encourage greater initiative, risk-taking, and productivity by demonstrating trust in employees and resolving conflicts on the basis of principles, not positions.
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
About the author
James M. Kouzes
283 books89 followersJim Kouzes has been thinking about leadership ever since he was one of only a dozen Eagle Scouts to be selected to serve in John F. Kennedy's honor guard when Kennedy was inaugurated President of the United States. Kennedy's inaugural call to action -- "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." -- inspired Jim to join the Peace Corps, and he taught school in Turkey for two years. That experience made Jim realize that he wanted a career that offered two things: the chance to teach and the opportunity to serve. It was in his first job back in the U.S. training community action agency managers that Jim found his calling, and he has devoted his life to leadership development ever since.
Jim Kouzes is the coauthor with Barry Z. Posner of the award-winning and best-selling book, The Leadership Challenge, with over 3.0 million copies in print. He's a Fellow of the Doerr Institute for New Leaders at Rice University and also served as the Dean's Executive Fellow of Leadership, Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University. Jim and Barry have coauthored many bestselling leadership books including A Leader's Legacy, Encouraging the Heart, The Truth About Leadership, and Credibility. They are also the developers of The Leadership Practices Inventory—the bestselling off-the-shelf leadership assessment in the world. Their books are extensively researched-based, and over 500 doctoral dissertations and academic studies have been based on their original work.
Not only is Jim a highly regarded leadership scholar, The Wall Street Journal cited Jim as one of the twelve best executive educators in the U.S. He is the 2010 recipient of the Thought Leadership Award from the Instructional Systems Association, listed as one of HR Magazine’s Most Influential International Thinkers, named one of the Top 100 Thought Leaders in Trustworthy Business Behavior by Trust Across America, and ranked by Leadership Excellence magazine as one of the Top 100 Thought Leaders. Jim was presented with the Golden Gavel, the highest honor awarded by Toastmasters International, and he and Barry are also the recipients of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) Distinguished Contribution to Workplace Learning and Performance Award, presented in recognition of their extensive body of work and the significant impact they have had on learning and performance in the workplace.
Jim Kouzes is the coauthor with Barry Z. Posner of the award-winning and best-selling book, The Leadership Challenge, with over 3.0 million copies in print. He's a Fellow of the Doerr Institute for New Leaders at Rice University and also served as the Dean's Executive Fellow of Leadership, Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University. Jim and Barry have coauthored many bestselling leadership books including A Leader's Legacy, Encouraging the Heart, The Truth About Leadership, and Credibility. They are also the developers of The Leadership Practices Inventory—the bestselling off-the-shelf leadership assessment in the world. Their books are extensively researched-based, and over 500 doctoral dissertations and academic studies have been based on their original work.
Not only is Jim a highly regarded leadership scholar, The Wall Street Journal cited Jim as one of the twelve best executive educators in the U.S. He is the 2010 recipient of the Thought Leadership Award from the Instructional Systems Association, listed as one of HR Magazine’s Most Influential International Thinkers, named one of the Top 100 Thought Leaders in Trustworthy Business Behavior by Trust Across America, and ranked by Leadership Excellence magazine as one of the Top 100 Thought Leaders. Jim was presented with the Golden Gavel, the highest honor awarded by Toastmasters International, and he and Barry are also the recipients of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) Distinguished Contribution to Workplace Learning and Performance Award, presented in recognition of their extensive body of work and the significant impact they have had on learning and performance in the workplace.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
January 2, 2024
One of the most significant books on leadership I have read to date. It’s nothing new or groundbreaking, but it can help emphasize new strategies and keep credibility at the forefront of any aspiring leader.
October 3, 2019
I was a little bit torn on this one to begin with, as most of the points seemed familiar and common. But once you take this work as a good recap and reminder, it is stellar.
Recorded reminder for leaders, but don’t expect fantastic new revelations or theory.
Recorded reminder for leaders, but don’t expect fantastic new revelations or theory.
September 25, 2011
READ SEP 2011
Excellent follow-up to Leadership Challenge. Timely treatment of an important leadership gap: credibility. Kouzes and Posner describe six principles for developing and maintaining leadership credibility.
Best quotes: "threat, power, position, and money do not earn commitment; they earn compliance. And compliance produces adequacy, not greatness" (p. 32) and "The intuitive understanding that a single thing is or could be many things, depending upon how you look at it, is central to the learning climate created by leaders." (p. 169).
Excellent follow-up to Leadership Challenge. Timely treatment of an important leadership gap: credibility. Kouzes and Posner describe six principles for developing and maintaining leadership credibility.
Best quotes: "threat, power, position, and money do not earn commitment; they earn compliance. And compliance produces adequacy, not greatness" (p. 32) and "The intuitive understanding that a single thing is or could be many things, depending upon how you look at it, is central to the learning climate created by leaders." (p. 169).
August 27, 2012
Kouzes and Posner are masters at saying in many words what could be said in few. I guess there's nothing wrong with that as people won't shell out big money for tracts. This might be a good primer for anyone completely unfamiliar with leadership concepts. If you have kept up with the trends, it is a wordy refresher. But to be fair, told with nice anecdotes.
March 10, 2019
I think this one deserves to be counted as one of the foundational leadership books; that will endure and continue to be worthwhile. I'll be happy to recommend it right up there with 7 Habits, Leadership and Self Deception, and Radical Candor. Main premise is that Credibility is central to effective leadership. Lots of great advice for leaders at all levels; a central takeaway and the heart of Credibility is that leaders 'Do what we say we will do.'
Some quotes and concepts from the book:
"Leadership is a relationship between those who aspire to lead and those who choose to follow...Loyalty is not something a boss (or anyone for that matter) can demand or even command. It is something the people -the constituency- choose to grant to a leader who has earned it."
Regarding attributes of credible leaders:
"What are these crucial attributes?...the majority of people look for and admire leaders who are honest, forward-looking, inspiring, and competent...of all the attributes of credibility, however, one is unquestionably of greatest importance...the dimension of honesty"
Soliciting feedback is the reciprocal side of showing appreciation. When you ask others for feedback, you are telling them, in effect, "I am placing my trust in you. I trust that you are going to provide me with important and useful information about me, and I value your opinion." Because you show trust in them, they are much more likely to show trust in you.
"To commit to doing something that you have no capacity to do is either disingenuous or stupid. There is nothing courageous about boldly saying you will launch a new product or turn around a factory if you know you have neither the skill nor the resources to do it successfully. Leaders must be aware of the degree to which they actually have the capability to do what they say. And if they lack the necessary competence, they must dedicate themselves to acquiring it, or, if time is short and the demand is immediate, find someone better for the job."
To enhance trustworthiness, examine your daily actions with these 4 questions:
1) Is by behavior predictable or erratic?
2) Do I communicate clearly or carelessly?
3) Do I treat promises seriously or lightly?
4) Am I forthright and candid, or deceptive an dishonest?
People cant do what they say if they don't know how they cant do what they say if they don't have the confidence in themselves to try they don't get feedback about how their doing if they don't have any choices about what to do if the climate's not there to learn.
5 essential components into developing capacity: Competence, Choice, Confidence, Climate, Communication (feedback/situational awareness)
"Sharing information is essential to developing people's capacity, and to building and sustaining credibility. When there's a high degree of transparency, and when information is easily available and accessible, people come to trust their leaders, team members and organizations."
"Credible leaders serve a purpose, and they serve the people who have made it possible for them to lead....Servant leaders put other peoples' needs first. Their measure of success is whether those who are served grow...and whether they are more likely themselves to become servant leaders in their own right."
"...leaders who listen are more credible than those who talk, talk, and talk. The more the leader talks, the less other people can contribute. The less others can contribute, the less they want to contribute the next time they're with the leader who doesn't listen."
"Credible leaders...see change as a challenge and opportunity for renaissance and learning; they move to mobilize personnel and group resources. They believe they can influence the outcome and can turn the tide of events to their advantage. They do not become resentful, bitter, or alienated. Instead they become engaged, involved, and committed."
"The credibility-strengthening process hinges upon the belief that human beings are personally accountable for their own actions."
"Constituents do not owe leaders allegiance. Leaders earn it. The gift of another's trust and confidence is well worth the struggle and essential to meeting the challenges of leading people to places they have never been before."
Some quotes and concepts from the book:
"Leadership is a relationship between those who aspire to lead and those who choose to follow...Loyalty is not something a boss (or anyone for that matter) can demand or even command. It is something the people -the constituency- choose to grant to a leader who has earned it."
Regarding attributes of credible leaders:
"What are these crucial attributes?...the majority of people look for and admire leaders who are honest, forward-looking, inspiring, and competent...of all the attributes of credibility, however, one is unquestionably of greatest importance...the dimension of honesty"
Soliciting feedback is the reciprocal side of showing appreciation. When you ask others for feedback, you are telling them, in effect, "I am placing my trust in you. I trust that you are going to provide me with important and useful information about me, and I value your opinion." Because you show trust in them, they are much more likely to show trust in you.
"To commit to doing something that you have no capacity to do is either disingenuous or stupid. There is nothing courageous about boldly saying you will launch a new product or turn around a factory if you know you have neither the skill nor the resources to do it successfully. Leaders must be aware of the degree to which they actually have the capability to do what they say. And if they lack the necessary competence, they must dedicate themselves to acquiring it, or, if time is short and the demand is immediate, find someone better for the job."
To enhance trustworthiness, examine your daily actions with these 4 questions:
1) Is by behavior predictable or erratic?
2) Do I communicate clearly or carelessly?
3) Do I treat promises seriously or lightly?
4) Am I forthright and candid, or deceptive an dishonest?
People cant do what they say if they don't know how they cant do what they say if they don't have the confidence in themselves to try they don't get feedback about how their doing if they don't have any choices about what to do if the climate's not there to learn.
5 essential components into developing capacity: Competence, Choice, Confidence, Climate, Communication (feedback/situational awareness)
"Sharing information is essential to developing people's capacity, and to building and sustaining credibility. When there's a high degree of transparency, and when information is easily available and accessible, people come to trust their leaders, team members and organizations."
"Credible leaders serve a purpose, and they serve the people who have made it possible for them to lead....Servant leaders put other peoples' needs first. Their measure of success is whether those who are served grow...and whether they are more likely themselves to become servant leaders in their own right."
"...leaders who listen are more credible than those who talk, talk, and talk. The more the leader talks, the less other people can contribute. The less others can contribute, the less they want to contribute the next time they're with the leader who doesn't listen."
"Credible leaders...see change as a challenge and opportunity for renaissance and learning; they move to mobilize personnel and group resources. They believe they can influence the outcome and can turn the tide of events to their advantage. They do not become resentful, bitter, or alienated. Instead they become engaged, involved, and committed."
"The credibility-strengthening process hinges upon the belief that human beings are personally accountable for their own actions."
"Constituents do not owe leaders allegiance. Leaders earn it. The gift of another's trust and confidence is well worth the struggle and essential to meeting the challenges of leading people to places they have never been before."
July 16, 2018
Excellent book that should be read by all leaders. The authors start out by saying that "credibility is the foundation of leadership" and that credibility is about how leaders earn the trust and confidence of those that lead. The first chapter builds on that foundation and establishes the fact that good leadership is all about relationship. People are looking for leaders who are honest, caring, have integrity, are consistent, competent and are forward-looking. Based on extensive research around the globe, this book is a must read for all those who want to lead with effectiveness and integrity. While there is undoubtedly a western bias in terms of approach, my experience in 42 nations of the world working with NGO's, churches, ministries and organizations, tell me that there is much for us to learn no matter what part of the globe we live in. The content of this book, with some contextualization is highly relevant and needed. I can't recommend it more highly.
October 1, 2017
An easy-to-read research-based book that looks at what characteristics people want and expect from their leaders and the fundamental tensions that exist in trying to simultaneously be a good leader AND a good coworker.
June 5, 2020
Enjoyed meeting the authors and hear their lessons of leadership
September 18, 2020
Excellent book which discusses the topic of leadership from the constituents' perspective and delivers great insights on what it means to be a leader.
January 23, 2021
Great leadership book on building trust. Had some very good insights.
May 31, 2021
Bill Gates is a good real life example who gained credibility by following certain principles and lost it by doing wrong things
May 14, 2022
Excellent resource for any leader — new or seasoned!!
September 10, 2022
A very good read... informative and interesting.
Want to read
November 18, 2022I want to read the book named How leaders gain and loss it. Barry posnar and Jomous.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 28, 2023
Ok, could you read about how leaders create, gain, and lose credibility with their constituents? There is some solid advice and decent anecdotes laced throughout.
February 27, 2017
I'm so pleased that I found this book because, even though it was written in 2003, it really helped me to make sense of the leadership crisis in our educational institutions, financial institutions, and political institutions. Credibility demands a commitment to "the common good," and we either can't agree on what that means or we don't care anymore. Still, this is an optimistic book full of practical wisdom backed by solid research.
August 6, 2012
Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It, Why People Demand It by James Kouzes and Barry Posner was chosen by Soundview Executive Book Summaries as one of the Top 30 Business Books of 2011.
THE SOUNDVIEW REVIEW:
In the early 1990s researchers James Kouzes and Barry Posner released the book Credibility. The book was the result of more than a decade of study of the rise and fall of credibility, both in the workplace and beyond. At the time, as Kouzes told Soundview in an interview, credibility was reaching a low, particularly in the workplace. Neither author could have predicted what would occur during the following two decades. As they document in the newly updated edition of Credibility: How Leaders Gain It and Lose It, Why People Demand It, the roller-coaster ride of credibility stuttered its way back to a peak as the 1990s gave way to the new millennium. It was at that point that the wheels came off and with each successive crash (Dot Com, Corporate, Global Financial) credibility plummeted and dragged previously infallible institutions (religion, small business, public schools) with it.
In the newly released edition of Credibility, readers will benefit from the authors’ three decades of concentrated study on the subject of credibility. Kouzes and Posner are among the best at turning mountains of research into manageable, memorable prose. The authors’ labeling of the book as a revised edition is something of a misnomer. It is jammed with new information and provides current case studies with organizations of every discipline and size.
If executives manage to take only one piece of advice from Credibility, one hopes that they remember the authors’ acronym DWYSYWD (Do What You Say You Will Do). This principle (and its companion Do What We Say We Will Do) lies at the heart of what drives employees to superior performance. Kouzes and Posner certainly do what they say they will do by delivering another outstanding examination of what makes the best leaders tick. Credibility is a worthy companion to their previous books The Truth About Leadership , A Leader’s Legacy , and The Leadership Challenge .
Soundview's 8-page Executive Book Summary of Credibility is available here.
THE SOUNDVIEW REVIEW:
In the early 1990s researchers James Kouzes and Barry Posner released the book Credibility. The book was the result of more than a decade of study of the rise and fall of credibility, both in the workplace and beyond. At the time, as Kouzes told Soundview in an interview, credibility was reaching a low, particularly in the workplace. Neither author could have predicted what would occur during the following two decades. As they document in the newly updated edition of Credibility: How Leaders Gain It and Lose It, Why People Demand It, the roller-coaster ride of credibility stuttered its way back to a peak as the 1990s gave way to the new millennium. It was at that point that the wheels came off and with each successive crash (Dot Com, Corporate, Global Financial) credibility plummeted and dragged previously infallible institutions (religion, small business, public schools) with it.
In the newly released edition of Credibility, readers will benefit from the authors’ three decades of concentrated study on the subject of credibility. Kouzes and Posner are among the best at turning mountains of research into manageable, memorable prose. The authors’ labeling of the book as a revised edition is something of a misnomer. It is jammed with new information and provides current case studies with organizations of every discipline and size.
If executives manage to take only one piece of advice from Credibility, one hopes that they remember the authors’ acronym DWYSYWD (Do What You Say You Will Do). This principle (and its companion Do What We Say We Will Do) lies at the heart of what drives employees to superior performance. Kouzes and Posner certainly do what they say they will do by delivering another outstanding examination of what makes the best leaders tick. Credibility is a worthy companion to their previous books The Truth About Leadership , A Leader’s Legacy , and The Leadership Challenge .
Soundview's 8-page Executive Book Summary of Credibility is available here.
August 28, 2013
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is in a leadership position, whether formal or informal, professional or personal. This is not a book that told me anything I did not know already, as is the case with many professional help books. However, this book did resonate with me regarding many of the leadership qualities I hold dear, and provided research data as well as real-world examples to affirm those principles. It is well articulated and organized.
One of the things that struck me was the idea that “Leadership is a relationship between those who aspire to lead and those who choose to follow.” There is a lot of meaning in this. A ‘relationship’, two people who both gain from and depend upon one another. Also, people choose to follow. You are not a leader simply because you are in a leadership position. People have to choose to follow you. And what will you do to connect with those people to get them to follow you?
The book also talks about doing what we commit to do. This is one that concerns me. It takes years to build up trust with people. Consistently following through on agreements shows people that you are credible. Yet all it takes is one instance of failure to erode that trust.
It is also important to create a culture of trust and excellence. This is harder said than done, and a major culture shift can be painful and slow. We are advised to surround ourselves with people who share our values and tell us what we need to hear, rather than that they think we want to hear. But it is not enough. We have to continually develop those around us in order to be successful. You can develop a greater level of credibility from those you lead if you recognize when to talk and when to listen. And allow people and trust people to follow through on things that will help them grow.
There are many other important keys to gaining credibility, and I suggest that you read this book to get the insights. But I do have to add one last thing that the book suggested that rang true to me: become a story teller. Those who know me know why this is a big deal.
One of the things that struck me was the idea that “Leadership is a relationship between those who aspire to lead and those who choose to follow.” There is a lot of meaning in this. A ‘relationship’, two people who both gain from and depend upon one another. Also, people choose to follow. You are not a leader simply because you are in a leadership position. People have to choose to follow you. And what will you do to connect with those people to get them to follow you?
The book also talks about doing what we commit to do. This is one that concerns me. It takes years to build up trust with people. Consistently following through on agreements shows people that you are credible. Yet all it takes is one instance of failure to erode that trust.
It is also important to create a culture of trust and excellence. This is harder said than done, and a major culture shift can be painful and slow. We are advised to surround ourselves with people who share our values and tell us what we need to hear, rather than that they think we want to hear. But it is not enough. We have to continually develop those around us in order to be successful. You can develop a greater level of credibility from those you lead if you recognize when to talk and when to listen. And allow people and trust people to follow through on things that will help them grow.
There are many other important keys to gaining credibility, and I suggest that you read this book to get the insights. But I do have to add one last thing that the book suggested that rang true to me: become a story teller. Those who know me know why this is a big deal.
October 11, 2012
A crucial book for any leader or aspiring leader. The foundation for any effective leadership over a long term is credibility. Fear and bullying will eventually run it's course and though may produce in the short term eventually leads to a hollow organization.
This book lasers in on how credibility is important through the mountains of research and walks readers through on what it means to have credibility. It is useful to realize how to gain it, keep it and to regain it.
Highly recommended for anyone in a leadership position or aspiring to be.
This book lasers in on how credibility is important through the mountains of research and walks readers through on what it means to have credibility. It is useful to realize how to gain it, keep it and to regain it.
Highly recommended for anyone in a leadership position or aspiring to be.
January 3, 2014
For fans of Kouzes and Posner, please forgive me but I found Credibility elementary in content and originality. Even though the introduction suggests those that might benefit from the reading, I could not help but to wonder who in current leadership positions would find anything new from the material. I used mind mapping from the chapters on the six disciplines for earning and sustaining credibility as a filter to personalize the sub-points . Although a useful exercise, it was only employed to keep me interested to the end.
December 13, 2014
Have Kouzes & Posner's work for years and this recent edition to their contributions to leadership is as always, excellent. The importance of integrity and relationship for leaders at any organizational level can not be denied. The authors story telling abilities and research findings presented in a very readable (as opposed to academic) makes this a must read for anyone looking for self or organizational improvements.
October 18, 2014
This is one of the best leadership books I have read. While this was required reading for a class, the themes of the book really resonated with me. To be a credible leader one must be honest, approachable, collaborative, listen among other qualities. Even if a leader has great ideas, without credibility he or she will have difficulty bringing constituents along. My goal is to strive to be the most credible leader possible.
December 17, 2014
Another excellent work by the authors of one of my all time favorite leadership books, the Leadership Challenge. There is some overlap with the Leadership Challenge, but their emphasis on honesty, competence and and inspiration (vision) is a great reminder for all in leadership. Though the book is now dated, it is still very applicable for our day.
October 4, 2016
I couldn't even make it past the 2nd chapter. This book was advertised to me as a treatise on the nature of credibility. It's not. It's a self-help book. My experience has taught me to be wary of self-help books. They're full of condescending, unfounded instructions. They leave out data to prove a point the authors have already made up their mind about. No, thank you.
May 6, 2008
Overall, this book gives an in-depth consideration to the topic of credibility in leadership with a lot of cool discussions about stuff like the language of leadership, the disciplines of credibility, the difference credibility makes and the need for relationship-based leadership.
April 1, 2009
I am still reading. This book is about becoming a leader particularly in the Business world. However it can be applied to any part of like. It goes into the psychology of why and how leaders gain and loose Credibility.
November 25, 2011
This book is stocked with wonderful bits of advice for those who lead in any capacity, but all of the advice revolves around one key principle: trust is foundational to the health of all professional relationships. I highly recommend this read.
January 18, 2011
Read for Leadership class I'm taking at work. Good concepts but very hard to get through. The concept of being a credible leader kept getting lots. Could have communicated the information in a lot fewer words.
September 1, 2016
I struggled with this book and I felt that it could have been lots shorter... the format was a smooth flow for an audio book. In a sentence, you have to do what you say you will do and listen to others.
October 7, 2012
For whatever reason, I have trouble staying focused with Kouzes & Posner. While I haven't been able to finish some of their other titles due to boredom, this book was a different story. It slowed down at times but overall, I'd recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews