Credibility in Business

What is credibility? When you first meet someone, there is an air of uncertainty. You don't know them yet and so it's hard to trust them even if they tell you everything about themselves.

As you learn more about them, your trust grows and the uncertainty vanishes. You know who they are and what kind of person they are.

This process is how we build credibility. Our actions, the things that we say and do, have consequences for our own reputation.

Now, in the business world, we are able to build a reputation quickly and easily. On various social media platforms, you can create an image of yourself for other people to see.

The problem is that this image is rarely the true you. It's just something you created to make people like you and trust you.

In reality, you might be a horrible person and no one would know it. You're just putting on an image for everyone to see.

First of all, let's define credibility. It is the ability to be believed – that is, considered reliable on a subject and therefore treated with respect. So in order to build credibility in a corporate you need two basic things: an audience (people who believe your claims) and something they can rely on.

Now, it is possible to have an audience without credibility – in fact, this happens all the time as people lie about what they believe or are believed to be lying. However, you can never have credibility if there is no audience (in other words: if there's nobody who believes your claims).

So, to build credibility in a corporate you must have an audience that believes your claims. This is how it's done: by making public statements about the company which are believed (that is: considered reliable) by the audience.

Do you really think that a reputation is built by exposing your every weakness to the world? I mean, look at yourself in the mirror. You're a mess. Your hair looks like it's been through an electric storm and your clothes are wrinkled as if they've somehow been folded into fifths and shoved down the back of your sofa for two days. What would people think of you if they saw you like this? That's right, they'd laugh at you. They might even point.

But would you really want people to see you like this? No, of course not. If they saw the real you then no matter how many times they might have previously praised your work or whispered about what a nice guy you are behind your back, now that they've seen the real you their opinion will suddenly change. They'll think that perhaps all those good things were lies and whatever kind words or congratulations came before now seem insincere and almost crass.

The truth is that people value reputation above all else. And while they might be nice to you in public, most of the time they're thinking about how what you've done in private or behind closed doors compares with what they know about your public face and whether it makes them feel uncomfortable.

So, if you want to make people think well of you then don't let them see what's really going on. Don't expose your weaknesses and problems for all the world to see.

If you're going to have something in your life that's a bit messy and out of control, then keep it hidden away from the public eye. Don't let anyone know about it.

No matter what it is, whether it's a life-threatening illness or just a bad habit like drinking too much, there's an art to keeping secrets.