Credibility

How Leaders Gain and Lose It, Why People Demand It

James M. Kouzes, Barry Z. Posner

• Publisher: Jossey-Bass
• Year: 2011
• Print ISBN: 9780470651711
• eBook ISBN: 9781118098387
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Management
• Index: Business

The first true revision of the classic book from the bestselling author of The Leadership Challenge

As the world falls deeper into economic downturns and warfare, the question of credibility (how leaders gain and lose it) is more important than ever. Building on their research from The Leadership Challenge, James Kouzes and Barry Posner explore in Credibility why leadership is above all a relationship, with credibility as the cornerstone, and why leaders must "Say what you mean and mean what you say." This first full revision of the book since its initial publication in 1993 features new case studies from around the world, fully updated data and research, and a streamlined format.

Written by the premier leadership experts working today, Credibility:

• Reveals the six key disciplines that strengthen a leader's capacity for developing and sustaining credibility.
• Provides rich examples of real managers in action
• Includes updates to the applications and research

This personal, inspiring, and genuine guide helps you understand the fundamental importance of credibility for building personal and organizational success.

Chapter One

Leadership Is a Relationship

“Although it was probably subconscious, I did not readily admit to my friends where I worked,” Beth Bremner told us. “I just used to say, ‘A big bank.’ ” The reason, she said, “predominantly had to do with the fact that I did not believe that our leaders were acting with the integrity and honesty that I hold so dear to my heart. I did not feel management set the kind of example that I wanted to abide by.”

Beth, South African by birth, was educated in the U.K. She holds an MBA from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and has worked throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.1 But Beth's sentiment is one that we hear time and time again all over the globe. Beth wants what the vast majority of people want from their leaders and their organizations:

I want to work for a company where I believe in the message being passed down from my top management team. I want to feel as though I am part of the team and that I have the same beliefs as the company does. I have learned that one needs to love what one does and believe that one is doing a good job for a great company. My best performance will never be ensured by feeling like a cog in the wheel of a company for a salary. I want to work in a company where I can share the direction and vision of my leaders. I have learned that most individuals are driven by the same thing as I…the possibilities that surround us and being excited about the future and what it holds.

Beth is right. The same things drive most people. They are energized by values and visions that give their lives meaning and purpose. They want to be surrounded by something that uplifts and excites them. And it is also clear that the thousands of professionals like Beth have certain expectations of their leaders. They won't commit themselves to work harder and more effectively for just anyone.

Leadership may once have been conferred by rank and privilege. It may once have been something that was characterized by a command-and-control, top-down, do-as-I-say style. But no more. Those days are long gone. Today, leadership is only an aspiration. It is something you have to earn every day, because on a daily basis, people choose whether or not they're going to follow you. It's something you keep striving to achieve and never assume you've fully attained.

The old organizational hierarchy just can't generate the kind of commitment that's required in our global society. This isn't a call for open elections inside organizations. But managers should not kid themselves. People do vote—with their energy, with their dedication, with their loyalty, with their talent, with their actions. Don't you put forth higher-quality effort when you believe that the people leading you are there to serve your needs and not just their own interests?

Leadership is a relationship between those who aspire to lead and those who choose to follow. Any discussion of leadership must attend to the dynamics of this relationship. Strategies, tactics, skills, and practices are hollow and fruitless unless the fundamental human aspirations that connect leaders and their constituents are understood and appreciated.

So, what do constituents expect from leaders? What do leaders expect from constituents? What purpose do leaders serve? Why do people believe in some leaders but not in others? Why do some people choose to follow one leader while others reject that leader? What actions sustain the relationship? What actions destroy it? What is the state of the current relationship between leaders and constituents? These are the questions that intrigued us and that drove the research behind this book. We wanted to understand more deeply what formed the foundation of a constructive and positive relationship between constituents and their leaders, and what leaders needed to do to build and sustain that kind of relationship. Organizations and communities cannot be renewed and revitalized, nor can towering institutions even be dreamed about, until these and related questions are answered.

Consider what the late John Gardner—former cabinet secretary, founder of Common Cause, adviser to six U.S. presidents, and respected author and scholar—had to say about all this:

A loyal constituency is won when the people, consciously or unconsciously, judge the leader to be capable of solving their problems and meeting their needs, when the leader is seen as symbolizing their norms, and when their image of the leader (whether or not it corresponds to reality) is congruent with their inner environment of myth and legend.2

From his decades of experience in working with some of the most powerful people in the world, John learned that people willingly follow the direction of someone who is attuned to their aims and aspirations, worries and fears, ideals and images. He also found that ultimately the constituents are the arbiters of the quality of leadership they receive. In the end, leaders don't decide who leads. Followers do.

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. The people's choice is based not upon authority but upon the degree to which the leader lives up to the expectations constituents hold.

Leadership is something one experiences in an interaction with another human being. That experience varies from leader to leader, from constituent to constituent, and from day to day. No two leaders are exactly alike, no two constituent groups are exactly alike, and no two days in the life of leaders and constituents are exactly alike. And even in this digital age, when face-to-face contact seems to be diminishing—and this change is the source of many of the leadership problems being experienced these days—it is the interaction between leaders and constituents that turns opportunities into successes.

The key to unlocking greater leadership potential can be found when you seek to understand the desires and expectations of your constituents and when you act on them in ways that correspond to their image of what an exemplary leader is and does.

The Characteristics of Admired Leaders

We began our investigation into what people expected from their leaders more than three decades ago, in a study sponsored by the American Management Association. We asked the open-ended question, “What values (personal traits or characteristics) do you look for in your superiors?”3 (As you can see, we were stuck in the old hierarchical metaphors back then.)

More than 1,500 managers nationwide provided 225 values, characteristics, and traits that they believed to be crucial in the people leading them. A panel of researchers and managers subsequently analyzed the 225 factors and reduced them to 15 categories. Of those, the most frequent categories, in order of mention, were

1. Integrity (is truthful, is trustworthy, has character, has convictions)

2. Competence (is capable, is productive, is efficient)

3. Leadership (is inspiring, is decisive, provides direction)

A follow-up study involving more than 800 senior public sector administrators replicated these findings.4

In subsequent studies, we broadened the categories, elaborated on the earlier findings, and improved the research methodology. We eventually produced a twenty-item survey checklist, which became part of the research protocol for this book. Over the years, more than 75,000 people around the globe have completed the “Characteristics of Admired Leaders” checklist. People select from the twenty characteristics (or qualities) listed after this paragraph the seven that they most “look for and admire in a leader, someone whose direction you would willingly follow.” Pause for a moment and make a mental note of the seven that would be on your own list.

Characteristics of Admired Leaders

• Ambitious (aspiring, hardworking, striving)
• Broad-minded (open-minded, flexible, receptive, tolerant)
• Caring (appreciative, compassionate, concerned, loving, nurturing)
• Competent (capable, proficient, effective, gets the job done, professional)
• Cooperative (collaborative, team player, responsive)
• Courageous (bold, daring, gutsy)
• Dependable (reliable, conscientious, responsible)
• Determined (dedicated, resolute, persistent, purposeful)
• Fair-minded (just, unprejudiced, objective, forgiving, willing to pardon others)
• Forward-looking (visionary, foresighted, concerned about the future, sense of direction)
• Honest (truthful, has integrity, trustworthy, has character)
• Imaginative (creative, innovative, curious)
• Independent (self-reliant, self-sufficient, self-confident)
• Inspiring (uplifting, enthusiastic, energetic, humorous, cheerful, positive about the future)
• Intelligent (bright, smart, thoughtful, intellectual, reflective, logical)
• Loyal (faithful, dutiful, unswerving in allegiance, devoted)
• Mature (experienced, wise, has depth)
• Self-Controlled (restrained, self-disciplined)
• Straightforward (direct, candid, forthright)
• Supportive (helpful, offers assistance, comforting)

Our research also includes more than 1,000 written case studies of “My Most Admired Leader,” in which people responded to questions about leaders with whom they had personal experience and for whom they had great admiration and respect. From these case studies we collected specific examples of actions of respected leaders, information on the affective nature of admired leader–constituent relationships, and profiles on the types of projects or programs involved. This information came from sources in North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Focus groups further enabled us to determine the behaviors of admired leaders. Finally, a series of empirical studies provided further insights into the leadership actions that specifically influence people's assessments of credibility.5

Additionally, in-depth interviews with more than 150 managers revealed the qualities they looked for and admired in their leaders and why. These richly detailed, colorful anecdotes and specific examples brought the survey data to life. From all of this data we developed a framework for describing the actions that admired leaders take to build a special kind of leader-constituent relationship, one that not only leaves a lifelong impression but builds community and makes a significant performance difference.

The results of our studies over the last three decades have been strikingly consistent. They have remained consistent not only over time but also around the world and across categories of age, gender, ethnicity, functional discipline, organizational level, and the like. People are remarkably clear about the qualities leaders must demonstrate if they want others to voluntarily enlist in a common cause and to freely commit to action.

What are these crucial attributes? According to our empirical data, the majority of people look for and admire leaders who are honest, forward-looking, inspiring, and competent. Take a moment to examine the data from these surveys. The results from the most current sample are displayed in the left-hand column of Table 1.1. Also shown are the accumulated results from two prior reports in 2002 and 1987.

Table 1.1 Characteristics of Admired Leaders (Percentage of People Selecting Characteristic Over the Years)

As you can see, these four characteristics—honest, forward-looking, inspiring, and competent—rank well above the rest. And this is true not just today but has been over several decades as well. The same is true around the globe, as Table 1.2 shows. While the exact rank order (first through fourth) might vary from country to country, these same four qualities remain at the top of the list of what people everywhere want from their leaders.

Table 1.2 Characteristics of Admired Leaders Around the World (Rank Order by Country)

Honest

In virtually every survey, honesty is selected more often than any other leadership characteristic. No matter where the studies have been conducted—regardless of country, geographical region, or type of organization—the most important leadership attribute since we began our research in 1980 has always been honesty.

Hon...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Praise Page
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Introduction: On Credibility and the Restoration of Trust and Confidence
• Chapter One: Leadership Is a Relationship
• Chapter Two: Credibility Makes a Difference
• Chapter Three: Discover Your Self
• Chapter Four: Appreciate Constituents
• Chapter Five: Affirm Shared Values
• Chapter Six: Develop Capacity
• Chapter Seven: Serve a Purpose
• Chapter Eight: Sustain Hope
• Chapter Nine: The Struggle to Be Human
• Epilogue: Character Counts
• Notes
• Acknowledgments
• About the Authors
• Index