Credibility refers to the objective and subjective components of the believability of a source or message. Traditionally, credibility has two key components: trustworthiness and expertise, which both have objective and subjective components. Trustworthiness is based more on subjective factors, but can include objective measurements such as established reliability. Everyone has different standards for credibility, and often this depends on how the information is going to be applied. If you're writing an academic paper in a university setting, for example, you need to be especially strict about sources. If you're looking for information on how to unclog your toilet, a comprehensive Internet search might suffice. If your project falls somewhere in the middle, such as if you're making a presentation at work or creating a website, it's important to evaluate sources and make a judgment call as to whether you should include the information and if so, how it should be presented. It has become standard to use the mnemonic RAVEN to remember the five criteria of credibility:
R = Reputation
A = Ability to See
V = Vested Interest
E = Expertise
N = Neutrality
People follow the following thoughts when proving them credible:
Silence is golden
Consistency trumps unpredictability
Always tell the truth
Establish a reputation as a business first responder
All leaders those are credible too think in the following manner
To be persuasive, we must be believable;
To be believable, we must be credible;
To be credible, we must be truthful.
The following characteristics of Admired Leaders can help to determine the credibility of leader:
Honest 87%
Forward-looking 71%
Inspiring 68%
Competent 58%
Fair-minded 49%
Supportive 46%
Broad-minded 41%
Intelligent 38%
Straightforward 34%
Courageous 33%
Dependable 32%
Cooperative 30%
Imaginative 28%
Caring 27%
Mature 14%
Determined 13%
Ambitious 10%
Loyal 10%
Self-controlled 5%
Independent 5%
First, credible leaders are consistent in their words and their behaviors. They are not constantly shifting courses, and reversing their decisions. They do not shift their leadership and management styles here and there. They are relatively predictable.
Second, they are honest to the degree that it's reasonably possible to be so. That may sound odd, but leaders may be in positions where they cannot reveal everything they know to followers. In this sense honesty does not necessarily mean sharing everything. It does mean that what a manager can share is the truth, even if it may not be the whole truth. The word credibility has several meanings. Alternatively, it means capability of being believed, to command belief or to truthfulness or correctness of what one says. In other words, credibility means that whatever a person says, he believes in it. Mere believing is not sufficient for a person to be taken as a credible person; rather, he should act on what he says. This is only possible when one speaks truth and only truth. But how can one speak truth and only truth on all occasions? Sages and Sufis provide a simple remedy: “Be true to you”. Being true to one’s own self lays down the foundations of being truthful to others under all circumstances.