What is your “CQ” (credibility quotient)? Have you ever given any thought to how credible you are within your organization and in your professional life? Credibility plays an important role in how you do business, how you interact with others and how stakeholders measure your effectiveness.

A 2006 Harris Poll found that doctors, teachers and scientists were considered more “trustworthy” than anyone else. Civil servants were in the middle, just after “ordinary men or women.” I’m not happy about that ranking. It shows that we have a long way to go to truly earn the public’s trust.

In my world view, credibility (trustworthiness, if you will) is an easy thing to gain. It is comprised of just a few human elements, all of which can be practiced and used in your daily work environment.

Integrity comes first. It is comprised of transparency, trustworthiness and ethics. We feel good about people who personify the phrase, “What you see is what you get.”

Competence and expertise are next. People who have “come up through the ranks” or who have held diverse jobs within an industry are considered to be experts. These folks usually have more perceived expertise than new college graduates.

Expertise turns into competence when it is put to the test. A person earns credibility by succeeding at
assignments and projects over time. A track record of successfully applying knowledge and a willingness to continue learning increase credibility.

Sound judgment and sustainable decision-making also are important. A credible person can be counted on to analyze complex situations, ask intelligent questions and make good decisions. A person with sound judgment usually has cognitive and intuitive gifts. This person takes a big-picture view rather than a myopic view, a long-term perspective rather than a short-term perspective.

As with everything in life, a sense of humor goes a long way. Develop the ability to have a light touch rather than a heavy-handed, “the world-is-coming-to-an-end-if-we-don’t-do-this-soon-and-correctly” outlook. Be gentle. Be nonjudgmental. And if someone needs to be the object of your humor, make it yourself.

Credibility is a complex attribute to describe and an even harder attribute to achieve. I’ve always trusted my instincts in the absence of other factors. I look at how people present themselves. What language do they use? Is it laced with terms that are not understood by a vast majority of their audience? Do you get the feeling that they’re hiding behind language that is intentionally designed to make you think they have information that they’re not willing to share? Or worse yet, do they use this language to make you think that they’re superior to you?

Always question facts that are presented! Facts, tables, charts, statistics and numbers can be manipulated to support the presenter’s point of view. Numbers are made up of other numbers; question how they were derived. I hate fractions. I’m one of the four out of three people who do not understand fractions, so I question them closely.

Percentages follow fractions closely. Winston Churchill, quoting Mark Twain, said that there are “lies, damned lies and statistics.” Elizabeth Clarkson expounded on Churchill’s theory: “Simple lies are easily shown to be false, damned lies are difficult and statistics seemingly impossible,” she asserted. “Someone who lies with statistics is likely to get away with it.”

In presentations and one-on-one conversations, pay attention to the speaker’s body language. What does the speaker do with his or her arms and legs? Does the speaker wrap them around his or her body, or does the speaker keep them at his or her side and use them only to make important points? These are indicators of competence.

Then there’s eye contact. A credible person will look you in the eye. It shows that the person is presenting you with his or her best opinion and judgment. Professional public speakers and media personalities spend a lot of time practicing how to look people in the eye.

Yes, I know it’s tough to do one on one. You tend to blink, your eyes tear and you feel uncomfortable. Try looking at the bridge of the person’s nose or his or her forehead. It gives the same impression.

Pay attention to how people dress. Is it appropriate for the audience or presentation, or does the presenter look like that guy with the bad hair and polyester sport coat who does his own car commercials? This may all sound trivial to you, but it is an important part of how others perceive your credibility.

It’s time for a credibility check. Ask a colleague, a client or a supervisor. The answers may surprise you. Ask someone who has credibility and who will give you honest feedback on how you are perceived. An astute performance review will include credibility as a key performance indicator.

About the author

Frederick Marks, CPPO, VCO, is a retired purchasing officer who has held positions as a supervising buyer for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey as well as director of material management for Northern Virginia Community College. Contact Marks at fmarks@mindspring.com.