You can have all the knowledge in the world, but it may not be enough if people do not believe in your decisions. To gain trust that you are a competent person needs time. Time to build credibility.

If people trust your decisions, you can be an inspirational leader. Your professional position is an external source of power. Credibility is inner power and resource.

People at work will probably give their minimum if the environment is not inspiring. However, if they see the purpose in their actions and are inspired, they will contribute much more. The leader makes the difference between their minimum and maximum.

The essential leadership skills are:

• Credibility – to make trustworthy and inclusive decisions.
• Emotional Intelligence – to be able to build valuable connections.
• Effective communication – to communicate the messages with clarity and purpose.
• Charisma – to be value driven and able to convey meaning and emotions.

How could you build credibility?

Credibility means trustworthy decisions. It doesn’t mean perfect decisions or only decisions that lead to success. Credible decisions are when the employees or members of society are convinced that they are based on experience, knowledge, inclusiveness, given facts, available information, and responsible behavior.

If the history of leaders’ decisions shows impulsiveness or irresponsible behavior without expected outcomes, chances are fewer that people will feel comfortable trusting leaders’ decisions in the future. Also, if the leader does not show the courage to make a decision and take responsibility for the outcome, there are also fewer chances that they will build authority.

Decision-making is not a math operation. We often don’t know the outcome. However, the following question could help leaders build their self-confidence – is the decision made based upon given facts and all available information to achieve organizational purposes and to accomplish the interests of team members?

A significant added value would be honesty and authenticity.