How do you undermine your own credibility?
A thought-provoking piece on leadership, influence, and the subtle behaviors that can damage credibility.
Dr Zarif Menon
10/29/20222 min read
Leaders & visionaries like to think in terms of effectiveness, credibility, influence, and prowess. They focus on how to attain those qualities. Charting a pathway forward toward desired outcomes is logical and smart; however, it behooves us to remember what it might take to create the opposite of our desired result.
Toward that end, here's my shortlist of situations how some people undermine their credibility and reduce their influence in almost every situation:
They try to prove that they are the smartest person in every room. Never defer to others' views or expertise. Push out competing views and they try to make their opinion shine most brightly every chance they can. In some instances, they tell people how smart they are and prove it by sucking the oxygen out of any room with their so called brilliance.
They pretend to ask for opinions or discuss a topic which they truly are not interested in. They pretend to listen and ask questions without any concern for, or interest in, the answers. Often they will smile with a false smile when others offer their opinions, and then they will offer theirs on top to emphasize that they are smarter.
They have a strong opinion about everything, including the whether, the upcoming score of any sport, and anything else you know little about. They are generally forceful and overly confident in their assertions even when they are not completely sure of their facts. There is virtually no topic they haven't thought deeply about and have a view on. Remember, they are the smartest in the room.
They always have an add-on comment or suggestion regarding any project or deliverable that comes their way. Better yet, they will wait until a project is "well-baked" before asking for changes or making suggestions. They try to allow their perfectionism shine by never acknowledging the quality of anyone else's output before they put the finishing touches on it to make it look great.
They often tell people how great and how an expert they are. They do so frequently and without any humility at all. Sometimes they will describe in detail their past successes and what they have learned from them. They will surely underline the key points several times. They forget that it is just socially wrong to tell the same stories about their successes too often.
Sadly, it would be easy to add a dozen more items to this list from my personal experiences with self-important leaders. Keep in mind that any one of the items above will work its magic to undermine a persons influence and credibility in virtually any situation or with any group or audience. So if you did more than one in any given situation, you most likely became the absolute moron of that day in the eyes of all around you. Now, please memories the list and work hard to NOT replicate them in any way or form. Everyone around you will thank you for it.
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