A521.3.4.RB - Credibility


A few years ago the company that I work for selected a new chief pilot.  The man that was chosen for the position had been with the company for a few years and had spent the last couple years in the training department as an instructor and check airman.  His reputation of being a no-nonsense, straight talker quickly spread. Within a couple months of his appointment to the position he sent an email to the entire pilot staff requesting that we accomplish a task by a certain date.  The email started with the words “This is the third time I have sent this out . . .” However, there was a problem with his message; it was not the third time he had sent the request to the pilots, it was the first. We searched through our email inboxes and deleted emails trying to find the initial and follow up emails in vain.  They were not there because they were never sent. Our new chief pilot was trying to gain influence and be persuasive through authority, fear, and intimidation.  

Leadership is the process by which an individual or group is influenced to achieve a common goal (Northouse, 2016).  A major element of leadership is influence. It is the ability to influence and persuade others to collaborate and achieve something great; something greater than each person could achieve individually.  Effective leaders are challenged to influence, motivate, and persuade their followers to adopt their values, ideas, and objectives. The cornerstone of persuasion is credibility (Belludi, 2007). A leader’s ability to effectively persuade others is dependent on the level of trust they have in the leader.  Without credibility a leader cannot accomplish anything! Our chief pilot failed to establish credibility with the pilots, and so he sought to influence us through less effective means; authority as opposed to persuasion. Whalen (2007) indicated that the pillars of credibility include expertise, trustworthiness, goodwill, and dynamism.

Expertise
People tend to trust experts, but the expertise has to be authentic.  “Expertise can be communicated, but it can’t be instantly created” (Whalen & Ricca, 2007, p. 124).  A leader’s job title, education, specialized training, and experience demonstrate their expertise. I believe that in my position as lead pilot my expertise is recognized.  I have been with the company for nearly twelve years, and so other pilots recognize that I am familiar with the standards, norms, and policies of the company. I have nearly 3,000 flight hours in the aircraft that I operate, and extensive knowledge about operations in the Gulf of Mexico.  The pilots that I supervise recognize that I am continually trying to learn and further my education, which I believe ads to my expertise and credibility.

Trustworthiness
Leaders establish credibility when they are trustworthy.  “You have to build a track record before your trustworthiness will be well known” (Whalen, 2007, p. 125).  Trustworthiness develops when a leader is seen doing the things he or she has promised to do. In the example provided earlier, the new chief pilot’s behavior established the opposite; that he was not trustworthy.  I believe that I have proven myself to be a trustworthy leader. I keep commitments when I make them. My trustworthiness has been established as I have consistently arrived to work on time, held meetings when I said I would hold them, and followed up on tasks as I have promised.

Goodwill
According to Whalen and Ricci (2007), the most important aspect of credibility is to have goodwill for the listener.  When a leader has goodwill for those he leads, he demonstrate sincere interest in helping and supporting them. A leader’s desire to persuade others is not for selfish gains but because of authentic concern for them.  Although I feel that I do have sincere goodwill for the pilots that I supervise, I don’t think I express it very well. I think they know that I sincerely care about each of them, but I think I can find ways to make it more obvious.

Dynamism
Expertise, trustworthiness, and goodwill are traditionally held as the three major components of credibility.  However, modern research has uncovered a fourth: dynamism (Whalen & Ricci, 2007). Dynamic speakers are able to get and keep people’s attention.  They are able to reach them on levels that others cannot. Dynamism is communicated through enthusiasm (Whalen & Ricci, 2007). “When you free yourself to talk about ideas that you really understand, and you take time to think about how to communicate them from your audience’s viewpoint, you’re ready to be dynamic” (Whalen & Ricci, 2007, p. 127).  

I believe the area in which I need to improve the most is dynamism.  Oftentimes when management asks me to relay certain messages to the pilots that I supervise I do just that; I relay the message.  However, I do not often get enthusiastic about the information I am conveying. I need to do a better job of preparing to share the information in a dynamic, enthusiastic way.  Whalen and Ricci (2007) offer the solution to overcoming my apathy: “All you have to do is care if they get it” (p. 127). That has been my problem in the past; oftentimes I have taken on the role of “message relayer” instead of leader.  I need to understand the importance of each message, and convey why it is important to each pilot; than I will care if they get it. As my credibility increases by focusing on dynamism I will find that I am able to be more persuasive with those that I supervise and lead.

References

Belludi, N. (2007). Establish credibility for persuasion.  Retrieved from http://www.rightattitudes.com/2007/11/18/establishing-credibility-persuasion/

Northouse, P.G. (2016). Leadership Theory and Practice (7th ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.

Whalen, D. J., & Ricca, T. M. (2007). The professional communications toolkit. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.







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