Credibility is fragile, it takes a long time to achieve and it can vanish quickly if passed on to someone who doesn't abide by the trustworthiness and expertise associated with the originator. How often have you seen people put forward for positions and introductions made, where they don't appreciate the credibility associated with the person introducing them and in turn scrape off a layer of credentials the person doing the introductions, has worked so long to accomplish. So what is the relationship of the introduction and who should you trust with your credibility?
As our friends at Wikipedia are quick to point out, "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. Expertise can be similarly subjectively perceived, but also includes relatively objective characteristics of the source or message."
So you need to make a pitch, convey an idea, get a job, build a network or find the right information but you need to get to the right people to fulfil this objective, how do you do it by yourself? Certainly Google comes into the equation for the next generations as online plays such a large part of their ecosystem, but nothing surpasses the credibility attached to someone introducing you in their behalf, with all the extras that entails. To be introduced by someone of standing, who has a history of plausibility and believability based on their experiences and how they have conducted themselves in business and in life goes a long way to establishing you as someone with similar affinities.
In the maths world this is called transitive property and can be explained via Xs and Ys but simply put, A has credibility with B and B has credibility with C then A has credibility with C, showing the power an introduction by B has on the future relationship. The stronger the credibility between A and B, and the stronger the credibility between B and C, the stronger the credibility between A and C. The closer the relationship you have with the person providing the introduction, the closer the relationship you have with the person you are being introduced to. Many sociologists call this "borrowed credibility" and as the word borrowed would suggest, you should consider the ramifications of this gift is not being revered and finding ways to reciprocate, for you have only appropriated trustworthiness for a short time. So the dilemma is constant, your acknowledgement, your character and your reputation brittle in the hands of others.
The dichotomy in all of this, are the people who never ever concern themselves with the prospect of having their credibility at risk, who are always at the ready to give of their veracity and who make time for others to help build relationships that count. If you are lucky enough to know someone like this, then you have the world at your feet, you have a resource that can't be bought and you have boundless opportunities to find the best possible people for your future, but you already knew that.
Monday, October 14, 2013
Monday, October 7, 2013
The Actors Studio.
Watching James Lipton discuss in depth, the best interviews of the past 250 episodes of the "Actors Studio", got me thinking about the acting and special effects that go on in the business world. Lipton talked about the best episodes being where actors showed their real selves, took off their day job masks and revealed who they really were and what they stood for. They were episodes where true emotion got the better of the actors and people were able to see their authentic inner persona. Our expectation is for actors, to wear a mask, stay in character, be a personality, not show their inner self, work with the facades put up by the special effects people and be someone selling a product based on make believe, for them it's a job.
In the business world it should be the opposite, people should show their true personality at every opportunity, never wear a mask, never hide behind the facade of a product and be authentic in their relationships. I don't have to think too hard, to come up with many examples where this is not the case and business is done from behind masks and using special effects, so as not to show the truth behind the curtain.
The digital business world is often closer to Hollywood than it is to the corporate work life, giving people the ability to be actors in their own movie, selling and hawking their wares behind facades created to influence decisions, decisions not based on reality.
It's rare to see behind the curtain in the digital world and rarer still to find the person behind the website, the forum or the blog. The anonymity provided by the web, gives people the ability to play many characters, most of them make believe and this has contributed to the search for truth and integrity online. Something that's missing if you've ever been scammed, hoodwinked or defrauded in any way.
The corporate boardroom is no different and sees Shakespeare acted out each day as kings and CEOs are tumbled, company cultures become the stuff of theatre and egos grow to engulf the unwary player. How often have you heard the term "player" referring to those aspiring and climbing the corporate ladder, how often have you seen the real face of people once they have accomplished their deeds and how often have you felt yourself caught up in a Greek tragedy at work. From the costumes worn, Hugo Boss or Armani, to the cars driven, Porshe or BMW, the watches worn, Breitling or TAG, and the many accoutrements required to play the role effectively, today's business is often seen hiding behind the stuff of theatre.
When you find business people who have divested themselves of the greasepaint and costumes, you are often surprised by the honesty of products and services that previously you doubted and had reservations about. Like the slow food revolution, realism in business is becoming a force and people are searching out the "real" in people so they don't have to read the end credits to find out who they were dealing with. Maybe the analogy is to stay in documentary mode when doing business, at least that way no one is in Oscar mode hiding behind a script.
In the business world it should be the opposite, people should show their true personality at every opportunity, never wear a mask, never hide behind the facade of a product and be authentic in their relationships. I don't have to think too hard, to come up with many examples where this is not the case and business is done from behind masks and using special effects, so as not to show the truth behind the curtain.
The digital business world is often closer to Hollywood than it is to the corporate work life, giving people the ability to be actors in their own movie, selling and hawking their wares behind facades created to influence decisions, decisions not based on reality.
It's rare to see behind the curtain in the digital world and rarer still to find the person behind the website, the forum or the blog. The anonymity provided by the web, gives people the ability to play many characters, most of them make believe and this has contributed to the search for truth and integrity online. Something that's missing if you've ever been scammed, hoodwinked or defrauded in any way.
The corporate boardroom is no different and sees Shakespeare acted out each day as kings and CEOs are tumbled, company cultures become the stuff of theatre and egos grow to engulf the unwary player. How often have you heard the term "player" referring to those aspiring and climbing the corporate ladder, how often have you seen the real face of people once they have accomplished their deeds and how often have you felt yourself caught up in a Greek tragedy at work. From the costumes worn, Hugo Boss or Armani, to the cars driven, Porshe or BMW, the watches worn, Breitling or TAG, and the many accoutrements required to play the role effectively, today's business is often seen hiding behind the stuff of theatre.
When you find business people who have divested themselves of the greasepaint and costumes, you are often surprised by the honesty of products and services that previously you doubted and had reservations about. Like the slow food revolution, realism in business is becoming a force and people are searching out the "real" in people so they don't have to read the end credits to find out who they were dealing with. Maybe the analogy is to stay in documentary mode when doing business, at least that way no one is in Oscar mode hiding behind a script.
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