Trusted Authority Formula - Part 2: CREDIBILITY

Go from unknown to known in the digital-first world: The Trusted Authority formula breakdown

Welcome back to part 2/3 of the Trusted Authority formula.

In part 1 of the 3-part mini-training, we talked about Capability, meaning: are you qualified to do what you promise to do? Is there evidence that supports your claims?

But also- how do you do what you do?

This is where credentials meet character as this is a massive differentiator and your competitive advantage. No one is you, talks like you and approaches a topic like you so also when you think you are operating in a crowded space – there is always room for originality and that doesn’t mean owning a space no one else has ever discussed. It means owning a space with the stories you can share from your background through your unique tone and voice and tone.

Being capable to deliver the value your promise is one piece to the puzzle, but it doesn’t stop there.

Today we discuss credibility – what makes someone credible and how you can increase your credibility.

 Credibility comes from different aspects, to make it easy to remember, think of the 3B’s:

Own – Others and On the go

Let’s start with your own credibility:

Whilst capability looks at the results you can deliver, credibility comes from proof why you can do it. It could be because of your education or training; because you are a member of a recognised association, because you have gotten the results and recognition yourself; because you have worked for or with a highly regarded company; you have or had a very reputable mentor, etc,

This is one of the reasons why I’m part of the Forbes Coaches Council and write for them. Publishing articles for other people’s audiences’ ticks both boxes: 1) I demonstrate my credibility through original content and 2) I also leverage other people’s (in this case, association) credibility which leads me into the next approach: other’s credibility.

Others’ credibility comes from leveraging other people’s established positioning and reputation in the market and when they advocate for you. It might be in form of a referral, an introduction but also by association. 

Take Mike Stelzner for example- he is now known as the authority in social media, but he didn’t start in the industry. He interviewed the best in their particular niches on his podcast and organised a conference around it, the Social Media Marketing World which has made him the authority in this field.

In the process of tapping into other people’s credibility, you build your own credibility. This is also how I started with Personal Branding. I had never been exposed to the principles and processes how you build a Personal Brand. Yes, I did if for the FMCG industry but let me tell you – there is a big difference between a product and a person. The later can walk and talk and it happened to me many times early on that someone said something to my face but acted differently. 

This was when I realised, I also had to learn psychology, improve my coaching skills and develop tools to navigate through this. Initially I hosted lunch and learn sessions and invited leaders in the space who I found via LinkedIn searches. The more I talked about this topic, wrote articles around it and created my public presence around it, the more people associated me with the topic although at the beginning, I simply curated and summarised other people’s content (with their permission of course).

Finally- On the go

This means you are currently in the process of getting credibility. It might be in form of a degree (think of doctors: they are students one day until they get their certificate and doctors the next). Same goes for you sharing your process, for example: when you just landed your first board role, and you share your experiences along the way.

There aren’t many who actually do it so simply showing up, sharing the not so perfect aspects and allowing people to come with you on this journey builds credibility. Think of Michaela Alexis – she is now known as LinkedIn marketing influencer, but she didn’t start there. She shared on LinkedIn how she was laid off and was looking for another job. This post went viral and now she is a LinkedIn learning instructor and international keynote speaker … also without ‘official’ LinkedIn expert credentials.

Another way to build your credibility (which is my fav as you can leverage and eventually monetise in many ways) is building your own signature framework, method or system.

It is a visual and verbal representation of your intellectual property and makes knowledge-based offers and promises a lot more tangible.

Think about it:

I could say: I’m the Go-To for corporate professionals to build their Personal Brand. 

Or I could say

I’m the Go-To for corporate professionals to build their Personal Brand through clarifying their competitive advantage and Brand DNA so they can communicate it, consistently online and offline so that they can commercialise their point of difference.

The 3C framework is my signature framework that I have used with my 1:1 coaching clients for the last nearly 5 years and simply adding words to an intangible process makes your claim and promise a lot more tangible and credible.

What all different approaches do have in common however is the content creation behind it, in one or another way.

You can write about your insights and publish a blog, you can host lunch and learn sessions where you bring thought leaders to your team and create content this way, also when it’s offline. You can do virtual Q&A sessions with industry leaders and quiz them about their insights that you then share, with your team and/or publicly. And again- the ultimate way to build your credibility is to develop a signature framework that you can share, speak about and monetise through keynotes, courses, consulting etc.

So here is your homework for today:

Think about step 1 – the capability: what is the value you promise?

Now work your way backwards and identify, who you achieve the result.

Is it by applying a certain method that you are officially trained in, are you leveraging other professionals to make it work (this would happen when you have either access to other specialised professionals that compliment your input), are you using recognised tools for it, has it been endorsed by someone of relevance?