Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It: Why People Demand it

Credibility Is the Foundation of Leadership

The characteristics of trustworthiness, expertise, and dynamism compose what communications researchers refer to as “source credibility.”9 In assessing the believability of sources of information—whether the president of the organization, the president of the country, a salesperson, a TV newscaster, or a product spokesperson—those who rate highly on these three characteristics are considered to be credible, believable sources of information.

These three dimensions of source credibility are strikingly similar to three of the most frequently selected qualities in the “Characteristics of Admired Leaders” checklist: honest, competent, and inspiring. The three factors that explain why a person is a believable ...