The Personal Credibility Factor: How to Get It, Keep It, and Get It Back, (If You’ve Lost It)

The Personal Credibility Factor: How to Get It, Keep It, and Get It Back, (If You’ve Lost It)

by Sandy Allgeier
Released February 2009
Publisher(s): Pearson
ISBN: 9780137149001

Read it now on the O’Reilly learning platform with a 10-day free trial.

O’Reilly members get unlimited access to books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.

Start your free trial

Book description

You'd trust your life with some people. Others, you wouldn't trust for an instant, even when the stakes are low. Why? What builds the personal credibility that some people simply exude? What do they do differently? This book shows you and helps you build your own personal credibility, the #1 attribute in earning trust and achieving success. Renowned personal coach Sandra K. Allgeier begins with a set of powerful stories that demonstrate what personal credibility really consists of, how it's earned, and how easily it can be destroyed. You'll discover how small daily actions, together with specific communication techniques and decisions, shape others' view of whether you can be trusted. Next, Allgeier illuminates three oft-neglected, crucial secrets of personal credibility. You'll find a hands-on assessment tool designed to help you bring more personal authenticity and transparency to your interactions; as well as practical guidance on suspending judgment and really listening, thereby earning others' trust even if you ultimately choose to disagree. Allgeier concludes with seven specific steps you can take every day to increase your personal credibility, and rebuild credibility you may have already lost. Following her easy-to-understand, easy-to-use guidance, you can live a life that's not just more successful, but happier and more fulfilled, too.

Table of contents

  1. Copyright
  2. Praise for The Personal Credibility Factor
  3. Application Exercises
  4. Acknowledgments
  5. About the Author
  6. Introduction
    1. I Wouldn’t Trust That Person for a Minute!
    2. What Is the Personal Credibility Factor?
  7. I. The Three Secrets to Personal Credibility
    1. One. Secret #1: Forget Power, Position, Status, and Other Such Nonsense
      1. Same Ideas, But Very Different Results
      2. It’s What You Do, Not What You Say
      3. Secret #1 Applies to Other Life Experiences
        1. Credibility in Parenting
    2. Two. Secret #2: I Can See Right Through You
      1. The Human Invisible Fence
        1. Authenticity: We Know It When It’s Not There
        2. The Silent Alarm System
        3. It All Begins with Accepting Our Own Human Warts
        4. Invisible Fences Don’t All Look Alike
      2. Authentic Results, Even During Tough Times
        1. Taking It Personally
      3. A Final Word of Encouragement
    3. Three. Secret #3: The Decision to Suspend Judgment
      1. A Frustrating Situation for Dad
        1. Hold Your Thoughts...Just for a While
        2. Thinking Through Your Tendencies
      2. The Thought Process for Suspending Judgment
      3. For Personal Credibility: Know the Secrets!
  8. II. Stepping Up with Credibility: Seven Steps to Influence Personal Credibility
    1. Four. Step #1: Know Your “Stuff”
      1. Learning As She Goes
      2. How Do I Make Sure That I Know My Stuff?
        1. Gain an Appetite for Knowledge—Consider It Credibility Survival!
        2. Read!
        3. Seek Wise Counsel
        4. Know the Enemy (Its Name Is Apathy!)
    2. Five. Step #2: Keep Commitments
      1. Commitments Break Down and Invisible Fences Go Up
        1. Keeping Small Commitments Adds Up to Big Credibility
      2. Commitment Difference Makers
    3. Six. Step #3: Honor Confidences and Avoid Gossip
      1. With the Best of Intentions
      2. The Truth Behind the Gossip
    4. Seven. Step #4: Know Yourself—the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!
      1. She Knew Herself and Understood
      2. Third Time Is the Charm
      3. Section 1: Ideas or Evidence?
        1. Ideas
        2. Evidence
      4. Section 2: Direct or Diplomatic?
        1. Direct
        2. Diplomatic
      5. Section 3: Retreat or Engage?
        1. Retreat
        2. Engage
      6. Section 4: Options or Plans?
        1. Options
        2. Plans
    5. Eight. Step #5: Choose to Value Others—the Good, and Yes, Even the Bad and the Ugly!
      1. Ideas or Evidence?
      2. Direct or Diplomatic?
      3. Retreat or Engage?
      4. Options or Plans?
      5. Some Final Thoughts on Style Differences and Personal Credibility
    6. Nine. Step #6: Ask More and Listen Most
      1. Tip #1: Stop and Connect
      2. Tip #2: Restate or Paraphrase
      3. Tip #3: Ask, Ask, Ask...
    7. Ten. Step #7: Create Credible Interactions
      1. Interaction Technique: Maximize Your Agreements
      2. Interaction Technique: Create Productive Disagreements
        1. Scenario #1: There’s More Than One Way to Look at Numbers
        2. Scenario #2: She Was Always Late!
      3. Interaction Technique: Express Your Thoughts with Credibility
        1. Who Am I Speaking To?
        2. What Am I Saying?
        3. How Do I Say It Effectively?
  9. III. Face the Truth and Begin Anew
    1. Eleven. The Truth Shall Set You Free—When You Avoid Truth Traps!
      1. Trap #1: The Little White Lie
      2. Trap #2: The Need to Be “In the Know”
      3. Trap #3: Loose Lips Sink Ships...and Our Credibility
      4. Trap #4: Don’t Worry...It’s Done!
      5. Truth Trap Tips
        1. #1: Make the Decision to Be a Truthful Person
        2. #2: Don’t Overexplain or Create Excuses—Just Stick with the Facts!
        3. #3: If You Are Clueless...Say So!
        4. #4: The Truth Doesn’t Need Stretching—It Just Needs Doing
    2. Twelve. Credibility: I’ve Lost It—Can I Rebuild It?
      1. Rebuilding Is a Process, Not an Event
      2. A Simple Statement: “You Were Right”
      3. “I Meant Well, but I Blew It!”
      4. From Problems to Progress
    3. Thirteen. Rebuilding: One Step at a Time
      1. Step 1: Objectively Acknowledge Your Own Actions
      2. Step 2: Identify Your Options for the Next Action
      3. Step 3: Verbally Take Ownership with Those Impacted
      4. Step 4: Manage Your Expectations
      5. Step 5: Share What You Learn from the Rebuilding Process
      6. Starting Over...Every Day
        1. Tapping Into the Power of the Three Secrets to Personal Credibility
          1. Secret #1: Forget Power, Position, Status, and Other Such Nonsense
          2. Secret #2: I Can See Right Through You
          3. Secret #3: The Decision to Suspend Judgment
        2. Stepping Up with Credibility: Seven Steps Everyone Can Take to Increase Personal Credibility and Impact
          1. Step #1: Know Your “Stuff”
          2. Step #2: Keep Commitments
          3. Step #3: Honor Confidences and Avoid Gossip
          4. Step #4: Know Yourself—the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!
          5. Step #5: Choose to Value Others—the Good, and Yes, Even the Bad and the Ugly!
          6. Step #6: Ask More and Listen Most
          7. Step #7: Create Credible Interactions
  10. FT Press
  11. Introduction: Questioning Is the Skill of Management
    1. 1. Is There a Basic Set of Management Questions?
      1. Basic Questions
      2. Ten Basic Rules for Asking Questions
    2. 2. Asking Questions Is the Skill of Effective Management
    3. 3. How Good Are Your Skills?
    4. 4. You Ask Too Many Questions
  12. Financial Times Press
  13. Inside Front Cover
  14. Inside Back Cover

Product information

  • Title: The Personal Credibility Factor: How to Get It, Keep It, and Get It Back, (If You’ve Lost It)
  • Author(s): Sandy Allgeier
  • Release date: February 2009
  • Publisher(s): Pearson
  • ISBN: 9780137149001