Credibility at Work: Lessons from My Own Missteps

Credibility never happens overnight. It’s earned the hard way by being trustworthy and reliable—and easily lost through avoidable mistakes.

In my mid-thirties, I hit a rough patch at work. I realized that my credibility with stakeholders was eroding, and I had no one to blame but myself.

Looking back, I can think of six mistakes I made that eroded the trust others had in me, leading to a loss of my credibility. Thankfully, I learned my lessons in a timely way to a point where I was able to recover and thrive later.

Here are some of my missteps early in my career:

Taking Credit for Others’ Work

In team settings, I sometimes claimed credit for ideas and efforts that weren’t mine, thinking it would impress my superiors. Thankfully, my own conscience rebelled at the futility of this, and I course-corrected.

Being Inconsistent

Stakeholders needed to know they could rely on me. But I would show up being inconsistent and unpredictable- full of energy one day and absent the other day. Timely feedback from a supervisor helped me recognize this flaw and change.

Gossiping About Colleagues

Gossip felt harmless in the moment but left lasting damage. Word spread, relationships soured, and trust evaporated. An inspiring quote by Eleanor Roosevelt helped me transform. Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.

Lack of Transparency

For some strange reason, I succumbed to the illusion that being secretive about information and knowledge made me powerful. All it did was raise red flags for others. A leadership coach helped me realize that true power comes from being transparent and vulnerable.

Overpromising and Underdelivering

Saying I would do something and failing to deliver was a fast way to lose trust. The issue was not with the delivery as much as with the commitment to follow through on the promises made. I learned the lesson the hard way through brutal feedback and missed growth opportunities.

Making Excuses

When things went wrong, I shifted blame—to circumstances, others, and bad luck. Thankfully, I was surrounded by brilliant colleagues who inspired me to operate to a higher standard and overcome the tendency to make excuses.

And an insight I’ve carried ever since: Credibility is a fragile equation—Honesty × Reliability = Credibility. If either drops, the impact is always on your credibility.