Career: Six ways to build your credibility

If you're planning on positioning yourself for a promotion or increased responsibility, you'd better work on building your credibility. Why? Because those with whom and for whom you work will want to know that they can believe what you say, trust what you say, and depend on what you say. With that in mind, let's look at a few ways to build your credibility:

• Become an expert within your job function or industry. Questions within the workplace are routine throughout any given work day, and those with answers - the correct answers - are deemed as credible. The only way to provide correct answers to your colleagues, and show management that you are a credible source for information and solutions, is to beef up your job function or industry knowledge. The more consistently you provide the correct answers, the more credible of a source you will be deemed.

• Do what you say you are going to do. If you say you will complete a project by such and such a time, then meet that deadline. If you say that you will offer help to someone at an agreed upon time, then offer it at that time. Whatever you commit to, stick to it. Else, do not commit to it. Your colleagues and manager will see you as a credible person when you do what you said you were going to do...and when you don't make unreasonable promises.

• Admit when you don't know the correct answer.... In other words, do not fake it to make it. You may get away with faking knowledge a few times, but eventually you will be caught in your white lies. When you're caught trying to answer something, provide insight to something, or assist in an area in which you have no knowledge, you will be seen as inept. Faking the funk erodes your credibility.

• ...but when possible, seek to find the right answer. If you don't know the right answer to a given question or situation, it's okay to admit it. However, don't always stop there. Instead, offer to find out the right answer or solution. This will show that you're willing to go the extra mile, and will add to your credibility as a hard worker who goes above and beyond.

• Take ownership... If you drop the ball on a project or assignment, don't scoot around taking responsibility. Instead, own up to your mistake and state it plainly, without excuses. This shows integrity and a willingness to be honest, which adds to your credibility.

• ...then be sure not to make the same mistake again. Taking ownership not only means that you own up to your mistakes, but that you take steps to make sure that mistake does not happen again. Making the same mistake over and over again depletes your creditibility, even if you own up to it each time. Learning from your mistakes and showing that you have done so adds to your credibility.

These are just a few ways to build your credibility. Can you name additional ways to build your "cred"? Would love to hear them.

~Will