In all the conversations you’ve had
about credibility, what’s the most
important lesson you’ve learned?
Credibility is not a one-time activity. It is
ongoing, everlasting and evolutionary.
It starts with the individual and the
corporation having integrity and
consistently showing up the same
way on and offline. It continues with
a strong focus on servant leadership,
being coachable, having the intent and
commitment to do the “right” thing, and
having respect for others.
Overall, there are 10 values of
credibility that came out of the 500
thought leader survey I conducted.
Credibility is a journey, not a destination.
How high on the to-do list do today’s
brands place on building credibility
and authenticity?
Brands publicly state that credibility and
authenticity are important. The problem
is that saying it and not reinforcing
it in their day-to-day actions hurts
their credibility. Brands continually
focus on the marketing cookie-cutter
approaches of showcasing celebrities
and influencers while forgetting that
credibility comes from each and every
interaction that the brand has with their
prospects and customers.
True or false: Technology has
impeded our ability to be credible.
Why? Why not?
False. It is not technology that hinders
our credibility—it is ourselves. What
prevents us from being credible in the
online space are the cookie-cutter
approaches that we were taught.
Credibility starts from inside us. If we
are credible inside, it shines outwardly
in the online spaces that technology
brought us.
12 milkshake
THE BATTLE FOR CREDIBILITY.
OUR CONVERSATION WITH
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING AUTHOR
MITCHELL LEVY
bestselling author and TEDx speaker, calls
the Credibility Nation, which is composed
of people who go about life and their business with credibility and servant
leadership. On the other is the Dubious Nation, people who live and conduct
their business with self-interest as their highest priority.
Levy continues to delve into the psyche of what makes these two sides
tick. As an executive coach at Marshall Goldsmith’s 100 Coaches, he has
interviewed 500 thought leaders on the topic, published a seven-country
international bestselling book, delivered a powerful TEDx on humanity,
created courses and created the Credibility Nation membership community
to help those to live, learn and surround themselves with others on the
credibility journey.
The good news is that Levy believes hope remains—that there still is a
way for Credibility Nation to win. And while it will not be easy and will not
happen in a day, Levy believes the path toward credibility starts with seeing
and acknowledging that the world has changed.
We sat down with him to get his take on what brands can do to build their
credibility quotient and why taking the Credibility Nation Pledge matters.
Partially True.
Technology has allowed us
to target the informational
needs of an audience to
reinforce negative and
misleading information.
We were not taught
to be discerning in our
information consumption.
One source of information
or multiple sources from
the same POV will not
allow one to determine
if the information shared
should be trusted, e.g.,
whether it is credible.
Where does the path
toward credibility start?
The path toward
credibility starts with
understanding what it
means and deciding that
Mitchell Levy says there is a war
raging. For years, it has been
as important as it has been
silent. On the one side, there
is what Levy, international
CREDIBILITY STARTS
FROM INSIDE US. IF WE
ARE CREDIBLE INSIDE,
IT SHINES OUTWARDLY
IN THE ONLINE SPACES THAT
TECHNOLOGY BROUGHT US.
November 2022