The Role of Internal Credibility in Organizations

70% of career-defining decisions about you happen when you're not even in the room. Are you certain your name is being spoken in these pivotal conversations? Promotions, high-profile assignments, strategic projects—all these critical decisions often unfold behind closed doors. The harsh truth: Your career depends on advocacy, not just performance. Stats that’ll jolt you awake: -A recent Harvard Business Review study confirms promotions depend 65% on reputation and only 35% on actual performance. -LinkedIn research reveals 92% of senior executives consider advocacy crucial for career advancement. -According to Forbes, employees with powerful internal advocates are 23% more likely to receive high-profile assignments and promotions. Here’s exactly how you ensure your name echoes loudly in critical rooms: ✅ Advocacy starts with genuine connections. Identify influential stakeholders and nurture relationships. It’s not about forced networking—it's about creating authentic trust. ✅ Advocates can’t champion your strengths if they’re unclear about them. Make your contributions visible and quantifiable. Clearly articulate your impact and ensure others can easily repeat your narrative. ✅When you advocate for others, you model leadership. Reciprocity is powerful. Speak up for your team’s talent, celebrate peers, and they’ll naturally amplify your voice too. ✅ Strategically Position Your Brand Consistently align your actions with the future role you desire. People advocate for leaders who clearly fit into opportunities that emerge—be that obvious fit. ✅ Create a Legacy of Reliability and Trust Your word and reputation are your biggest assets. If you consistently deliver excellence and integrity, people feel confident representing you even when you're not there. Your career won’t flourish from performance alone. It grows exponentially when powerful advocates champion you in spaces you don’t occupy. Want to cultivate advocacy, amplify your influence, and ensure your name gets mentioned positively and frequently? If you’re committed to being influential—even in the rooms you're not in—let’s have a conversation. 📩 Message me directly to explore an exclusive executive coaching partnership. ps: Infographic by Justin Wright #ExecutiveCoaching #LeadershipDevelopment #CareerAdvice #PersonalBranding #Leadership #Influence

The most important decisions about your career are made in a room you are not in. Let that sink in. The hiring committee decides to hire you… or not. The promo committee decides to promote you… or not. Managers in calibration meetings decide what performance rating you get, which directly affects your compensation and your career trajectory. The list goes on. And you are not in the room. So how can you influence those key career decisions? The answer is simple, but not easy to execute: you have to get yourself on everyone’s radar. If all those people in those rooms talking about you know all the great stuff you’ve done, they’ll be more inclined to make a decision in your favor. But here’s the catch: those people rarely have visibility over your work, unless you made extra effort to raise their awareness. You have to go the extra mile to build your reputation. That’s why it’s a good idea to grab any opportunity you can think of to meet and be visible to colleagues in your wider circle. Think skip level, peers of your skip level, VP of the org, influential peers. The more the better.  Here are some ways to increase your visibility: ⭐ Offer to help ⭐ Solve problems ⭐ Invite folks to coffee chat ⭐ Present at All Hands meetings ⭐ Get a mentor and mentor others ⭐ Be ready for a quick pitch in the elevator ⭐ Join internal communities, like product circles  ⭐ Seek collaboration with a large number of teams Remember: while you may not be in every room where decisions are made, you can influence those decisions through your work, relationships, and reputation built over time. ⏭️ What's one thing you'll do this week to increase your visibility? Share in the comments 👇 #Career #Influence #NetworkNetWorth #Reputation #CareerAdvice #ProfessionalDevelopment #CareerGrowth

This million-dollar career move is ignored by 95% of professionals. It's also what causes meteoric career advancement: → Becoming the most credible person in the room. Because guess what? Hours are not rewarded. Titles are not rewarded. Even results alone are not rewarded. Credibility is rewarded. The people who get promoted fastest, get paid most, and generally have the easiest time in their career have one thing on lock: → Everyone believes they’ll do what they say they’ll do. Early in my career, I lost my credibility in a 30-second conversation (a story for another time). I changed jobs shortly after that episode, but it took me a long time to let go of the guilt. It was 30 years ago and I still remember it! Here's the cheat sheet I wish I had in my early career. Your credibility stands on 3 foundational pillars: 1. Expertise That Matters → Develop rare, valuable skills in your field → Ask the critical questions no one else asks → Bring solutions, not just problems → Stay continuously ahead of industry trends 2. Rock-Solid Reliability → Come overprepared for every meeting → Only promise what you know you can deliver → Follow through, every time, without fail → Hit deadlines, every time (and if you can't, tell them early) 3. Unshakeable Integrity → Practice radical transparency, even when it's tough → Stand by your ethics, even under pressure → Own every mistake, immediately → Share credit more generously than you think is wise The 5 highest-leverage activities to build credibility: • Take on the highest visibility challenges others shy away from • Create content that showcases your deep expertise • Build bridges by helping others achieve their goals • Maintain a "success portfolio" of all your wins • Seek out high-stakes situations to demonstrate reliability You'll know your credibility is compounding when: ✓ You're given new autonomy without asking ✓ Your name comes up positively when you're not around ✓ Leaders regularly seek your input first ✓ You're trusted with confidential information ✓ People line up to work on your projects Remember: Credibility takes years to build, seconds to lose, and twice as long to rebuild. That 30-second conversation taught me this the hard way: Building trust is the highest ROI "hack" in any career. What's your best tip for building professional credibility?👇 -------- ♻️ Repost to share this million-dollar career move with your network. 👉 Follow me Stephanie Eidelman (Meisel) for more advice on how to connect, share, grow, and shine in your career! 📫 Subscribe to Women in Consumer Finance for features like this delivered to your inbox. (https://hubs.la/Q03dY9_n0)

85% of employees say this trait is key to your career growth. Not leadership or communication or time management skills. But Trustworthiness. Here’s what research has found about being trustworthy (link in comments): ↳54% more likely to receive help and support ↳40% more meaningful social connections ↳76% greater ability to influence others ↳20% less anxiety and depression Here are the 4 domains to focus on if you want to be trustworthy: ➡️Credibility ↳Own up to your mistakes. ↳Be honest and transparent ↳Provide evidence for your claims ↳Share your expertise and knowledge ➡️Reliability ↳Be punctual and prepared ↳Follow through on promises ↳Meet your commitments consistently ↳Communicate proactively about delays ➡️Vulnerability ↳Ask for help when needed ↳Be open about your emotions ↳Show empathy towards others ↳Share your challenges and failures ➡️Selflessness ↳Prioritize others' needs and interests ↳Share credit for successes with the team ↳Offer help without expecting anything in return ↳Actively listen to understand others’ perspectives That’s it! Credibility + Reliability + Vulnerability + Selflessness = Trustworthy. Becoming Trustworthy = Thriving Career + Optimal Mental Wellbeing. --------------- ♻️Share this with others to help them become trustworthy ☝️Follow/connect with me. I believe there’s so much we can learn from each other.