You don’t just walk into a room and gain credibility.

It takes time, consistency and sustained excellence.

You build credibility brick by brick, year by year, interaction by interaction.

Bob Dylan didn’t get it with a couple of great songs that he wrote in the 60’s, he did by continuing to write, record and perform for the 50 years since.

Warren Buffett didn’t get it through a quick-rich scheme, he did it through long-term investments that paid off over decades.

Michael Jordan didn’t get it through a couple of fancy dunks, he did by winning 6 NBA championships.

Seth Godin didn’t get it through a couple of well-worded posts on his blog, he did it by making people think on a daily basis for almost 10 years.

Rick Warren didn’t get it through a couple of sermons that people found helpful, he did it by leading his church to sustained growth and by equipping thousands of pastors and leaders along the way.

Once you have credibility, you can lead, persuade, sell, teach, coach much more effectively.

Of course, then it can come crashing down in an instant.

It only takes one stupid statement or action.

One stain on a dress, one viral video and your credibility is lost forever.

I have two questions for you today.

What are you doing to build your credibility?

What do you need to protect yourself from so that you don’t lose it?

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