Customer Reviews

Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It, Why People Demand It

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James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner use detailed research to show how leaders can achieve credibility. This book tells what caring leaders should do. If you are a leader, heed it. If you are managed - and not managing - don't assume that your leaders care as much as those shown here. You will be ill-prepared for harsh reality. As a leader, you should know that the global marketplace has changed greatly. Now, shareholders jettison stocks if earnings fall below expectations. Executives slash U.S. jobs and export the remaining jobs to India and China. This is an age of multi-billion-dollar paychecks for chief executive officers, but psychological insecurity for workers. In this turmoil, it's great to read what good leaders should do. The book is practical with a solid psychological grounding. Bottom line from us: these researchers are nice guys, writing for similarly nice guys. But not every leader is a nice guy. So trust, but verify. Or lead, and be nice.

This book goes through a step by step process on how to, not only become a credible leader, but how to earn the trust and confidence of your constituents. The 6 main themes are supported by research and include an action plan of practical steps for self-improvement. The content of this book is applicable both in personal and professional situations. The book has many examples and anecdotes on ways we could, or others have, followed their approach to personal or business success.

Some points were over analyzed and became repetitive. The book is an "easy to read" positive book on the value of honesty, sensitivity to diversity and competency. Unfortunately the last few chapters of the book are very weak and what starts out with a bang, ends in a whimper.

This book has an interesting topic that is needed in todays fields. Citing great examples of people who do more than just talk the talk. The beginning and end are most useful, the middle gets a little boring but is still useful. They back up what they say with studies (from which I also did a study and came up with surprisely similar results!). Overall a very good book for any manager in any business. It should be noted that this book is a bit more geared for a production manager such as in plant or factory. HOwever examples are universal and can be used in any "bag of tricks".

Credibility is a terrific follow-up to Kouzes and Posners previous book. It was offered as optional reading in my MA in Organizational Leadership program and I'm glad I read it.

Though somewhat Kouze and Posner tend to repeat themselves throughout the book, they have many practical ideas that anyone can put to use today.

This book was an optional reading in a course I recently took as part of my PhD studies in organisational leadership. The text flows logically, with highly readable prose; it excels at providing a great depth of insight on a) discovering one self; b) appreciating constituents and their diversity; c) affirming shared values; d) developing capacity; d) serving a purpose; and d) sustaining hope. Even though the research upon which the text is based was done mostly in the first world, I found it quite useful and applicable to my own context in Guatemala. I definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to understand how crecibility affects leadership success.

Deals with what credibility is, how you gain it, lose it. More
importantly, the authors discuss why this issue is one of
the keys to a successful personal and business life.

If you are a parent, spouse, manager, or deal with people in
any way, this book will help you analyze how you deal with
people, what they expect, and how you can fullfil their
expectations and yours and have them think you are wonderful.

Experience how much better your life is when your relationships
are on a sound footing. Warning - if you like playing games
with people or messing with their minds, this book will be
a disappointment to you.