You must first grow and manage yourself before you can impact change in your career or company. In this post, we’ll discuss research-backed best practices for establishing credibility, identifying leadership blind spots, dealing with change, finding mentors and sponsors, and more.

You must be perceived as credible in order to make an influence at work, to have your thoughts heard, your proposals considered seriously, and your initiative supported. Of course, you already have a foundation of credibility since people are familiar with you, like you, and recognize that you work hard and perform a good job.

But that’s not the same as being regarded as a trustworthy expert on a certain subject. Too many intelligent people don’t think about it and leave other people’s perceptions to chance. To be honest, that’s a dangerous tactic. With a little effort, you can greatly increase the likelihood that your contributions will be warmly accepted and that the ideas you support will be effectively implemented.

So, let’s look at three methods you might improve your professional outcomes by assuring your credibility. To begin, make sure that people are aware of any relevant expertise or certifications you may have. Professionals sometimes minimize their resumes because they believe it would appear boasting if they mentioned their experience.

Of course, you don’t want to come across as a know-it-all by saying things like, “It’s clear I know the most about this because I have more than 20 years experience,” or “As the only person in the room with a doctorate in the subject,” but there are some simple ways to ensure that others understand that you are an expert in this field.

You could, for example, enlist the help of a friendly ally. When you’re feeling hesitant about accomplishing anything on your own, you can enlist the support of a trustworthy buddy. They make a point of mentioning your qualifications so you don’t have to. You may also utilize your own experience to make a point, such as “I’ve encountered similar circumstances previously,” or “I wonder if it could be the best approach here, too,”. However, you may not have that level of experience in some circumstances, and that’s fine.

Another viable method for being viewed as credible is to borrow other people’s expertise. This entails conducting a study on the issue and familiarizing yourself with previous best and bad practices so that you can confidently place them. You’re not asking others to put their faith in your personal experience, which may be restricted in this case.

Instead, you’re demonstrating that you take the time to learn and study so that your research may help the entire team. Finally, creating unique material relating to the concept you’re focusing on is a terrific approach to be regarded as more credible.

This might be writing blog entries, and articles, delivering lunch and learn courses, or contributing to your company’s internal social media network. There are several options. The reason this is so important is that if you don’t express your ideas openly, it’s difficult for people to know what they are or whether they are excellent. People will be able to comprehend how you’re thinking about a problem and will be able to remark things like, “Oh, he’s making a lot of sense.”

You don’t even need to have your own point of view at this stage. You may create an essay distilling best practices from other industries, an overview of relevant literature, or an interview with some respected professionals.

You’ll be acknowledged for sharing and promoting your thoughts in any of these scenarios. If you’re seen as credible, your ideas will travel wider and quicker. Following these tactics can help you speed up the process and increase your chances of success.