The Credibility Gap: Why Leaders Lose Influence Before They Lose Authority, By Toye Sobande 

It doesn’t always happen in the heat of scandal or the fallout of a crisis. More often, credibility leaks out quietly. A leader steps onto a stage, announces a bold new initiative, and the audience claps politely, but their eyes reveal something colder. They have heard grand pronouncements before, but promises have never translated into practice. Authority may still command the room, but influence has already slipped through the cracks.

Credibility is the outward face of trust. Where trust sustains the inner life of teams, credibility determines whether leaders can move people beyond compliance to conviction. Without it, leaders still hold titles, but they no longer hold belief. And once belief is gone, authority becomes a hollow shell.

In my years advising executives and studying leadership behaviour, I’ve seen leaders underestimate credibility more than almost any other quality. They assume authority grants them influence indefinitely. Yet influence is never permanently bestowed; it is continuously renewed through credibility.

Credibility is not charisma, nor is it the polish of a presentation. It is the alignment of three elements: character, competence, and consistency.

Character answers the question: Do I trust who you are? Competence answers: Do I trust that you can deliver? And consistency answers: Do I trust that you will show up the same way, again and again? Break any of these, and credibility begins to erode.

Consider the cautionary tale of a global retail chain CEO who promised sweeping transformations. His vision was compelling, his authority unquestioned. But when delivery timelines repeatedly slipped and explanations grew thinner, credibility collapsed. Employees didn’t openly revolt. Instead, they disengaged, quietly assuming that “leadership talk” was just another layer of noise. When market disruptions hit, execution faltered because no one truly believed the leader’s words anymore.

Conversely, contrast Howard Schultz returning to Starbucks. When he stepped back in as CEO during a turbulent chapter, he didn’t dazzle people with new strategies. Instead, he grounded the company in its founding principles – quality coffee, community, customer experience – and consistently modelled the discipline of those values. The result? Employees and investors didn’t just hear his words; they believed them. His credibility didn’t rely on novelty but on fidelity.

Research confirms this dynamic. Employees are three times more likely to follow leaders they perceive as credible, even during uncertain times. In fact, credibility often matters more than certainty itself. People will endure ambiguity if they believe the person leading them is trustworthy, competent, and steady. But even the most brilliant vision falls flat when credibility has eroded.

I recall working with a senior executive who rolled out a technically brilliant cost-saving strategy. On paper, it was flawless. But implementation failed spectacularly. Why? His team had stopped believing in him long before. Promises made in previous projects had gone unfulfilled, and commitments to staff development were routinely sidelined. When he unveiled the new strategy, it didn’t matter how sound it was. His authority was intact, but his credibility was gone, and so was his influence.

The good news is that credibility can be cultivated and even rebuilt through intentional practices. It does not demand perfection, but it does demand alignment.

First, consistency in small actions often matters more than rare, grand gestures. A leader who consistently follows through on the little things – a returned call, a kept deadline, an honest update – earns more credibility than one who dazzles occasionally but falters in the daily grind. Teams notice patterns, not exceptions.

Second, resist the temptation to overpromise. Leaders sometimes inflate commitments to inspire or reassure. But credibility is strengthened not by big promises, but by promises kept. Under-promise and over-deliver. The quiet reliability of follow-through builds more confidence than lofty assurances that never materialise.

Third, own mistakes visibly. Leaders often fear that admitting error will weaken their standing. In reality, candour is one of the fastest ways to repair credibility. When a manufacturing executive I once advised mishandled a major rollout, he could have hidden behind spin. Instead, he called an all-hands meeting, acknowledged where he had fallen short, and laid out specific corrective steps. Employees didn’t lose respect; they gained it. Transparency fortified his credibility.

Finally, embody the message you communicate. People watch leaders more closely than they listen to them. If you talk about balance but never take a break, your words ring hollow. If you emphasise innovation but punish risk, your message dies in contradiction. Credibility is modelled behaviour; it’s less about what you say and more about what you consistently live.

When employees perceive alignment between a leader’s words and actions, cognitive dissonance drops, reducing stress and enabling clearer, more creative thinking. Credibility doesn’t just feel better; it literally changes how teams function.

Reflective questions:

-Where might my consistency be slipping in ways I haven’t noticed?

-If I were stripped of my title tomorrow, would people still believe in me?

-Do I rely more on authority to move people or on credibility I’ve earned over time?

-What is one promise I need to revisit today to restore belief in my leadership?

This week, identify one promise you have delayed, minimised, or quietly abandoned. Deliver on it without announcement or spotlight. Then pay attention to the ripple effect. Credibility isn’t reclaimed through speeches; it’s restored through follow-through.

Authority can secure compliance, but only credibility wins conviction. And while titles may open doors, it is credibility that keeps people walking with you through them. Leaders who cultivate it will never lack influence. Leaders who neglect it may one day realise they still hold power but no longer hold people’s belief.