There’s no medicine that tastes worse than a spoonful of my own, so to speak.
Every week in our team’s L10 meeting, we kick things off with a “Cultural Values Moment.” Everyone takes 30 seconds to share a recent example of how they lived out one of our company’s Core Four Values—or gives a shout-out to a teammate who did.
It’s a great little team-building moment, and it keeps our leadership values alive and relevant, not languishing on a pretty poster or a slide buried in some Google Drive graveyard.
It’s also a reminder that values aren’t what we say we believe.
They’re what we do, repeatedly.
And sometimes, I have to admit when I fall short.
Recently, I had to confess to the team that I’d missed the mark on Core Value #1:
“We practice what we preach: proactive, respectful, empathetic, clear communication.”
We had all agreed to begin a major new project. But truth be told, I was overwhelmed with other obligations, and overestimated how many balls I could juggle at once. So I delayed reaching out to key collaborators—something that should’ve happened early.
As a result, we lost time. That delay impacted the team, forcing us to shuffle timelines and reprioritize everything.
Here’s the million-dollar leadership question I had to ask myself:
If my team could only judge me by my actions, would they still believe my words?
So I came clean in our weekly core-values moment.
I apologized—both for not practicing what I preach, and for the ripple effect it caused.
And you know what? That moment didn’t damage my credibility—it reinforced it.
Because credibility isn’t about perfection; it’s about alignment.
Leaders don’t lose trust when they make mistakes; they lose trust when they deny, deflect, or disguise them.
The Communication Credibility Gap
Whether you’re leading a team, a department, or a company, your influence is built on credibility—and credibility lives at the intersection of your words and actions.
For example, it’s easy to say:
- “I’m open to feedback.” But if you shut down the first person who disagrees with you, that message is dead on arrival.
- “Innovation is important.” But if every mistake gets punished, people will play it safe—or worse, stay silent.
- “My door is always open.” But if your team can never get on your calendar, what they hear is: “You’re on your own.”
- “We value collaboration.” But if performance reviews reward only individual success on select metrics, competition will win over collaboration every time.
- “This is a safe space.” But if team members fear retaliation for raising concerns, it’s a guarantee no one will tell you the truth.
These are what I call “credibility gaps”—when a leader’s stated values don’t align with their visible behaviors. And the consequences are real.
Credibility gaps erode trust, engagement, and influence. They confuse your team, undermine morale, and can lead to a culture of skepticism or even fear.
And that’s not the vibe anyone is going for.
Your Leadership Brand Is Your Behavior, Not Just Beliefs
In all of the training programs I run for teams, establishing your leadership brand is at the foundation.
My favorite definition of a brand is:
A brand is the promise of an experience,
And the experience of a promise consistently delivered.
Your brand, influence and impact aren’t just measured in what you say.
They’re built on what people consistently experience from you.
In leadership communication, actions amplify—or cancel out—our stated message.
Have you ever worked with a leader who promised transparency but kept you in the dark? Or one who championed collaboration but hoarded decision-making power?
The impact isn’t just disappointment. It’s disillusionment, and resentment.
And let’s be honest—none of us are immune. Even with the best of intentions, we all have blind spots.
That’s why self-awareness and consistency are the secret sauce of credible leadership, and arethemes throughout all training and executive coaching programs. Like when looking in a mirror, it’s hard to see yourself completely without help.
Final Reflection: Where Are You Out of Alignment?
Take a breath and ask yourself:
“Where might a gap between my words and actions be quietly limiting my leadership credibility?”
Because people aren’t just listening to what you say.
They’re watching what you do.
And what they see will always speak louder than what they hear.
A Simple Framework to Realign Words + Actions
If you're wondering how to align your leadership communication with your behavior, try this three-step self-check:
- Audit Your Message – What values or priorities do you say you stand for? Write them down.
- Audit Your Actions – Do your tone, choices, habits, and calendar reflect those values, consistently? Be honest.
- Close the Gap – Choose one small behavior this week to bring your actions into alignment with your message.
Leadership consistency isn’t built overnight. It’s built choice by choice, word by word, moment by moment.
Call to Action: Ready to Align Your Leadership Voice?
If you’re vying for your next big career step—or already leading at high levels—and want to make sure your voice, message, and actions are all working in sync to build and reinforce the leadership brand you need and want, you can reach out to me here.
Let’s build an action plan to close that credibility gap and build a leadership presence that’s as trustworthy as it is powerful.
