Leadership happens when character and competence are combined!
No leader can be effective without character, but character does not ensure that a leader is effective. A good leader stands out, when character is matched by competence, and the central virtue of knowing what to do.
Most of us think of credibility in moral terms, and with good reason. Credibility defines our ability to trust, and that trust, is a matter of character. Leadership requires trust in something beyond who the leader is, true credibility rests in the ability of others, to trust in what the leader can do. Credibility is not a function, title or office, but something you have to earn every day, it is something you keep trying to achieve, and never assume you’ve fully attained, because on a daily basis, people choose whether or not, they are going to follow you.
Leadership is a relationship between those who aspire to lead, and those who choose to follow. Once the relational nature of leadership is firmly in mind, leaders understand that their effectiveness requires a faithful transaction – they aspire to lead, and followers receive that aspiration, with trust and confidence. Take that trust and confidence away, and the leader is leading no one.
When the organisation senses its need, and then looks for a leader, which leads them to you, you know you are credible. The effective leader cannot afford to lose credibility – in fact, he needs to stockpile it, and build it in reserve.