Executive Summary: Strategic Partner Value Proposition Personal Credibility

Personal Credibility: Men and women in business live and die by personal credibility. This is why, in

most cases, a firms values and mission statement include a quip about being a trusted advisor or provider

to the clients of the firm. Personal credibility goes beyond being trustworthy, though. It is reflected in

how we carry ourselves and how a business presents itself to the public. Personal credibility can be

broken down further into seven categories: self image, boardroom presence, interpersonal skills,

awareness, personal substance/professionalism, relationship/team building skills, and oral presentation

manner and style.

Self Image: In his book, The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss wrote, It's like everyone tells a story

about themselves inside their own head. Always. All the time. That story makes you what you are. We

build ourselves out of that story. The idea behind self image within the Strategic Partner Value

Proposition is that our self image must align with the image that others have of us. Whether we believe

ourselves to be better or worse than the public view of us, discontinuity among the perspectives can lead

to problems in business development.

Positive Self-Image + Negative Public Image = Lack of Trustworthiness Among Potential Clients

Negative Self Image + Positive Public Image = Lack of Belief in Our Own Ability to Perform

What story are we telling about ourselves in our owns heads? Is it one of triumph and resilience? Or is it

one of self-pity and timidness? Too much of anything is not healthy, so we must find a balance between

ego and egotism and self-deprecation and realism. Senator Elizabeth Warren exemplifies well balanced

self image. Coming from a very humble background, Senator Warren has never forgotten her roots as she

continues to fight for those identifiable to her upbringing. However, she never lets that humble

background deter her from achieving her goals. She knows she is dependable and strong, and a

representation of ethical leadership. Her healthy self image coupled with her humility have obviously paid

off as she continues to earn the opportunity to fight for what she believes and to have constituents believe

in her competence and ability.

Boardroom Presence: Alongside having a healthy self image, we must be able to portray that healthy self

image outwardly. This is where body language and boardroom presence come into play. The way in

which we present ourselves has a heavy effect on how credible we are believed to be by our peers. In

order to achieve a suitable outward appearance we must implement the following into our daily lives:

A Regular Workout Regimen, Simple but Intense

Relaxation, Self-Care, Sleep, and the Joy of Life

A Closet Worthy of a Corner Office

Outward appearance is a mean of expressing the confidence we have in our own potential and, when

expressed properly, will translate into effective boardroom presence and becoming a Strategic Partner.

Interpersonal Skills: Personal relationships are at the very core of business. We cannot survive inside or

outside of business without others, and all people will do well to understand that. Warsan Shire, a poet of

the millennial age, wrote about one of the hardest years of her life:

[It was] the year I learnt small talk. And how to smile at strangers. The year I understood that I

am my best when I reach out and ask Do you want to be my friend?

A sweet, but important, lesson is to be learned from this poem. No matter our intention, our goal, or our

position, interpersonal skills and relationship management will always take us farther than we could ever

possibly go on our own. We are at our best when we learn to reach out to others and simply have a

conversation. It is essential to be valuable to our firms and ourselves. It is not always what you know. It is

truly always who you know.

Awareness: It is vital that people are knowledgeable in their chosen profession: accountants know

accounting, financial analysts know how to analyze, marketers know how to market. However, in order to

develop oneself to become a strategic partner, one must avoid narrowly focusing on only their profession.

Awareness of what is going on in society and world events is key to building personal credibility

when conversing with others.

Sophisticated conversation outside of work consists of a gamut of topics, from the Art of the Renaissance

to the ominous Tensing Trial, from popular culture to breaking news, from the Super Bowl to the ballet.
Educating oneself on a diverse range of topics enables one to participate in these conversations, thus

allowing one to grow their personal credibility. Awareness is a trait that is developed over time through

everyday habits, such as watching the news, reading literature and exploring the arts. There is no one way

to develop ones awareness; some people may prefer to view the news of a television while others prefer

to read the newspaper, what is important is that they are educating themselves. In addition, one must be

able to push oneself outside of their comfort zone in order to develop their awareness and therefore their

personal credibility. Read that book that deviates from what you have read before. Listen to that speaker

who has a different viewpoint than you may have. Go to that opera that you assume you will not be

interested in. Awareness consists of diversity of knowledge.

Personal Substance and Professionalism: Personal Substance and Professionalism can be broken down

into five main faucets: attitude, integrity, civility, self discipline and work ethic. These attributes combine

to form the character of a person and how they conduct themselves, which shapes the personal substance

and professionalism of a strategic partners personal credibility.

Attitude

The first component of personal substance and professionalism is ones attitude, which relates to how one

approaches their environment. People enjoy being around those who have a positive attitude towards life.

In order to build ones personal substance, it is essential to have a positive outlook that others will feed off

of. Along with that, being positive will enable professional behavior in times of crisis and when dealing

with difficult situations.

Integrity

Possessing integrity in ones actions and intentions is another attribute of personal substance and

professionalism. In order to gain the respect of others, one must first earn it through displaying personal

substance and professionalism. One important component of earning respect is through respecting others

and displaying integrity. Doing the right thing takes on many forms, from volunteering at an animal

shelter, to supporting a loved one when they are in need. Society revers integrity, but often people deviate
from what is morally right. While possessing integrity certainly contributes to one becoming a strategic

partner, it is also a strategic partners duty to possess integrity and be an example for others.

Civility

Civility is defined as the formal politeness and courtesy in ones behavior or speech. With regard to

personal substance, someones civility contributes to a sophisticated image that others will form of them.

Being polite to others builds ones professional image into that of a strategic partner.

Self Discipline

Self discipline is a key aspect of being a productive worker, however, it also contributes greatly to

creating personal substance and professionalism. Self discipline allows people to resist temptation and

remain focused in their actions. This builds personal substance and professionalism because people are

able to trust and rely on someone who is disciplined to get done what they say they will do.

Work Ethic

Finally, having a strong work ethic is a trait that any successful person needs. The American Dream itself

is based upon the idea that with a strong work ethic, anyone can achieve anything that they so desire. A

professional person with strong character is able to push through anything to get their work done. The

internal drive of a strong work ethic builds personal credibility because they are seen as determined and

reliable - two important traits of a strategic partner.

Relationship and Team Building Skills: Relationship and team building skills are some of the most

important skills you can possess. If you do not cultivate powerful relationship and team building skills

within the workplace, you will not be able to accomplish your goals. Especially as a young co-op, I have

learned that I need to be able to interact and work well with different types of teams to flourish in my

field. An adamant aspect of relationship and team building skills is having emotional intelligence. In the

article What Emotional Intelligence Is and Is Not, Dr. John Mayer states the following:

Emotional intelligence is the ability to identify and manage your own emotions and the emotions

of others.
He continues to mention that you will not be successful in a business environment if you do not have an

adequate level of emotional intelligence, or EQ. According to Dr. Mayer, having a high level of emotional

intelligence is more important than having a high IQ. EQ determines how you will be able to interact with

others and how you will be able to assess yourself and your actions. Another important aspect of

relationship and team building skills is being able to network. Without networking, you wont be able to

matriculate to the higher levels of the organization. I have discovered the power of networking and would

not have my current co-op if I didnt start networking last year.

I believe in the power of networking and believe that it is the most important skill of a young

business professional.

Relationship and team building skills are essential components of maintaining a strong personal

credibility. In order to be personally credible, you must emulate positive team building skills. Fostering

positive team building involves being able to approach others, understanding different personalities,

having emotional intelligence, being able to network, and taking a helpful attitude towards others. All of

these qualities are important to business professionals and dictate success and advancements in the

workplace.

Oral Presentation Manner and Style: Presentation manner and style plays a pertinent role in having a

strong personal credibility. The skills enveloped in presentation manner and style are interpersonal skills,

listening skills, facilitation skills, communication skills, and interview skills. Over the course of my

college career, I have seen the importance of having influential presentation skills. Our Character Based

Leadership Seminar also highlighted the importance of capitalizing on presentation skills that can

influence an audience and leave a powerful mark. Elizabeth Warren also demonstrates impressive

presentation skills. Senator Elizabeth Warren addressed a rally in support of Social Security and Medicare

on Capitol Hill a few years ago in Washington, D.C. that left the crowd speechless. The rally was

organized to fight the privatization of Social Security. The New York Times points out:

Elizabeth Warren had a moment. Her speech utilized the perfect vocabulary and phrases to unite

and ignite the audience. The present crowd will never forget her words.
Elizabeth Warren knows how to rally a crowd and get people excited about a cause. Possessing this skill

is one of the key factors in her success. Without this skill, I do not think she would be as dominant and

influential as she is. Presentation manner and style is a skill that will be relevant for the rest of our lives.

Personal Credibility is what distinguishes a person and makes you unique. Each person maintains their

own personal credibility and shapes it based on the circumstances of their life. The aspects of personal

credibility, which are self-image, boardroom presence, interpersonal skills, awareness, personal

substance/professionalism, relationship and team building skills, and presentation manner and style, are

the determining factors of your achievement in the business world. They are essential skills that need to

be continually improved in order to be successful and accomplish your goals.