Are you a credible leader?

• Author: Francom, Sarah Ryther
• Position: From the Editor

Every morning I receive management tips from Harvard Business Review. Reading the tidbits of leadership inspiration is a refreshing way to start each workday. A few weeks ago, HBR sent a message connecting leadership to credibility. The message was simple: you can't be an effective leader if you're not a credible leader. If your team doesn't believe in you and your ability, you will not be able to lead them in the mission you (and your company) seek to fulfill.

The brief email continued by offering advice on how to build credibility--the advice, too, was simple. It read, "Make an effort to establish [credibility] from the beginning by showing your willingness to work hard, modeling the behaviors you're trying to encourage in others, and keeping promises and meeting deadlines. Always be prepared. Hold others accountable, treating them fairly and consistently. And, use your power and influence for the benefit of others."

In this issue of Utah Business, we honor eight chief executive officers who have proved to be credible leaders in their companies and the community. The CEOs honored are Josh Coates of Instructure, Jeffrey Johnson of Progrexion, Mike Nadon of Cementation, Sterling Nielsen of Mountain America Credit Union, Drew Peterson of Veracity Networks, Pat Richards of SelectHealth, Wayne Searle of SME Steel and Dave Zitting of Primary Residential Mortgage.

As I interviewed each CEO, I was amazed at how strong, clear and decisive, yet humble, these leaders were when discussing their roles. They each exuded a passion for their company and their work--a passion that I believe likely inspires and motivates everyone involved with the company. But what is even more telling are the words that came from their colleagues when speaking about the CEO's leadership ability. Here's a sampling of what they...