This Common Leadership Habit Will Harm Your Credibility. Are You Guilty of It? As leaders, we're always looking for ways to build credibility among peers and employees. But this easy-to-make mistake can ruin it in an instant.

Talk is cheap. It's far easier to say we'll do something than it is to actually do it.

Executive coach and speaker Amy M. Chambers is an expert in this topic. "In my experience, the fastest way to build trust is to make and keep commitments," she says. "When people say what they'll do and then do what they say, we instantly feel more bonded and connected to them. Because this isn't always common in leadership and life, consistently keeping your word can dramatically differentiate you from the rest. But what about when the reverse happens? Some argue that making a commitment and not keeping it damages trust more than never having made it at all."

Building credibility is a long process, but it can easily come undone with one big mistake. This excerpt from Chambers' recent book, the 7 V.I.R.T.U.E.S. of Exceptional Leaders, aptly conveys the importance of accountability as a leader. It also serves as a warning to other leaders: Your audience is always watching, and your actions can have unintentional consequences.