Undermining Our Own Credibility

Mark Twain once said, “A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.”

Few know this better right now than new Arizona Cardinals Head Coach Jonathan Gannon — who last week spewed a variety of mistruths about his time as defensive coordinator with the Philadelphia Eagles.

"Philly is a very hard media market," Gannon told reporters. "We were 9-0 and I did my presser and they say, 'Coach, we want you fired.'

"And I said, 'We're the No. 1 defense in the NFL right now, in every statistical category. Why do you want me fired?'

'You don't blitz enough.'

"I said, 'Well we lead the league in sacks by 30-plus sacks, so if you want to come call the defense, then you can have at it.'"

The reality:

•The Eagles were never 9-0. •After 9 games, the Eagles didn't lead the league in sacks.•The press exchange of the media telling him they wanted him fired never actually occurred.

Basically, Gannon lied — about everything — displaying what is commonly referred to as a "Flashbulb Memory."

These are moments in time when we remember select details from a major event like a wedding, an historical event or a graduation. In Gannon's case, he seemed to recall a tough time with Philadelphia, then completely embellished other facts.

Regardless, his lack of overall awareness when addressing reporters is a reminder to us as leaders that everyone can use a coach — and that we should all have someone helping us before we speak on a subject.

Gannon's lack of preparation and overall awareness created a self-inflicted wound that could have been easily prevented.

He should have checked the facts before putting forward such claims. Instead, he lost credibility — a sacred leadership tool — with the media in Phoenix and Philadelphia and even in his own locker room.

Once that's gone, it's almost impossible to recover.

We should be cognizant that these six behaviors can greatly undermine our own:

1. Inaction: Research shows that employees seriously question the competency of leaders who fail to take action or ignore problems.

2. Indecisiveness: One of the key roles of a leader is to make sense of the operating environment and make strategic decisions about the organization's future.

3. Inconsistency: Leaders who make promises without making any effort to fulfill them erode their credibility.

4. Incoherent communication: When leaders create confusion among employees by distributing incorrect or misleading information or misrepresenting the facts, which Gannon clearly did.

5. Self-serving actions: Selfish behavior by leaders can undermine employees’ trust in their leaders.

6. Treating team members poorly: Gannon hurt himself with those unnecessary comments. Now, he must regain trust with everyone and begin by making sure he doesn't fall short in the five aforementioned areas.

What Twain said still applies more than a century later.

Lies move fast.