The kind of credibility that will genuinely further your career has to come from the inside out. Brand-borrowing your credibility without addressing your underlying confidence issues or skill gaps will, in the long term, compromise your confidence and decrease your chance of reaching your goal. Read more to learn what brand-borrowing is, the right way to use it, and three questions that will help you build earned credibility.

Fear-based leadership is massively prevalent across the corporate world, particularly following the twin stressors of a global pandemic and a struggling economy. In fact, “a large portion of American workers—56 percent—claim their boss is mildly or highly toxic, while 75 percent say dealing with their manager is the most stressful part of their workday” (Source). This article is for anyone who is struggling to navigate (or stop using) fear-based leadership. It includes: the two real-world scenarios that inspired this piece, what fear-based leadership looks like, why it doesn’t work, and practical strategies to combat it.