Why Most Leaders Aren't as Credible as They Think — And What to Do About It | Mitchell Levy episode artwork

EPISODE · May 8, 2026 · 45 MIN

Why Most Leaders Aren't as Credible as They Think — And What to Do About It | Mitchell Levy

from Business Roundtable · host David W. Carr

Most leaders believe they are credible. Most have never actually tested that assumption — and the gap between how they see themselves and how others experience them is costing them trust, influence, and opportunity.Mitchell Levy has spent decades in Silicon Valley coaching executives, writing 65 books, founding 20 companies, and interviewing hundreds of thought leaders to answer one deceptively simple question: what does it actually mean to be credible? What he found is that credibility is not just about being trusted. It is about being trusted, known, and liked — and most leaders are quietly failing on at least one of those three dimensions without knowing it. In this episode, David Carr and Mitchell break down the Executive Abundance framework, the Clarity Formula, and why the first step to becoming a more credible leader has nothing to do with your marketing and everything to do with how you show up before the camera turns on.In this episode:Why credibility is defined as being trusted, known, and liked and what most leaders get wrong about all threeThe Clarity Formula: how to articulate where you are executing on your purpose in ten words or lessWhy 90 percent of people never find their purpose and what to do insteadHow Executive Abundance reframes leadership success across five stakeholder groups beyond just investors and revenueThe connection between AI, human empathy, and why replacing people with bots is a credibility problem not just a technology decisionTwo things you can do today to immediately become more credible as a leaderAbout Mitchell Levy: Mitchell Levy is a 2x TEDx speaker, executive coach, Global Credibility Expert, and international bestselling author of 65 books. A member of Marshall Goldsmith's exclusive 100 Coaches program, Mitchell has founded over 20 companies in Silicon Valley, coached hundreds of executives, and helped more than 1000 leaders and organizations articulate their purpose in ten words or fewer. He is the creator of the Executive Abundance framework and is currently completing his doctorate. Most leaders know they should be building trust with their teams and clients. The harder question is whether the way you show up every day is actually earning it. That is the work we do at Steward Your Business.If this episode made you think about how your team and your clients actually experience you, share it with one person whose honest feedback you have been avoiding. Links mentioned in this episode:Mitchell Levy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mitchelllevyWebsite: https://mitchelllevy.comExecutive Abundance: https://www.executiveabundance.comCredibility Nation: https://www.credibilitynation.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/business-roundtable--6049255/support.Connect with Steward Your Business:Book a Leadership Clarity Call: https://calendar.stewardyourbusiness.com/ccCall: +1 909.404.9865Website: https://stewardyourbusiness.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidwcarrWatch more episodes  and subscribe on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@steward_your_business

Most leaders believe they are credible. Most have never actually tested that assumption — and the gap between how they see themselves and how others experience them is costing them trust, influence, and opportunity.Mitchell Levy has spent decades in Silicon Valley coaching executives, writing 65 books, founding 20 companies, and interviewing hundreds of thought leaders to answer one deceptively simple question: what does it actually mean to be credible? What he found is that credibility is not just about being trusted. It is about being trusted, known, and liked — and most leaders are quietly failing on at least one of those three dimensions without knowing it. In this episode, David Carr and Mitchell break down the Executive Abundance framework, the Clarity Formula, and why the first step to becoming a more credible leader has nothing to do with your marketing and everything to do with how you show up before the camera turns on.In this episode:Why credibility is defined as being trusted, known, and liked and what most leaders get wrong about all threeThe Clarity Formula: how to articulate where you are executing on your purpose in ten words or lessWhy 90 percent of people never find their purpose and what to do insteadHow Executive Abundance reframes leadership success across five stakeholder groups beyond just investors and revenueThe connection between AI, human empathy, and why replacing people with bots is a credibility problem not just a technology decisionTwo things you can do today to immediately become more credible as a leaderAbout Mitchell Levy: Mitchell Levy is a 2x TEDx speaker, executive coach, Global Credibility Expert, and international bestselling author of 65 books. A member of Marshall Goldsmith's exclusive 100 Coaches program, Mitchell has founded over 20 companies in Silicon Valley, coached hundreds of executives, and helped more than 1000 leaders and organizations articulate their purpose in ten words or fewer. He is the creator of the Executive Abundance framework and is currently completing his doctorate. Most leaders know they should be building trust with their teams and clients. The harder question is whether the way you show up every day is actually earning it. That is the work we do at Steward Your Business.If this episode made you think about how your team and your clients actually experience you, share it with one person whose honest feedback you have been avoiding. Links mentioned in this episode:Mitchell Levy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mitchelllevyWebsite: https://mitchelllevy.comExecutive Abundance: https://www.executiveabundance.comCredibility Nation: https://www.credibilitynation.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/business-roundtable--6049255/support.Connect with Steward Your Business:Book a Leadership Clarity Call: https://calendar.stewardyourbusiness.com/ccCall: +1 909.404.9865Website: https://stewardyourbusiness.comLinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidwcarr" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer...

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This episode was published on May 8, 2026.

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Most leaders believe they are credible. Most have never actually tested that assumption — and the gap between how they see themselves and how others experience them is costing them trust, influence, and opportunity.Mitchell Levy has spent decades in...

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