Douglas Fisher & Nancy Frey 
Leader Credibility 
The Essential Traits of Those Who Engage, Inspire, and Transform

Passion, vision, relatability—can we ever quantify the facets of successful leadership? Is there sufficient ‘there-there’ behind these feel-good words to transform a school into a culture of learning and bold hope? Yes, and yes!  Inspired by John Hattie’s impressive research, Fisher, Frey, Lassiter, and Smith bring their trademark clarity to turn aspiration into energized action.



For each of the five components that all effective leaders possess—trustworthiness, competence, dynamism, immediacy, and forward-thinking—leaders learn the first steps and bold leaps to mentor others.  Each chapter abounds with professional development tools, including: 

• Self-assessments so you know your baseline


• Pause and ponder questions to envision change


• REAL features to lead with alacrity


• Checklists to stay focused and strategic


• Relevant research to assimilate and share

Now more than ever, schools need to be places where openness and trust are baked into every hallway hello and every meeting, so collective talents can take us farther than we ever imagined. Let
Leader Credibility be your guide to steering others to that greatness. 

Table des matières

Foreword by Michael Fullan

Chapter 1: From Teacher Credibility to Leader Credibility

Chapter 2: Trustworthiness in Leadership

Chapter 3: Competence: The Language and Skills of Leaders

Chapter 4: Dynamism: Passion, Excitement and Self-Confidence to Build Credibility

Chapter 5: Immediacy: Verbal and Nonverbal Indicators of Relatedness

Chapter 6: Forward-Thinking to be Future Ready

A propos de l’auteur

Dominique Smith, Ed D, is chief of educational services and teacher support at Health Sciences High and Middle College in San Diego,  California. Smith is passionate about creating school environments that honor and empower students. His research and instruction focuson restorative practices, classroom management, growth mindset, and the culture of achievement. Dominique also provides professional learningto K-12 teachers in small and large groups that address classroom and school climate and organization. He holds a doctorate in educational leadership from San Diego State University with an emphasis on equity as well as a master’s degree in social work from the University of Southern California. Dominique also holds credentials from San Diego State University in administrative services, child welfare, PPS, and attendance.Smith has been recognized with the National School Safety Award from the School Safety Advocacy Council. In 2018, he delivered a TED Talkon building relationships between students and teachers.