The head of ElectroScientific once said, "Trust is the real grease

that keeps an organization going." How would you like to wake up one

morning and find your hard-earned retirement savings just went up in smoke-worthless.

And then you see your executives getting bonuses, cashing in their stock

when you can't, and building mansions on all four corners of the country.

The Enron disaster will have a greater impact than most people realize.

Because of Enron, now anyone in a management position will have to work that

much harder proving their trustworthiness.

This fact is highlighted in a recent survey conducted by Chart Your Course

International. People were asked, "Who do you trust more?" and

then to place in order seven different job categories. The scorings were

ranked in the following order. (1=high trust, 7=low trust) 1) Firefighter/Police

Officer 2)Physician 3) Small Business Owner 4) Military Officer 5) Corporate

Executive 6) Attorney 7) Elected Official. This last question reflects sentiment

based on recent events and demonstrates it will be more challenging for corporate

America to establish trust and credibility with the workforce.

Trust is a key factor needed for effective leadership. The problem today

is that you can't tell or even expect people to trust you. . you must

prove it first. In God we trust, but all others bring data.

Furthermore, maintaining trust is like walking on eggs-slow going and

easily crushed. Even before Enron, my experience as a management consultant

shows many executives unintentionally damage their credibility and trust.

Here are some ways to maintain a high trust level within your organization.

- Your personal life is your public life. Your personal life reflects

who you really are. If you are in a leadership position, your personal life

is open to scrutiny. Your ability to lead others will increase if people

respect you. You may not like it, but that is the way it is.

- Do what you say you will do. How many times has someone told you, "I'll

get