(S X E) T = R

([Strategy times Execution] multiplied by Trust equals Results)

A company can have an execellent strategy and a strong ability to execute, but the net result can be either torpedoed by a low - trust tax or multiplied by a high-trust divident. As one eminent consultant on this topic, Robert SHaw, has said, "Above all, success in business requires two things: a winning competitive strategy, and supurb organizational execution. Distrust is the enemy of both." I submit that while high trust won't necessarily rescue a poor strategy, low trust will almost derail a good one.

on a personal level, high-trust individuals are more likely to be promoted, make more money, receive the best opportunities, and have more fulfilling and joyful relationships.

As New York Times columnist Thomas Frideman observes in The World Is Flat, this new "flat" economy revolves round partnering and relationships. And partnering and relationships thrive or die based on trust. As Friedman says:

without trust, there is no open society, because there are not enough police to patrol every opening in an open society. Without trust, there can also be no flat world, because it is trust that allows us to take down walls, remove barriers, and eliminate friction at borders. Trust is essential for a flat world...

The ability to establish, grow, extend, and restore trust with all stakeholders -- customers, business partners, investors, and coworkers -- is the key leadership competency of the new global economy.