You can build no greater competitive advantage for your business than establishing a reputation for credibility and then protecting it. We live in a time when suspicion and wariness are rampant. Scam artists abound. Polls indicate that trust in institutions, corporations, and government is at all-time lows. It’s hardly surprising, then, that we’ve learned to be extremely cautious — perhaps even leery — when dealing with people and organizations that we don’t know well.

There are so many abuses of integrity today that people are eager to do business with someone whose word and character they can trust. As part of every decision that you make as a business owner, as part of every endeavor that your business undertakes, you should ask yourself, "Will this add to our credibility? Or detract from it?" This single question will keep you on track in terms of keeping credibility in good repair.