“Good decisions come from wisdom; Wisdom comes from experience; Experience comes from making bad decisions.”
–Author Unknown
Many years ago I had the opportunity to speak at and facilitate a conference where one of the most famous and recent national speakers of the day presented. The speaker’s name was Frank Abagnale. Between the ages of sixteen and twenty-one he was probably one of the century’s most cunning swindlers. Although misdirected he changed his life and eventually turned into an FBI instructor. Like many stories, this particular individual’s story was picked up and produced by Hollywood into a bestselling movie entitled, “Catch Me If You Can,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
I expected him to be a very gregarious and loud individual as a result of his portrayal on the silver screen. However, when I met the real man I was struck with how shy and humble he is. In fact, when I met him he verily looked me in the eye. I learned a lot from his presentation and his message is still today one worth listening to because as a con artist he was able to illicit trust from those he met instantly.
So let’s take a look at some of the characteristics of someone who is trustworthy.