In a world rife with shortcuts, Molly refused offers that would compromise her game's integrity, like letting pros play for a fee. This commitment to trustworthiness and investing in people built immense relational capital. This reputation became her core competitive advantage, creating a high-trust environment that attracted the best clients.

Early ventures that failed weren't seen as setbacks but as low-cost learning opportunities. This perspective, framed by his grandfather's high-risk business, eliminated fear and built foundational skills with minimal downside, making eventual success more likely.

A near-bankruptcy experience instilled in Ed Stack an aversion to debt. This "paranoid" financial discipline, while criticized by Wall Street as suboptimal, became a key strategic advantage. By self-funding growth, Dick's maintained control and agility, allowing it to survive downturns that crushed its highly-leveraged competitors.

When Green trapped a short-seller, she could have financially ruined him. Instead, she charged a modest premium because he had always treated her respectfully. This demonstrates a strategic choice to preserve reputation over maximizing a single transaction, a rare tactic among the Gilded Age's ruthless barons.

After quitting a job to avoid wage garnishment, a guest found success by being completely honest and vulnerable with the law firm collecting his debt. Instead of ignoring them, he explained his situation, which resulted in a negotiated payment plan with zero interest—a far better outcome than evasion.

When rebuilding ZICO, the founder realized his first mistake was a relentless focus on speed. His new approach prioritizes building to last, embracing his own leadership limitations by delegating, and fostering a culture of emotional transparency to create a more resilient business.

Trust can be destroyed in a single day, but rebuilding it is a multi-year process with no shortcuts. The primary driver of recovery is not a PR campaign but a consistent, long-term track record of shipping product and addressing user complaints. There are very few "spikes upward" in regaining brand trust.

Don't hide from errors. Steve Munn found that when he made a mistake, taking ownership and handling it well actually enhanced client "stickiness" and deepened the relationship. Clients saw he cared and was accountable, building more trust than if the error never happened.

Beyond IQ and EQ, interview for 'Resilience Quotient' (RQ)—the ability to persevere through setbacks. A key tactic is to ask candidates about their proudest achievement, then follow up with, 'What would you do differently?' to see how they navigated strife and learned from it.