When looking for someone to trust, Donald Miller says we are looking for people to have empathy and authority.  You want to “be like Oprah” and have competency like Steve Jobs or whoever is considered competent skills in your field.

I would add two more words to that list of who you can trust: authenticity (you are what you say you are and can do what you say you can do) and integrity (you live what you say you are).  One is more outside-oriented and the other is more inside-oriented.