It's mathematics.

Credibility is fragile, it takes a long time to achieve and it can vanish quickly if passed on to someone who doesn't abide by the trustworthiness and expertise associated with the originator. How often have you seen people put forward for positions and introductions made, where they don't appreciate the credibility associated with the person introducing them and in turn scrape off a layer of credentials the person doing the introductions, has worked so long to accomplish. So what is the relationship of the introduction and who should you trust with your credibility?

As our friends at Wikipedia are quick to point out, "credibility has two key components: trustworthiness and expertise, which both have objective and subjective components. Trustworthiness is based more on subjective factors, but can include objective measurements such as established reliability. Expertise can be similarly subjectively perceived, but also includes relatively objective characteristics of the source or message."

So you need to make a pitch, convey an idea, get a job, build a network or find the right information but you need to get to the right people to fulfil this objective, how do you do it by yourself? Certainly Google comes into the equation for the next generations as online plays such a large part of their ecosystem, but nothing surpasses the credibility attached to someone introducing you in their behalf, with all the extras that entails. To be introduced by someone of standing, who has a history of plausibility and believability based on their experiences and how they have conducted themselves in business and in life goes a long way to establishing you as someone with similar affinities.

In the maths world this is called transitive property and can be explained via Xs and Ys but simply put, A has credibility with B and B has credibility with C then A has credibility with C, showing the power an introduction by B has on the future relationship. The stronger the credibility between A and B, and the stronger the credibility between B and C, the stronger the credibility between A and C. The closer the relationship you have with the person providing the introduction, the closer the relationship you have with the person you are being introduced to. Many sociologists call this "borrowed credibility" and as the word borrowed would suggest, you should consider the ramifications of this gift is not being revered and finding ways to reciprocate, for you have only appropriated trustworthiness for a short time. So the dilemma is constant, your acknowledgement, your character and your reputation brittle in the hands of others.

The dichotomy in all of this, are the people who never ever concern themselves with the prospect of having their credibility at risk, who are always at the ready to give of their veracity and who make time for others to help build relationships that count. If you are lucky enough to know someone like this, then you have the world at your feet, you have a resource that can't be bought and you have boundless opportunities to find the best possible people for your future, but you already knew that.