Why Trust In Leadership Matters.
Exploring how to break free from limiting patterns and cultivate optimism at work.
What you’ll find in today’s edition:
🧠 The Big Idea: Why Trust in Leadership Matters
🔍 The Science: Psychological safety and the role of trust
✨ The Optimistic Reframe: High-trust cultures transform performance
📝 A quick trust-building practice
The Big Idea: Why Trust in Leadership Matters
Why does trust in leadership matter?
Because it’s the #1 driver of psychological safety.
When your team feels safe and trusted, they’re more productive, innovative, and likely to stay.
At its core, trust is not a “soft skill.” It’s a strategic advantage that shapes retention, collaboration, and well-being.
The Science: How Trust Shapes the Workplace
In today’s collaborative workplaces, trust is the foundation. Harvard’s Amy Edmondson defines psychological safety as a shared belief that a team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking.
In high-trust environments, employees feel free to:
Speak up: Share ideas without fear of embarrassment.
Admit mistakes: Turning errors into learning opportunities.
Seek help: Ask for support without feeling incompetent.
Challenge the status quo: Innovate and propose new solutions.
Research consistently shows that trust drives performance. Google’s Project Aristotle found that psychological safety was the single most important factor distinguishing high-performing teams.
The Optimistic Reframe:
What Happens in High-Trust Cultures
Trust in management fuels key outcomes:
Enhanced Productivity and Efficiency
Autonomy → Trusted employees are more motivated and take ownership.
Less friction → Trust reduces bureaucracy, freeing up focus for meaningful work.
Improved Collaboration and Innovation
Open communication → Feedback and diverse ideas flow more easily.
Risk-taking → Innovation thrives when people aren’t afraid to fail.
Higher Retention and Engagement
Commitment → Employees stay where they feel valued.
Reduced stress → Trust lowers anxiety and burnout, boosting well-being.
The Trust Equation: A Framework for Leaders
As defined by Charles Green, David Maister, and Robert Galford:
Trustworthiness = (Credibility + Reliability + Intimacy) ÷ Self-Orientation
Credibility → Do people trust your words and expertise?
Reliability → Do your actions match your commitments?
Intimacy → Do others feel emotionally safe with you?
Self-Orientation → Are you focused on your own agenda—or on others?
Even strong credibility, reliability, and intimacy can collapse if self-orientation is too high.
Try This: A Quick Trust-Building Reset
This week, practice one small action to strengthen trust:
Listen before you advise → Build intimacy by understanding first.
Follow through on a small promise → Reliability compounds.
Shift the focus → Highlight your team’s success over your own.
Final Takeaways
🔹 Trust creates psychological safety—the foundation of high performance.
🔹 High-trust cultures see better collaboration, innovation, and retention.
🔹 Leaders can actively build trust by focusing on credibility, reliability, intimacy, and lowering self-orientation.
Trust isn’t soft. It’s strategic. Invest in it, and watch your culture thrive!