Written by Gilles Varette, Business Coach
30 years experience in Leadership: NCO in a paratrooper regiment in his native France, leading a global virtual team for a Nasdaq-listed company, Board stewardship, Coaching, and Mentoring. Gilles, an EMCC-accredited coach, holds a Master’s in Business Practice and diplomas in Personal Development and Executive Coaching, as well as Mental Health and Well-being.
What's the one factor that can make or break your leadership? Trust. It's the foundation of great leadership, yet many leaders assume trust rather than intentionally build it. Without trust, communication breaks down, collaboration suffers, and performance declines.
In this article, you'll learn how to turn trust into a leadership superpower by understanding its core elements and applying practical strategies to strengthen trust in your team. You'll also get a quick self-audit to assess how well you're building trust today so you can lead with greater credibility and connection.
Trust isn't just a nice to have in leadership; it's the foundation of high-performing teams and resilient organizations. Research shows that employees in high-trust workplaces experience 74% less stress, 50% higher productivity, and 40% less burnout (Zak, 2017). Yet, despite its impact, trust is often assumed rather than intentionally built.
Great leadership isn't just about vision and expertise. It's about credibility and connection.
When teams trust their leader, they feel safe taking risks, sharing ideas, and navigating challenges together. In contrast, when trust is missing, communication breaks down, collaboration suffers, and performance declines.
However, trust isn't automatic; it must be earned through consistent actions, transparency, and authenticity. In this article, we'll explore:
The core elements of trust are what make it a leadership superpower.
Practical ways to cultivate trust through daily habits and behaviours.
A self-audit challenge to help you assess and strengthen your trust-building skills.
By the end, you'll have actionable insights to enhance your leadership, foster stronger connections, and create an environment where teams thrive.
The anatomy of trust
Trust is built on multiple dimensions. Brené Brown's research (2018) highlights vulnerability, reliability, and authenticity as key factors, while additional leadership studies, including Ken Blanchard's Trust Model, emphasize the following:
Competence
Trust grows when leaders demonstrate expertise and sound decision-making. People trust leaders who show they know what they're doing.
Integrity
Doing the right thing, even when it's difficult. Leaders who are consistent in their values and actions earn long-term trust.
Benevolence
Showing genuine care for team members, prioritizing people over processes. Employees trust leaders who value them as individuals, not just as workers.
Dependability
Trust is built over time through follow-through and consistency. Leaders who keep their word and follow up on commitments establish lasting credibility.
Leadership expert Ken Blanchard emphasizes that trust is built through competence, integrity, care, and dependability, which align closely with these dimensions. He argues that trust is not a one-time achievement but a continuous process of alignment between values, communication, and behaviour.
Additionally, Brené Brown's braving framework outlines seven key elements that strengthen trust:
Boundaries: Respecting and maintaining clear limits in relationships.
Reliability: Consistently doing what you say you'll do.
Accountability: Owning mistakes and taking responsibility.
Vault: Keeping private information confidential.
Integrity: Choosing courage over comfort and aligning actions with values.
Nonjudgment: Creating a space where people can ask for help without fear.
Generosity: Assuming the best intentions in others.
Key insight: Trust isn't just about being "likable." It's about demonstrating competence, integrity, and care in everyday leadership while ensuring psychological safety and ethical leadership behaviours.
Building and sustaining trust
To create a trust-based leadership style, focus on these practical actions:
Transparent communication
Avoid corporate jargon and communicate honestly, even in uncertainty.
Share challenges openly and invite team input on solutions.
Consistency in leadership
Trust is built in small, everyday moments, not grand gestures.
Align words with actions; if you promise something, deliver on it.
Encouraging open dialogue
Create psychological safety so team members feel comfortable voicing concerns.
Encourage feedback loops and active participation in decision-making.
Clear goal setting & expectations
Clarity eliminates ambiguity, which can erode trust.
Set achievable, well-defined goals that team members can rally behind.
Regular feedback & check-ins
Don't wait for annual performance reviews; trust is built through consistent, meaningful conversations.
Foster a culture of appreciation and constructive guidance.
Ethical decision-making
Leaders who align their actions with values cultivate deep trust.
Make fair, transparent decisions that prioritize integrity over short-term gains.
Key insight: Trust thrives on clarity, consistency, and ethical leadership.
While these strategies help strengthen trust, real-world leadership often presents obstacles that make trust-building more complex. Let’s explore some of the biggest challenges and how to navigate them.
Navigating the challenges of trust-building
Building trust isn’t always straightforward. Leaders often face real-world challenges that make trust fragile and difficult to restore. Here are some common obstacles and how to navigate them:
Overcoming past mistrust
If employees have experienced broken trust before, whether, from leadership changes, unfulfilled promises, or a toxic culture, skepticism is natural. Acknowledge past issues openly, be transparent about your approach, and focus on small, consistent actions to rebuild credibility over time. Trust is restored through proof, not pronouncements.
Trust in remote & hybrid teams
Without daily in-person interactions, it’s easy for employees to feel disconnected or misunderstood. Avoid micromanagement and instead focus on clear communication, regular check-ins, and visible support. Foster connection through virtual team-building moments and recognize achievements to reinforce trust in a dispersed workforce.
Cultural differences
Trust is perceived and built differently across cultures some value personal relationships first, while others prioritize reliability and competence. Leaders must adapt their approach by learning what trust looks like for different individuals and teams, fostering open dialogue, and ensuring inclusivity in decision-making.
Difficult conversations
Honest feedback is essential for growth, but if mishandled, it can create fear and resistance. The key is balancing Candor with care and delivering feedback with empathy, clarity, and actionable steps. Follow up to ensure employees feel supported rather than criticized.
Rebuilding trust after mistakes
Even great leaders make missteps, whether it's a broken commitment, a tough decision, or a lapse in judgment. When trust is damaged, own the mistake, take responsibility, and demonstrate change through follow-through. Apologies alone aren’t enough; employees need to see consistent corrective actions that restore confidence.
When Satya Nadella became CEO of Microsoft in 2014, he inherited a culture of internal competition and mistrust. Employees worked in silos, morale was low, and collaboration suffered.
To rebuild trust, Nadella:
Acknowledged past issues and committed to cultural change.
Promoted a growth mindset, shifting from fear-based performance to learning and innovation.
Created psychological safety by eliminating toxic ranking systems and encouraging open dialogue.
Led with empathy, sharing personal stories, and fostering inclusion.
The result? Microsoft’s trust-driven transformation boosted morale, tripled its market value, and restored its reputation as an innovation leader.
Key insight: Trust is restored through transparency, consistent actions, and a people-first approach. Trust isn’t a one-time achievement; it’s an ongoing process built through actions, not just intentions. By proactively addressing these challenges, leaders can create a culture of resilience, accountability, and deep connection.
Restoring trust after it's broken
Even great leaders make mistakes. When trust is damaged, the key is owning up to it and taking corrective action. Here's a simple three-step approach:
Acknowledge
Recognize what went wrong and how it affected others.
Apologies
Take ownership, express genuine regret, and avoid making excuses.
Act
Commit to corrective steps that rebuild confidence over time.
Leadership expert Charles Feltman (2009) emphasizes that trust can be rebuilt by consistently demonstrating sincerity, reliability, competence, and care. He advises that leaders should acknowledge mistakes and follow through with concrete actions that show a renewed commitment to trustworthiness. This means being transparent, seeking feedback, and aligning behaviour with core values over time.
Key insight: Trust can be repaired, but only through action and accountability.
Call to action: Self-audit on trust-building habits
Trust-building starts with self-awareness. Reflect on your leadership approach:
Do I communicate openly and consistently?
Do I create a safe space for team members to express concerns?
Do my actions match my words?
Am I clear in setting expectations and following through?
This week, pick one trust-building habit to strengthen and take intentional action to reinforce it.
Final thoughts
Trust is more than just a soft skill; it's the cornerstone of effective leadership, driving the success of teams and organizations. By embracing transparency, consistency, and accountability, you foster an environment where individuals feel secure, motivated, and empowered to achieve their best.
Imagine a workplace where trust is not just a goal but a living, breathing part of the culture.
This is the kind of environment that inspires innovation, encourages collaboration, and propels everyone forward.
Ready to elevate trust in your leadership journey? Let's collaborate and transform your team dynamics. Book a session here today and take the first step towards building a high-trust, high-performing team.
Gilles Varette, Business Coach
30 years experience in Leadership: NCO in a paratrooper regiment in his native France, leading a global virtual team for a Nasdaq-listed company, Board stewardship, Coaching, and Mentoring. Gilles, an EMCC-accredited coach, holds a Master’s in Business Practice and diplomas in Personal Development and Executive Coaching, as well as Mental Health and Well-being. He strongly believes that cultivating a Growth Mindset is the key to Personal Development and a natural safeguard against the expertise trap. He lives by this quote from Epictetus: “It is not what happens to you that matters, but how you react; when something happens, the only thing in your power is your attitude toward it.”
References:
Blanchard, K.H., Olmstead, C., & Lawrence, M.C. (2013). Trust works! Four keys to building lasting relationships. New York: William Morrow.
Brown, B. (2018). Dare To Lead. New York: Random House.
Feltman, C. (2009). The thin book of trust. United States: Thin Book Pub. Co.
Zak, P.J. (2017). The Neuroscience of Trust. [online] Harvard Business Review. Available here.
