Build a Culture People Believe In
(or Make Trust Your Competitive Advantage)
WHY this matters now. In 2025, only 19% of employees (Source: Gallup, 2025) strongly agree they trust their organization’s leadership—yet trust is built (or bruised) in everyday interactions, not town halls. A practical lens is the Trust Equation (Credibility + Reliability + Intimacy ÷ Self‑orientation): say what you know and don’t, keep promises consistently, build rapport through presence and care, and minimize self‑serving behaviors. People watch for clarity, care, fairness, and follow‑through: Do leaders keep commitments? Do they explain the why behind decisions? Do they own mistakes and repair quickly?
Trust is a relational practice, not a poster. Red‑flag behaviors that corrode trust include moving goalposts, surprise decisions without context, triangulation and gossip, performative listening (no follow‑up), public blame with private praise, cherry‑picking data to justify a course, breaking confidentiality, and punishing honest mistakes. The good news: trust is built in small, repeatable moments—making and keeping agreements, naming constraints, inviting dissent and protecting it, crediting contributions, and closing the loop fast.
T.H.R.I.V.E. Translates Insights into Results. We help leaders rehearse and routinize trust behaviors at scale—so respect isn’t left to personality. We identify the moments that matter (1:1s, decision checkpoints, change announcements, escalations) and install micro‑practices and leader rhythms that make commitments visible and repairs fast.
- Trust behavior standards (make‑and‑keep agreements, share the why, repair‑within‑24h)
- Speak‑up safety nets (retaliation safeguards, multiple channels, response SLAs)
- Decision transparency (decision logs: who decided, options, criteria, why now)
- Consistency checks across touchpoints (town halls, staff meetings, 1:1s)
- Trust metrics integrated into business scorecards (clarity, consistency, fairness)