Trust is the foundation of great leadership Trust gives leaders the credibility to guide people through change
- Building trust takes work.
- The Triangle of Trust has three points: Authenticity, logic and empathy.
- Listen more than you speak.
- Stay curious when working with others.
- As a leader, create an environment that empowers people to solve problems.
“I trust you.”
Lucky you if you’ve ever heard that from someone you respect. Coming from the right person, those three words are gold. They carry real weight.
Trust is the bedrock from which any truly meaningful relationship takes root. It’s what holds people together through change, and why trust matters so much in the workplace, says Kim Napolitano, Executive Director, Global Industry Relations at Hilton.
She recently attended a GBTA (Global Business Travel Association) session featuring Harvard Business School professor Frances Frei and Anne Morriss, entrepreneur, leadership coach, and founder of The Leadership Consortium. During the session, Frei and Morriss explored the powerful connection between trust and the ability to lead change. Napolitano, who is passionate about growing the next generation of leaders, was so energized after their talk that she wanted to share her takeaways with a wider audience; what follows are her a-ha moments.
Napolitano shared that “trust is at the heart of so much of what we do in travel and hospitality. It’s B2B travel planners trusting the brands and suppliers they choose for their constituents. And for event planners, it’s attendees trusting that the experience will be worth their time investment.”
Technology is accelerating. Customer expectations are changing. Companies are being asked to adapt at unprecedented speed. The question isn’t simply how fast can we go. It’s also how much trust we will build or destroy along the way.
Circle of trust? Try the Triangle of Trust
Developed by Frei and Morriss, the Trust Triangle is a simple way to envision how to develop trust in and with people. The three drivers of trust, or points of trust, that build the triangle are:
- Authenticity: People trust you when they feel that you show up as your real self, not in a fake mask to impress you or others.
- Logic: People trust you when they feel you demonstrate sound judgment and competence.
- Empathy: People trust you when they believe you genuinely care about others.
When all three are working, trust grows. When one wobbles, trust is threatened. The Trust Triangle has real implications for leaders. Trust shapes how direct reports respond, how partners collaborate, and how constituents react when things go wrong. It’s the glue that keeps everyone moving in the same direction, especially when change or the unforeseen comes fast.
Want to inspire more trust? Start with yourself. Identify where your trust wobbles and develop strategies to address them.
5 ways to build and hold on to trust
Trust doesn’t mean moving cautiously. It means creating enough confidence for people to move decisively. That starts with how leaders approach change. Can’t adopt all five steps at once? That’s okay; it’s a process. Pick one that you can start today.
- Get curious before you get judgmental.
Before solving a problem, make sure you understand the real one. Better questions create space for people to tell the truth and surface uncomfortable issues or small frustrations that often signal bigger problems. - Listen more than you talk.
Listen to people like they’re the only ones in the room and explain your thinking until everyone understands. Shift from I-centric to we-centric leadership. - Make room for unusual suspects.
The people already at the table aren’t always the ones who can help you see a problem differently. Invite different perspectives, create space for people to speak, and make sure their ideas can influence what happens next. - Give people a story they can believe in.
People don’t necessarily resist change; they worry that things will get worse or they will be negatively impacted. That’s why good change leaders tell a story that connects the past, present, and future. Acknowledge what came before. Explain why change is necessary now. Paint a clear, compelling picture of where you’re going. - Give people the power to move.
Speed ultimately comes down to empowerment. If every decision must come back to the leader, the leader becomes a bottleneck. The answer isn’t working harder at the top. It creates conditions for people to act with confidence. That means giving people the skills and authority they need to solve problems on their own.
Trust doesn’t slow change. It creates conditions for change to move faster.
The real leadership advantage isn’t simply moving faster. It’s earning enough trust to move forward together. If the concepts in this article are intriguing to you, consider reading Move Fast and Fix Things: The Trusted Leader's Guide to Solving Hard Problems by Francis Frie and Anne Morriss for a deeper dive. Napolitano also recommends the following books for further reading if you are curious about this topic.
- The Speed of Trust by Stephen M.R. Covey
- Leadership and Self-Deception by The Arbinger Institute
- The Advantage by Patrick Lencioni
- Dare to Lead by Brene’ Brown