Stop building trust (do this instead)

THE ART & SCIENCE OF LEADING SELF
The Power of Earned Trust

My friend, a year ago I read a blog post by Rachel Botsman titled "How to Rethink 'Building Trust'."¹ It sparked an insight I’ve continued to turn over in my mind: What if we've been approaching trust all wrong?

Trust isn't something you build once and own forever. It's something you earn continuously through your actions, presence, and consistency.

This distinction transforms how you lead yourself and others. Let's explore why.

The Building vs. Earning Distinction

When you think about "building trust," you might envision constructing something solid and permanent. But trust isn't a static structure. It's a living relationship with the unknown.

“Building” implies:

• A completed state ("We've built trust")

• A task-oriented approach ("5 ways to build trust")

• A focus on techniques rather than genuine presence

“Earning” recognizes that:

• Trust must be sustained through consistent actions

• Trust can be lost in a moment despite years of "building"

• Trust is relational, not transactional

Consider this: A leader who says "my door is always open" but consistently shows distraction or dismissiveness when approached hasn't truly earned trust, regardless of the open-door policy.

The language you use shapes your approach. When you shift from "building" to "earning" trust, you move from a fixed mindset to one that recognizes the ongoing nature of trustworthy leadership.

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Trust and Self-Leadership: The Foundation

Remember our definition of self-leadership? It's “the practice of intentionally influencing your mindset to align your emotions and behaviors in ways that empower actions that achieve your intended results.”

Well, trust begins with yourself. Before others can trust you, you must trust your own:

• Values and their consistent expression

• Capacity to respond skillfully to challenges

• Ability to align your words and actions

When you trust yourself, you're less likely to grasp for control or position. You're more willing to earn trust through service, presence, and shared purpose. You're not focused on proving yourself. You're focused on showing up well, again and again.

Trust: The Hidden Driver of Resilience & Innovation

This is where The Path to Unbounded Innovation becomes relevant. Trust isn't just about relationships. It's a catalyst for personal and organizational resilience and innovation.

Here’s how:

Mindset: Your beliefs about trust create the conditions for psychological safety. This environment allows for authentic dialogue about challenges and possibilities.

Courage: This culture of psychological safety empowers your teams to take necessary risks because they trust the response to failure will be learning, not blame.

Resilience: The earned trust approach creates the foundation for teams to adapt well during uncertainty because they believe in their collective capacity.

Innovation: New ideas emerge when people trust they'll be heard rather than judged, enabling breakthrough thinking.

A team that has to operate in an environment of low trust spends valuable energy on self-protection rather than creative problem-solving. But when trust is continually earned (not just claimed), you unlock collective intelligence and adaptability.

This shift from building to earning trust transforms how executive teams function. Seeing trust not as a fixed asset but as an ongoing commitment unlocks a deeper level of accountability, collaboration, and culture.

Because here’s the truth: The moment you stop actively earning trust is the moment it begins to fade.

FROM INSIGHT TO ACTION
Putting It Into Practice

 Your Trust-Earning Practice:

1. Shift Your Language: Replace "I need to build trust" with "How can I earn trust through my actions today?"

2. Self-Leadership Check: Reflect on where you most need to deepen trust with yourself. Is it following through on commitments? Speaking truth even when difficult? Listening without defensiveness?

3. Team Assessment: Invite conversation about how trust flows across your team. Where is it strong? Where is it strained? What specific behaviors contribute to each state?

Remember, trust isn't about techniques or transactions. It's about repeated, consistent choices that align with your stated values.

DEEPENING YOUR KNOWLEDGE
Resources for You

🔍 Rachel Botsman's original blog post that inspired this reflection. (Link)

🧠 Brené Brown's groundbreaking research on trust and vulnerability provides essential insights. (Link)

🎯 This Harvard Business Review article explores how psychological safety (a product of earned trust) fuels innovation. (Link)

🎤 This insightful TED Talk examines the mechanics of trust in organizations. (Link)

EXCELLENCE UNBOUNDED
How I Can Help You

High-performing executive teams don’t happen by chance. They happen by design.

Aligned Senior Leaders Are:

✅ 1.9x more likely to achieve above-average financial performance
✅ 2.5x more likely to have satisfied and engaged employees

Aligned Companies Are:

✅ 58% faster revenue growth
✅ 72% more profitable

Misaligned companies underperform in the following ways:

❌ 50% lower ROIC
❌ 18% lower EBITDA
❌ 25% loss of revenue
❌ Reduced productivity
❌ Slower strategic execution

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A few past clients include KraftHeinz, Amazon Women @ Payments, PAHEi, & the Panamá Chapter of the International Coaching Federation (I delivered this talk in Spanish).

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Until next Sunday,

Shawnette