30/10/2025
Start with these FIVE practical, observable, and actionable behaviors to build and sustain trust through consistency, competence, and care.
1. Demonstrate Consistency
| Trust grows when people know what to expect from you.
Actionable items:
🔹 Start and end meetings on time — show respect for others’ time.
🔹 Follow through on promises, even small ones (e.g., “I’ll get back to you by Friday”).
🔹 Use a consistent process for giving feedback — same tone, same timing, same fairness.
🔹 Create clear routines for updates, check-ins, and decision-making.
🔹 Maintain composure and fairness, even under pressure or disagreement.
2. Display Competence
| People trust leaders who know what they’re doing — and keep learning to get better.
Actionable items:
🔹 Keep upskilling — attend workshops, read, and share new insights with your team.
🔹 Admit what you don’t know, and commit to finding the answer.
🔹 Set measurable goals and review progress openly with your team.
🔹 Ask for feedback on your leadership — “What’s one thing I can do better for the team?”
🔹 Model excellence: deliver your work on time and at a high standard.
3. Express Care
| Trust is emotional. People follow leaders who genuinely care about their well-being.
Actionable items:
🔹 Conduct one-on-one check-ins not just about work, but about how people are doing.
🔹 Recognize personal milestones (e.g., birthdays, work anniversaries, small wins).
🔹 Defend your team publicly; correct them privately.
🔹 Ask about workload and stress levels before assigning new tasks.
🔹 Show empathy — acknowledge when someone struggles, and ask how you can help.
4. Create a “Circle of Safety”
| Inspired by Simon Sinek’s framework.
Actionable items:
🔹 Encourage open conversations — make it safe to disagree respectfully.
🔹 Begin meetings with a quick “temperature check” or team pulse.
🔹 Share company updates transparently to reduce uncertainty.
🔹 Reward collaboration, not competition, within the team.
🔹 Address toxic behavior immediately to protect team trust.
5. Embody the Attributes of Trust
| Attributes reveal themselves under pressure. (from Rich Diviney)
Actionable items:
🔹 Practice calm under stress — pause before reacting.
🔹 Admit mistakes fast and own them completely.
🔹 Keep confidences — never repeat private conversations.
🔹 Celebrate acts of integrity within your team.
🔹 Use empathy when making tough decisions — “How will this affect my people?”
Which of these are your favorites? Which ones are tricky?
⬇️ Share your thoughts via comments. ⬇️
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