Three Leadership Skills That Build Trust - and Better Business Results

As business leaders, we all understand that an organization is only as good as the people within it. We want our employees to experience high levels of job satisfaction, commitment, retention, and productivity. The question is, how do we go about doing that? According to a 2021 study, a key factor associated with all of these is trust.

In fact, as uncertainty and disruption reshape the workplace, I expect that trusted leadership will become even more closely tied to business outcomes.

So how exactly can we build trust with our team? It feels like trust is some ethereal, abstract concept that we just don't have time to worry about.

But in reality, trust is built with predictable leadership behaviors: genuine connection, trustworthy actions, and a receptive environment. Let's explore each.

1. Connect like you mean it.

Real connection comes from individualized interaction. That means knowing what each person on your team actually cares about, what motivates them, what frustrates them, and what they're trying to build in their career. Not performance review completion, but authentic interest, support, and unity.

How can leaders build connection and engagement?

• Show positive curiosity. In your next one-on-one, ask what energizes them, not just what they're working on. Move beyond productivity checks and into meaningful work.
• Reinforce their priorities. Instead of focusing only on what you appreciate about them, notice what they're proud of. Then, when that skill naturally appears, acknowledge it in the moment with specific detail for the whole team to hear. "The way Taylor handled that client pushback today was impressive."
• Give unexpected follow-up. Revisit something they've told you before. Without being prompted, ask a specific question about an interest, challenge, or goal of theirs that you are genuinely interested in.

When people feel seen, understood, and valued, you know you have built a solid foundation of trust.

2. Prove you're trustworthy, not just competent.

Competence says, "I can deliver." Trustworthiness says, "I have your back." You need both, but many focus on the first and assume the second is just understood.

How do leaders show that they can be trusted?

• Share the credit. Use a generous "we" for wins and own the misses with "I." Doing the reverse, even unintentionally, creates resentment and undermines business results. Audit your written communications, review your virtual call transcripts, or directly ask a forthright team member to make sure you're sharing credit.
• Lead with transparency. Proactively revealing a limitation or uncertainty communicates intellectual honesty. Admitting it after it's already well-known registers as damage control. Worried it will hurt your reputation? Studies show acknowledgment of a weakness early on actually increases credibility, as long as it is paired with a way forward.
• Macromanage. Trust begets trust. Demonstrate faith in your team by increasing autonomy with each successive project. Added bonus: allowing your team to take the reins provides opportunities for peer trust levels to deepen, too.

3. Prime the room before you lead it.

Good communicators deliver clear messages; skilled leaders build a receptive environment where those messages have impact.

How can leaders foster a culture of trust and receptiveness?

• Match the mindset. When someone comes to you, identify their goals in the conversation. Do they seek emotional support and validation? Help with a decision or solution? Connection and energy? Be sure to meet their needs before moving forward.
• Create curiosity and value input. Find ways to spark interest and make space for co-creation. In meetings, open with a data point or question and ask for explanations. Close with a forward-looking question that will be revisited.
• Highlight connections. Associate the team's shared value, trait, or commitment with your goal (aka altercasting). For example, "This project is right in our sweet spot. Our creativity and strategic thinking will be invaluable here."

Be sure to prime mindsets ethically. Ask yourself, "Is this authentic to the situation and does it help the person reach their goals (as well as business goals), or does it only serve my own purposes?"

Special considerations.

As women founders and executives, we often face a double bind. Research reveals that competence without warmth can hurt likability, while warmth without visible competence signals can undermine women's leadership credibility.

The key is to demonstrate both. Pair trust-building behaviors with clear signals of confidence, decisiveness, and expertise.

Ultimately, leaders earn trust through authentic connection, trustworthy action, and a culture of openness. Whether you're new to building teams or you've been leading organizations for decades, trust remains one of the most powerful, yet often overlooked, drivers of influence and performance.

Which trust-building strategy will you use this week?