Building Trust: The Heart of a Thriving Workplace

22 July 2025: Jo Crabtree Founder and Lead Partner @ ClearPath Workplace Solutions

Trust is at the core of every successful workplace relationship. Whether you're at the start of your trust journey or working to rebuild trust after it’s been broken, there are clear, practical ways to move forward.

Trust isn’t static — it evolves with every interaction. It can be strengthened, tested, or broken.

Where trust has been broken, rebuilding it can take time, care, and a willingness to listen, reflect and learn. It’s not guaranteed, but I’ve seen firsthand that it’s possible to rebuild trust — and worth the effort. Because when trust is rebuilt, it can create an even stronger foundation than before!

Harvard Business School Professor – Frances Frei, in her widely shared Trust Triangle model, identifies three equally essential elements of trust: authenticity, logic, and empathy. If any one of these elements is missing — even when the others are strong — trust can, and is likely to, falter.

• Empathy – do people feel that you hear them and that you genuinely care about them?

• Logic – do people understand and believe your rationale and reasoning? Are you communicating your reasoning effectively?

• Authenticity – are people experiencing the real you? Are you creating the space for others to be their true self?

These three essential ingredients - Empathy, Logic and Authenticity - are also at the heart of “authentic leadership”.

Leaders don’t have to be perfect (it’s not reasonable to expect them to be), but they do need to be intentional. Trust is typically not a given — it’s something we all have to work towards and build.

It starts with a willingness to connect, grows through consistency, and is sustained through genuine connection.

When leaders lead with trust, something powerful happens:

 ✔ People speak up

 ✔ They take ownership

 ✔ They collaborate more freely

 ✔ They show up — fully and genuinely

Trust creates psychological safety. And that’s the heartbeat of a strong organisational culture and values.

Trust is especially important during high-stakes processes like enterprise negotiations. Trust doesn't remove complexity — but it creates the conditions for constructive dialogue, mutual respect, and sustainable outcomes. When parties trust each other, they’re more likely to stay curious, find common ground, and focus on long-term value — not just short-term wins.

🎥 Inspired by Frances Frei’s TED Talk: How to Build (and Rebuild) Trust

 https://lnkd.in/euZ-Jee

Trust can be your greatest leadership asset. Build it. Model it. Protect it.

 Get in touch to learn how we can support your team.