3 Actions for Leaders to Earn Employee Trust

You can't demand trust. You can't mandate it. You earn it through your actions—every single day. And right now, most leaders are failing. Only 21% of U.S. employees strongly agree that they trust the leadership of their organization Gallup (Gallup). That's a crisis. Without trust, your employees won't follow you, won't engage, and won't give you their best work.

Here are three actions that actually earn trust:

Communicate With Transparency

Stop withholding information. Stop sugarcoating reality. Your employees know when you're not being straight with them. Share what's happening—the good and the bad. Explain the why behind decisions, not just the what. When you communicate openly and consistently, you show respect. Respect builds trust.

Do What You Say You'll Do

Your credibility lives or dies on this simple principle: follow through. If you commit to something in a meeting, deliver on it. If you promise to get back to someone, get back to them. Every time you fail to follow through, you chip away at trust. Every time you keep your word, you build it. Consistency isn't optional—it's everything.

Show Up Authentically

Your employees don't trust leaders who hide behind a corporate mask. They trust leaders who are real. That means admitting when you don't have all the answers. Acknowledging when you've made a mistake. Being present and engaged, not distracted and disconnected. Authenticity creates connection. Connection creates trust.

Trust isn't built in a single grand gesture. It's built in the small, consistent actions you take Monday to Monday. Show up transparently. Keep your commitments. Be authentic. Do this consistently, and you'll earn what can't be demanded: trust.

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