Trust Doesn’t Happen by Accident. It Happens by Design.

Written By Colleen Guerriero

Why Trust Is the Foundation of High-Performing Teams

You don’t need a leadership manual to recognize when trust is missing at work. You can feel it.

The second-guessing.

The side conversations.

The quiet tension in meetings.

The team members who start checking out—mentally or literally.

Here’s the truth:

Trust isn’t just a “nice-to-have.” It’s what makes work… work.

And yet, in too many workplaces, it’s treated like a bonus. Something you get after the results come in. But it’s the other way around:

you get results when you lead with trust.

The Trust Gap Is Hurting Your Business

In Gallup’s latest research, only 33% of U.S. employees say they’re engaged at work—a 10-year low.


And when trust is broken, engagement is the first thing to go. What follows isn’t far behind: productivity dips, morale tanks, and turnover creeps in.

📉 High-trust organizations outperform low-trust ones by up to 286% in total return to shareholders (Source: Watson Wyatt)
📉 Employees in high-trust companies report 76% more engagement, 74% less stress, and 50% higher productivity (Source: Harvard Business Review)

When people don’t trust their leaders—or each other—they play it safe.


They stop sharing ideas.
They avoid accountability.
They leave.

What Trust Actually Looks Like

Trust isn’t built on happy hours or open-door policies. It’s built in the day-to-day interactions that show people:

  • You mean what you say

  • You’ve got their back

  • You care about them, not just their output

Some of the biggest trust-builders are simple, but often overlooked:

  • Giving real feedback, not just praise or silence

  • Admitting when you’re wrong

  • Following through—especially on the small stuff

  • Being present and available when your team needs you

People trust what they see repeated—not what’s written in a values statement.

Leadership Shapes the Trust Climate

Culture doesn’t exist in a handbook.
It lives in how leaders show up—consistently.

  • Are you accessible, or always too busy?

  • Do you give clarity, or leave people guessing?

  • Do you model trust, or demand it?

I’ve worked with countless leaders who believe they’re trustworthy—but their teams experience something different. Not because they’re bad leaders, but because they’ve never been taught how to build trust intentionally.

Trust doesn’t happen by accident.
It happens by design.

5 Ways to Start Building Trust Today

  1. Have regular one-on-ones—and let your employee talk first. (This signals that their voice matters.)

  2. Be clear about what’s expected. (Ambiguity breeds anxiety.)

  3. Own your mistakes. (It doesn’t make you weak—it makes you real.)

  4. Follow through on the small things. (“I’ll send that by Friday” means something.)

  5. Ask how they’re doing—and really listen. (Because it matters!)

Your Culture Is a Reflection of Your Leadership

At A Joyful Career, I help leaders stop reacting and start leading—with the clarity, connection, and culture that drive real results.

If you’re wondering where trust stands on your team, start here:

👉 Take the quiz: Do Your People Trust You?

Let’s build a workplace people don’t just tolerate—but trust.

Colleen Guerriero