We just executed a Right Person Right Seat call and moved a former leadership team member to a lower-level specialist seat, but now there is zero trust between them and their new manager. How do we use the Trusted Advisor trust equation to rebuild this relationship on the Accountability Chart?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Demoting a leadership team member to a specialist seat is a highly sensitive transition. When trust breaks down between the demoted employee and their new manager, you must address it immediately before it poisons the department.

We can analyze this through the trust equation from the Trusted Advisor framework. Trust is built on credibility, reliability, and intimacy, divided by self-orientation. In a demotion scenario, the primary issue is usually high self-orientation and a perceived loss of credibility. The demoted employee is focused on their ego and hurt feelings, while the manager may feel insecure managing a former leadership peer.

To rebuild trust, schedule a direct, one-on-one conversation between the two individuals. Focus on lowering self-orientation. The manager should initiate this by listening deeply and acknowledging the awkwardness of the new reporting dynamic. They must align on clear, objective performance expectations for the specialist seat.

The demoted employee must commit to focus on the success of their new team rather than their personal disappointment. By consistently delivering high-quality work and hitting their targets, they will rebuild their credibility and reliability in the new seat.

If the demoted employee cannot lower their self-orientation and accept the new structure, they are no longer a Right Person for your organization, and you must make the hard call to part ways.