We've had some major setbacks recently, and trust among our leadership team has completely eroded. Everyone is playing defense and pointing fingers. How do we use the Trusted Advisor framework to rebuild vulnerability and trust at the leadership table?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When a team faces a major setback, trust is often the first casualty. To rebuild it, you must move away from self-protection and focus on earning trust through your actions. Trust is built when team members show vulnerability and prioritize the good of the entire organization over their own departments.

Start by conducting a trust assessment during your next offsite. Ask each leader to evaluate their own trustworthiness and their willingness to trust others. Use the Trust Equation to identify where the gaps lie, whether it is a lack of credibility, reliability, intimacy, or high self-orientation.

To reduce self-orientation, encourage your leaders to adopt an other-focused mindset. This means actively listening to their peers' challenges and offering support rather than focusing solely on their own goals. By practicing vulnerability and holding each other accountable, you can rebuild a solid foundation of trust that will carry the business through future challenges. This vulnerability-based trust is the essential fuel that allows your Level 10 Meeting™ sessions to become highly effective problem-solving forums.