How to Rebuild Trust

Globally. Professionally. Personally. This week reminded me that trust isn’t optional — it’s foundational.

It showed up everywhere:
In the headlines.
In the Zoom room.
In the quiet, internal tug-of-war between fear and self-belief.

And while the contexts were different, the message was the same:
Trust is what makes things work. Or not.
And when it breaks — we feel it. Fast.

So here’s what happened: three very different moments, one shared theme.

Pinterest. Uncredited.

GLOBALLY, what we saw this week was a rupture in trust — playing out in real time across the markets. The fluctuations weren’t subtle. They were sharp, sudden, and driven by fear.

This time, it was tariffs that sparked it — a policy shift that sent shockwaves through investor confidence. Not just because of what was announced, but because of what it signaled: instability, unpredictability, and a potential unraveling of global trade norms.

Because the truth is, markets don’t just respond to numbers. They respond to trust. And when that trust cracks — in institutions, in leadership, in long-term strategy — reactions aren’t cautious. They’re big. They’re sweeping.

Because markets aren’t just economic systems.
They’re emotional ecosystems.
And when fear takes the wheel, it drives everything down — fast.

This week’s swings were driven by a hundred little questions that all trace back to the same core doubt:

• Can we trust what we’re being told?

• Can we trust what’s coming next?

• Can we trust that anyone’s steering this ship?

When trust erodes, fear fills the vacuum. And when fear’s in charge, everything becomes more expensive — not just financially, but emotionally. Because volatility isn’t just a market story. It’s a human one.

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WITH WORK, I led a virtual workshop for a big tech company — and honestly, their story isn’t unique anymore. The ask? Help the team rebuild trust. They’re in the thick of what so many companies are facing right now: change fatigue. It’s hard to keep merging teams. Hard to keep losing colleagues. Hard to stay motivated when the budget shifts, the strategy reshuffles, and then reshuffles again.

And underneath it all? Trust is fraying.

Trust in leadership.
Trust in the future.
Trust in each other.
Sometimes even trust in ourselves.

Because when everything feels like it’s constantly moving — when the ground won’t stop shifting — people start to brace. They disengage. They protect. Not because they don’t care… but because they’re tired. Unclear. Uncertain.

People can’t do their best work when they’re in survival mode.

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PERSONALLY… whew. I’m gearing up for another multi-week trip — diving deep into some big work projects — and every time I step into that kind of offering, something familiar happens.

I fall into doubt.

Every. Single. Time.

Right before I share my work, I start to question everything - whether it will be enough, whether I know enough — whether I am enough.

It’s an old loop. One I know well.
That part of me that still ties worth to the response. That waits for validation before trusting what I already know. I will say, something new is starting to happen. A sneaky new feeling as I enter my 40s where there’s a percolating sense of trust. Just there on the horizon. For the first time, I’m starting to feel that trust before the feedback comes.

And let me tell you — that is a massive shift.
It’s quiet, but it’s seismic.

It doesn’t mean I don’t wobble. I do.
It just means I catch it sooner.
It means I’m no longer outsourcing my knowing quite so fast.

But it’s work.
Staying awake is work.
Staying aware is work.
Staying in practice — especially when doubt shows up — is work.

But that’s the practice, right?

So as I’m watching all of this unfold — the market volatility, the emotional volatility inside teams, and my own inner tug-of-war between doubt and trust — I offered a new workshop this past Wednesday called The Trust Factor.

At first, it was designed for this company in the thick of restructuring. On paper, it was about how to rebuild trust in the workplace during yet another round of change. But as I led it, something clicked.

This isn’t just about companies.
It’s not just about roles or reorgs or who owns what on the team.

No — this is all of us.

Trust at work isn’t separate from trust in our systems.
And it’s not separate from the trust we’re trying to build in ourselves.
Or the trust we’re reaching for in something bigger — in timing, in truth, in whatever you call the thing that steadies you when nothing else does.

It’s all connected.

And right now, across every layer of life — global, organizational, personal, spiritual — trust feels like the thing we’re all being asked to consider and rebuild.

Not because it’s broken beyond repair.
But because it’s ready to be rebuilt on something deeper than before.

We tend to think of trust as this big, abstract thing that’s often misunderstood.
Like it’s either there or it’s not. People think if you say ‘trust me,’ the trust will follow. But that’s not how it works. Just like saying ‘This is a safe space’ doesn’t make it one—trust doesn’t exist just because someone says it should.

Trust isn’t declared. It’s earned. And not all at once—but gradually, over time.

And I think another thing we misunderstand is that it only flows top-down. If we don’t have the “right” leader, or the right structure, or the perfect circumstances, we’re just stuck. But that’s not true.

Would it be helpful? Sure. But is that reality? No.

So instead of thinking that we’re at a loss, we have the opportunity to re-empower ourselves, when we realize that trust can be built sideways and outward.

Trust is not something handed down, it’s a pattern built within that radiates out.

Not overnight, but gradually. Look, going to the gym once for 9 hours isn’t going to get you fit. But going to the gym consistently, over time, will. Trust is the same way.

And there are 3 key areas in which trust is either eroded or promoted.

They are:

• in how we communicate

• in how we handle mistakes

• in how collaborate

Let’s jump in:

COMMUNICATION

Trust in communication starts with clarity and consistency.

And whether we’re talking about work, family, friendship, or even your inner dialogue — you can feel when communication is off.

We’ve all been there.
Someone withholds information. A promise is made and broken. A tone shuts the conversation down. Maybe you’re talked over, ignored, or left out of a decision entirely.

It doesn’t take much to start shrinking back. To stop sharing. To start editing yourself for safety.

But when people are looped in, when expectations are clear, when follow-through actually happens — trust starts to take root.

Not because everything is perfect.
But because people feel like they matter.

And I want to pause here, because this is where a lot of us — myself included — can slip into the old story:

“Yeah, but I’m not the one creating confusion. I’m the one being left out.”

And you know what? That might be true.

But here’s the trap:
If we stop there — if we say, “Well, they’re not doing it right, so I can’t either” — we give all our power away.

So here’s the shift I want to offer:
What if trust is something you build in your tone, in your texts and Slacks, in your eye contact, in the way you hold space for another person’s truth — even when it’s messy?

You may not be able to shift the entire dynamic overnight. You may not be able to change the system. But you can shape your corner of it. And that energy? It spreads.

Fear is contagious.
But so is safety.

And in those moments when communication feels murky or disappointing, you always have a choice and this choice IS the practice:

Do I mirror the problem?
Or do I model the solution?

And if you’re not sure where to begin, start here — with some of the small, everyday habits that either chip away at trust or help build it back.

Here are 5 common things we say or do that quietly erode trust in communication:

1. “I meant to tell you…” (after the fact)

2. Passive-aggressive language — sarcasm, guilt-tripping, the silent treatment

3. Saying yes when we mean no (and quietly resenting it later)

4. Withholding feedback or information until it becomes a problem

5. Talking about people instead of to them

5 simple ways we can promote trust instead:

1. Loop people in before decisions are made — not after

2. Set clear expectations — and follow through

3. Use direct but kind language (“Here’s what I need,” “Here’s what I see”)

4. Invite other voices in (“What do you think?” “Did I miss anything?”)

5. Own your own part — early and honestly (“I could’ve communicated that better.”)

It’s not about perfection. It’s about presence.

The more intentional we are with how we communicate — the more honest, clear, and generous we become — the more trust becomes a natural byproduct.

And again, this isn’t just for teams.
This is how we build trust in our families, in our friendships, and even within ourselves.

Let’s go deeper. Into the world of MISTAKES. Because how we handle them says everything.

MISTAKES

Quick personal story: I once worked with a leader who absolutely eviscerated people when they messed up. Sometimes it was loud and public — I’ll never forget her turning to a teammate and saying, “You clearly can’t handle it. Next time, I’ll find someone who can.”

Other times, it was quiet but equally brutal: subtle exclusion from meetings, that unmistakable cold shoulder, or the slow fade of trust you could feel but no one would name.

You know what happened - and what happens - in that environment?

People either lie, hide, or fake.
Not because they’re irresponsible, but because they’re afraid.

This is a tell tale sign that trust has disappeared.

Then years later I worked with a leader who had a completely different take on mistakes, and it honestly changed everything for me, not just in work but in life.
Serious life lesson…