Leadership Lounge: How to Build Trust and Transform Executive Team Performance

Episode Release Date: April 23, 2025

In this insightful episode of Redefiners' Leadership Lounge, host Emma Coombe engages with esteemed leadership advisors Henrik Krajowski, Emmy Melville, and Ilana Abramovic to delve into the critical role of trust within executive teams. As the business landscape becomes increasingly volatile and leaders face heightened scrutiny, understanding and cultivating trust has never been more essential. This episode unpacks the foundational elements of trust, explores its evolving dynamics, and provides actionable strategies for leaders aiming to build and repair trust within their organizations.

Understanding Trust in Leadership

Henrik Krajowski begins the conversation by unpacking the multifaceted concept of trust in a leadership context. He outlines four core components that underpin trust among leaders and their teams:

1. Reliability: Consistently showing up, taking action, and honoring commitments.
   “Being reliable, that is showing up, taking action, being on time.” [00:43]

2. Empathy and Acceptance: Demonstrating genuine care and understanding of others' perspectives.
   “Being accepting and empathetic to others' views, that is really caring.” [00:50]

3. Openness: Embracing new ideas and maintaining an open-minded approach.
   “Being open to ideas and not closed-minded.” [00:52]

4. Consistency: Aligning words with actions to build a dependable image.
   “Being consistent in what you say and what you do.” [00:55]

Henrik emphasizes that these elements are not only vital for internal team dynamics but also for maintaining trust with external stakeholders.

The Evolving Nature of Trust in Today's Leadership Environment

Emmy Melville addresses how modern challenges—such as rapid technological advancements and geopolitical uncertainties—are reshaping the trust landscape within organizations. She highlights the accelerated pace at which leaders must establish trust across diverse and expanding constituencies.

“The speed at which businesses and markets operate means that leaders are required to establish trust quickly and with many new and numerous constituents all the time.” [02:47]

Emmy observes that many executives mistakenly view trust as a byproduct of achieving strategic goals rather than a foundational priority. She advocates for a proactive approach where trust-building is integrated into the leadership strategy from the outset.

“I really encourage leaders to embrace a mindset shift in which they're building trust as a foundational priority.” [03:58]

Behaviors of Highly Trusted Leaders

Ilana Abramovic shares insights into the specific behaviors that distinguish highly trusted leaders from their peers. Based on extensive work with senior leadership teams, Ilana identifies key actions that foster strong, trust-based relationships:

1. Giving Credit: Recognizing and acknowledging the contributions of others instead of taking sole credit.
   “Give credit, don’t take credit.” [05:04]

2. Owning Mistakes: Taking responsibility for errors without shifting blame onto others.
   “If I make a mistake, I own it. I don’t bury anybody else.” [05:07]

3. Maintaining Confidentiality: Ensuring that sensitive information shared within the team remains protected.
   “Put it in the vault. Information is something that isn't to be traded.” [05:10]

Ilana underscores the importance of these behaviors in creating a safe and reliable environment where trust can flourish.

Practical Steps for Building Trust

When asked about actionable steps for newly appointed CEOs or C-suite leaders, Ilana Abramovic and Henrik Krajowski offer valuable advice:

Ilana's Recommendations:

• Listen Actively: Prioritize listening over speaking, ask questions, and demonstrate genuine curiosity about the team’s insights and experiences.
  “Be quiet and listen. Ask as many questions. Show genuine curiosity and engagement with the leadership team.” [07:06]

• Adaptability Over Comparison: Focus on how to enhance the current organization rather than comparing it to previous experiences.
  “They want to know how he's going to adapt to make them brilliant, not how he's constantly comparing them to something.” [07:10]

Henrik's Insights:

• Demonstrate Vulnerability: Showcasing vulnerability by acknowledging what you don’t know fosters credibility and relatability.
  “Vulnerability is the root of charisma, and true confidence is really knowing oneself.” [09:09]

• Balance Confidence and Humility: Leaders should communicate their strengths and openly discuss areas for improvement, encouraging a culture where team members feel empowered to contribute.
  “Employees ultimately will run through walls for a leader like that.” [09:12]

Assessing Trust Levels Within Teams

Ilana Abramovic provides practical indicators for leaders to assess the level of trust within their teams beyond mere gut feelings:

• Interaction Patterns: Observing the nature of conversations, such as the level of banter or personal disclosures during meetings.
  “What's the level of banter in the room before a meeting? How much personal disclosure is there?” [11:09]

• Decision-Making Dynamics: Noting whether decisions are a result of collaborative input or if they are dominated by a few voices.
  “Is there healthy debate and healthy conflict in the room?” [11:09]

• Commitment to Collective Goals: Checking if team members are aligned and committed to shared objectives or if they operate in silos, undermining collective trust.
  “Function X has gone off and done their own thing. Function Y is doing their own thing.” [11:12]

These markers help leaders identify whether trust is present or if there are underlying issues that need to be addressed.

Rebuilding Trust After It Has Been Damaged

When trust breaks down, Henrik Krajowski and Emmy Melville outline effective strategies for rebuilding it:

Henrik’s Approach:

• Take the First Step: Leaders must initiate the reconciliation process by acknowledging their role in the breach.
  “Number one rule, go first. Acknowledge the breach directly and specifically name exactly what happened.” [13:07]

• Own Your Contribution: Adopting the “1% rule” ensures that even if the majority of the fault lies elsewhere, the leader acknowledges at least a minimal part of the responsibility.
  “Even if the incident is all the other person's fault, the reality is you can find at least 1%, and probably more that falls on you.” [13:22]

Emmy’s Strategies:

• Mutual Effort: Rebuilding trust is a collaborative process requiring commitment from all parties involved.
  “Rebuilding trust is a two way process. Both parties have to want to evolve for themselves and for the working relationship to improve.” [14:36]

• Reflect and Adapt: Leaders should reflect on their contributions to the trust breakdown and demonstrate willingness to change.
  “They had to offer some moments of vulnerability about what they've learned and how they plan to evolve for themselves.” [15:00]

Furthermore, involving an objective third party can facilitate open and honest communication, helping to articulate differing trust languages and mitigate defensiveness.

Conclusion: Key Takeaways

This episode of Leadership Lounge underscores the indispensable role of trust in effective leadership and high-performing executive teams. The key lessons include:

• Consistency is Crucial: Reliability and the ability to follow through on promises build a strong foundation of trust.

• Proactive Trust Building: Trust should be intentionally cultivated from the start, rather than being an afterthought.

• Transparent Communication: Openly sharing relevant information and clearly explaining decisions fosters a culture of trust.

• Vulnerability and Authenticity: Leaders who demonstrate vulnerability and honesty create a more credible and relatable image.

• Rebuilding Trust Requires Initiative and Collaboration: Addressing breaches swiftly and collaboratively is essential for restoring trust.

By integrating these principles, leaders can enhance their ability to lead boldly and create impactful, resilient organizations.

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