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

Summary

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.

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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.

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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]

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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.

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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]

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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.

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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.

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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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Transcript

[Emma Coombe]

Welcome to the Leadership Lounge, a place to kick back and listen as our experts dissect some of the biggest questions leaders face today. I'm Emma Coombe, Leadership advisor in our London office. Today's senior executives operate in an environment where trust has never been more critical or more fragile. We've seen in the latest Edelman's Trust Barometer that while trust in businesses remains higher than trust in government and journalists, trust in business leaders is at an all time low. In the last year, people's fear that business leaders are dishonest has increased by 12%. So as a leader, how can you cultivate trust? In today's episode, we're exploring the fundamental role of trust in high performing leadership teams. From how to measure trust levels and implement behaviors that build credibility to repairing trust when it's damaged. We'll discuss how the most successful leaders leverage trust to accelerate decision making, to enable productive conflict, and to create the psychological safety needed for genuine innovation. But before we dive in, remember to share any burning questions you want our experts to answer by emailing redefinersussellreynolds.com and if you enjoy listening to our episodes, leave us a five star review on Apple or Spotify. First up, we'd like to welcome Henrik Krajowski, leadership advisor in Russell Reynolds Associates Toronto office. To the lounge. Henrik, welcome back to the Leadership Lounge.

[Henrik Krajowski]

Great. Happy to be here. Thank you.

[Emma Coombe]

Henrik. Trust can often be seen as an abstract concept. What do we mean by trust in the leadership context?

[Henrik Krajowski]

Well, there are many different models of trust, but they all cohere around four basic ideas. One, being reliable, that is showing up, taking action, being on time. Two, being accepting and empathetic to others, views that is really caring. Three, being open to ideas and not close minded. And four, being consistent in what you say and what you do.

[Emma Coombe]

That's really interesting, Henrik. And I think all four of these are such core elements to building trust for any leader with their team and also with the stakeholders that they're reporting into. We'd now like to introduce another voice into the conversation, Emmy Melville, leadership advisor in RRA's Atlanta office. Emmy, welcome back to the Leadership Lounge.

[Emmy Melville]

Thanks, Emma.

[Emma Coombe]

Good to be here, Emmy. In the last few years, increasing global economic and geopolitical uncertainty and huge shifts in the technological landscape has meant that leaders are under more scrutiny than ever before. This changing landscape naturally affects how trust functions within organizations. How is trust evolving in today's leadership environment?

[Emmy Melville]

One of the biggest variables in my view right now is just the pace of change that we see so the speed at which businesses and markets operate. It just means that leaders are required to establish trust quickly and with many new and numerous constituents all the time. Right. And since trust doesn't build as fast as the pace of the market, nor the succession plans that we all lay down, leaders really have to be intentional about keeping pace. So I find that most of the executives I work with, they'll start out with a mindset in which they tend to think of trust as something to try to obtain once they've executed their business plan or accomplished their strategic priorities. Almost as if it's an afterthought or there's sometimes an expectation that trust is built exclusively through doing great work together. And certainly that is true. That's one way to build trust. But I really encourage leaders to embrace a mindset shift in which they're building trust as a foundational priority.

[Ilana Abramovic]

Right.

[Emmy Melville]

Rather than a byproduct of teaming with one another.

[Emma Coombe]

You're right, Emmy. Trust should be table stakes in every leadership team. But our research uncovered that only 22% of leaders felt that their C suite team displays a high level of trust that's visible throughout the organization. Later in today's episode, we'll hear from some of our experts on the top ways in which C suite leaders can build trust and how it can be rebuilt if it's broken. But before we do, I'd like to introduce our third guest, Ilana Abramovic, leadership advisor in RRA's London office. Into the conversation, she'll discuss some of the top behaviours that trusted leaders demonstrate. Ilana, welcome to the leadership lounge.

[Ilana Abramovic]

Thank you, Emma. It's lovely to be here.

[Emma Coombe]

So, Ilana, our research has shown that there are specific patterns that distinguish highly trusted executives from their peers. Based on your work with countless senior leadership teams, what are some of the behaviors that consistently mark truly trusted senior leaders?

[Ilana Abramovic]

What we've seen through the course of the work that we've done over the last few years is the types of behaviors that really go a long way to establish those stable, connected, trusting relationships. One, give credit, don't take credit, give credit. Two, if I make a mistake, I own it. I don't bury anybody else. And this is a really interesting one, this third one. Put it in the vault. Information is something that isn't to be traded. If I share, if I am talking to a leader and I hear some gossip from that leader about somebody else, I am worried and concerned that what I share with you, you share with somebody else. So that piece around the sanctity of sacred space and put it in the vaults is the way to create trust.

[Emma Coombe]

With trust, consistency really is key. When leaders deliver on promises predictably and repeatedly, it creates a foundation of reliability that's essential for trust and particularly for CEOs when they have committed to a strategy, being consistent in how they are executing on the strategy, presenting it to their teams is so important. Given the business environment leaders are operating in today and the poly crisis they're facing, I think it's become even more important this piece around consistency and what continues to be critically important is how leaders show up in volatile situations. Leaders who stay calm, are resilient, make the right judgment calls and think through their responses are often much better received than those who make knee jerk reactions. Which means that their teams lose trust, lose faith in the leadership in their business and things start to go in rapid decline after that. So Ilana, given that research shows that CEOs and C suite leaders often underestimate the importance of building trust, what practical first steps would you recommend to a newly appointed CEO or C suite leader focused on building trust in themselves as a leader?

[Ilana Abramovic]

That is a fantastic question. We do a lot of work, as you know Emma, with CEOs that are moving into roles either transitioning up through the business or coming externally inside. The first thing that we always suggest is is be quiet and listen. Ask as many questions. It's your time to ask stupid questions. Show genuine curiosity and engagement with the leadership team. They've been there before you, they know a lot more about the context than you do. And I'm thinking of a live example at the moment of a CEO that I am supporting on some transition coaching. Now he is coming from a much larger company. What the business does not want to hear is how wonderful it was at company X and how rubbish it is at company Y and how company Y's culture needs to change to Company X. They want to know how he's going to adapt to make them brilliant, not how he's constantly comparing them to something.

[Emma Coombe]

That was the importance of taking the time to really deeply listen to your leadership team. When you join an organization is often understated and hearing you speak on this point, Ilana made me think of Carol Tomei's story from my colleague Ty Wiggins book. The new CEO Carol Tomei, CEO of UPS, was the first outside CEO in UPS's 113 year history. When she joined the firm, she was incredibly aware of the fear and anxiety that a new CEO can generate and how difficult it would be to build trust, especially when she joined just as Covid was spreading across continents to build trust. She spoke about a time when she held a meeting at her Covid safe home where the team were encouraged to talk openly about how they were going to work together, the behaviors that would be welcomed and those that would not. She shared in the book, everyone got a chance to talk. I have learned that engaging for impact is really important. I'm super curious. I ask a lot of questions. I don't criticise. Henrik, coming back to you, what other approaches would you recommend new leaders adopt to build trust effectively?

[Henrik Krajowski]

I'd say the single most overlooked factor in getting a new CEO up to speed quickly is demonstrating vulnerability. And in my experience working with dozens and dozens of CEOs over the last 20 years, this is the area that is most difficult for new CEOs to get comfortable with. As one client recently told me, Henrik, why would I start my tenure saying what I didn't know, what I'm bad at? Wouldn't that affect people's confidence in me? And the answer is no. Imagine who you gravitate to more. Someone who has all the answers, sits on high and never seems to have a down moment. Or someone like the rest of us who is sometimes uncertain, sometimes wrong, and sometimes needs help. The fact is, vulnerability is the root of charisma, and true confidence is really knowing oneself and having enough value to state what you're good at and what you're bad at. Employees ultimately will run through walls for a leader like that.

[Emma Coombe]

I couldn't agree more, Henrik. Many leaders hesitate to admit knowledge gaps, but in fact, those who show honesty build credibility with their leadership team rather than lose it. And they motivate their team because they feel empowered to fill a gap that they know exists if the CEO is facing into it. So it's not about knowing it all, far from it. Instead, it's about seeking out the right discovery type conversations across the organization. I think being transparent in your communication with your peers and team is also vital for trust building and something a new leader should consider early in their tenure. It's important you share relevant information and of course that's a big decision making exercise in its own right, because not everything can or should be shared. But the relevant information you can share openly. You explain decisions clearly and you're forthright about challenges. This creates a culture where trust can flourish. Ilana, coming back to you, many leaders assume their teams trust them, often without verification. How can a leader accurately assess trust levels within their team rather than relying on a gut feeling?

[Ilana Abramovic]

So some of the telltale signs to see if there is trust is really small things. What's the level of banter in the room before a meeting? How much personal disclosure is there? Who speaks first in a room? When you're throwing in a question and you're waiting for some decision making to happen, is it always the same people and then others follow in suit, echoing what they've already heard? Or is there healthy debate and healthy conflict in the room? Another one is everyone says yes far too quickly and then you leave the room and you see through breadcrumbs that function X has gone off and done their own thing. Function Y is doing their own thing. So those are some of the things that would give me an insight into if a leader was really trusted or or not.

[Emma Coombe]

You've identified some clear, tangible markers for teams to look out for Ilana, which I'm sure will be really helpful for our listeners. And I've been able to identify some of these patterns with the leaders I work with. I do a lot of work advising on non executive director and chair appointments. And what I've witnessed is that if just one individual on a board starts working in isolation on any of these processes, when it comes down the line and a group of candidates has been narrowed to a finalist, one or two, if all the other board members haven't been included in the debate, kept updated, listened to at the beginning of a process, there is a real erosion of trust. And right towards the end, it can all fall apart. We can assess that there's a real lack of trust when maybe just one individual, without allowing for that healthy debate amongst their colleagues, is driving through decisions. And then towards the end of a process, things can really fall apart because the trust just doesn't exist. So, Henrik, even the best leaders occasionally experience breakdowns in trust. When that happens, rebuilding it can be challenging, particularly at the senior leadership level. What strategies can leaders use to rebuild trust after it's been damaged?

[Henrik Krajowski]

Number one rule, go first. And in our experience, that's hard to get people to do. Usually there's been an offense and people are extremely hesitant to go first when they feel like they're owed something. But somebody needs to go first. And believe me, we encourage leaders to be the person with the courage and conviction to do so. How to start? We would say acknowledge the breach directly and specifically name exactly what happened and don't minimize your role in it. A team we're working with right now has something they call the 1% rule. 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. Owning this 1% is critical to starting the healing dialogue.

[Emma Coombe]

That 1% rule is really interesting and not something I've heard before. And what I like is it, it creates a properly collaborative atmosphere that we're all in this together. It's about the collective, not about an individual feeling that it's all their fault. And I'd add that timing is critical in trust repair. The longer a breach remains unaddressed, the more difficult restoration becomes. What I often find gets executives attention is connecting these trust issues to business impact. When leaders see how trust fractures directly affect decision making, speed, knowledge sharing, and innovation, it suddenly becomes a strategic priority rather than just an interpersonal comfort issue. Emmy, what strategies do you see leaders use to rebuild trust?

[Emmy Melville]

Yeah, at the end of the day, rebuilding trust is a two way process. Both parties have to want to evolve for themselves and for the working relationship to improve and trust to be repaired. There's one example that comes to mind that I think is actually illustrative here. So I was working with an executive team, and two leaders on the team in particular had over a few years of working together with dramatically different leadership styles. Trust began to erode. They just weren't communicating in the same way. And what we had each of them do was really reflect on their contributions to the breakdown in trust, offer some moments of vulnerability about what they've learned and how they plan to evolve for themselves. But what also surfaced throughout those conversations was that the way in which one leader builds trust or expects trust to be extended is different from person to person.

[Emma Coombe]

And I think acknowledging these differences and working through them is critical. We found that involving an objective voice can be valuable in these moments to help executives articulate these different trust languages without defensiveness. But even more importantly, leaders need to demonstrate they've learned from this breakdown in trust. So our time in the lounge today has come to an end. In 30 seconds, this is what we've learned. Trust is built on consistency. You need to demonstrate that you can follow through on your promises and commitments, no matter how small. Trust isn't something that's nice to have in an organization. It needs to be intentionally built at a foundational level. Transparent communication is vital for trust. Sharing relevant information openly, explaining decisions clearly, and being false right about challenges creates a culture where trust can flourish. Trusted leaders give credit, own mistakes, even if minimal, and maintain confidentiality. And to repair trust, acknowledge the breach, own your contribution to building trust, and commit to change. If you have any topics or burning questions you'd like us to cover in future episodes of Leadership Lounge, then get in touch. Email your questions to RedefinersRussellReynolds.com and if you've enjoyed listening to this episode, leave a a five star review on Apple or Spotify. You can find us on LinkedIn and follow us on X ranleadership. You can also find us on Instagram definerspodcast and you can subscribe to our YouTube channel. Until next time, goodbye.