By Abbey Lewis, Harvard Business Review

Comment by Sean Hagger, Managing Director, Legitimate Leadership: Trust is an essential component of any high-performing group. The leadership of that group builds trust in two fundamental ways – firstly, by being overly concerned about their people; they know them as human beings and understand what drives them – it’s not just about learning about their personal lives. It’s about learning about who they are, what they stand for and why. Secondly, leaders gain trust by trusting others. They have to relinquish control. This is a leadership paradox: to gain control of the things, they must let go of control over the people.

Our summary of the article: The article makes a strong, timely argument that, in today’s organisational environment, marked by rapid change, rising employee expectations, and widespread institutional scepticism, trust is no longer just a leadership virtue; it is the core operating system of effective leadership. Without trust, even the most sophisticated strategies fail to gain traction. With trust, people engage, collaborate, innovate, and stay.

At its heart, the article reinforces a simple but profound truth: leadership success depends less on technical competence and more on the quality of relationships leaders build. And those relationships depend on trust.

1. Trust is the defining asset of high-performing organisations

Drawing from research and real-world examples, the article explains that trust-rich cultures outperform others in almost every measurable way:

• higher engagement
• stronger innovation
• lower stress and burnout
• more initiative and better problem-solving
• lower turnover
  Employees in high-trust environments are more willing to take risks, offer ideas, and lean into challenges because they feel protected rather than exposed.

The article emphasises that trust is felt long before it is measured. People intuitively sense whether their leaders’ intentions are constructive or self-serving, and that perception shapes all subsequent behaviour.

2. Leaders – not systems – set the trust temperature

The article underscores that trust does not come from policies, processes, or values written on a wall. It emerges from leaders’ behaviours. Leaders, through everyday interactions, determine whether people feel safe, respected, and valued.

A team may have strong systems, but if leadership behaviour contradicts them, people default to self-preservation. The article argues that the leader’s personal conduct is the most precise and most reliable signal of whether trust is genuinely part of the culture.

3. The three foundational behaviours of trust-building leadership

The piece identifies three universal behaviours that consistently strengthen trust, regardless of industry or context. These behaviours align closely with legitimate, service-based leadership.

A. Transparency

When leaders are transparent, share information openly, explain decisions, and reduce hidden agendas, people feel included rather than managed.

Transparency reduces fear, eliminates guessing, and builds clarity.

It positions the leader as someone who trusts others first, creating reciprocity.

B. Authenticity

Authentic leaders behave in ways that allow others to see their genuine intentions and humanity.
They:

• admit mistakes
• acknowledge limitations
• speak truthfully
• demonstrate consistent character

This authenticity signals humility, which deepens trust because people experience the leader as real, not strategic or performative.

C. Reliability

Reliability is described as “trust in action.”

It includes:

• keeping commitments
• aligning words with behaviour
• providing consistent expectations
• applying fair consequences
• being steady even during pressure

Reliability is often the “make-or-break” component because inconsistency quickly erodes trust—even when intentions are good.

4. High-trust leadership must be intentional, not accidental

The article stresses that trust does not form naturally as an organisation grows. In fact, scale often works against trust, making intentional leadership development essential.

Leaders must be supported to:

• learn the skills of open communication
• practice difficult conversations
• strengthen emotional intelligence
• receive feedback about the impact of their behaviour

The article calls trust “a capability that can be developed”, not a soft skill but a strategic advantage.

5. The leadership message for the new year

As organisations enter a new year—often after periods of strain, change, and uncertainty —the article’s message is particularly resonant: the most important leadership work is rebuilding and strengthening trust.

Before launching new strategies or targets, leaders must ask:

• Do my people feel safe with me?
• Do they believe I have their best interests at heart?
• Do they see consistency between what I say and what I do?
• Do they feel informed, included, and valued?

This reflection can help leaders reset their leadership intention from control to contribution, an essential pivot for the year ahead.

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