We talk a lot about trust in organisations.
But we often misunderstand how it’s built.
It’s not driven by intent.
Most leaders I’ve worked with — and worked alongside — have good intent.
The reality is, leadership often comes with constraints that aren’t visible.
Pressures from boards.
Expectations from shareholders.
Decisions that can’t always be fully explained.
And in those moments, it can feel safer to hold things back.
I remember being in that position myself.
I was under pressure from above to raise capital, but couldn’t fully explain why.
The instruction was clear — protect the bigger picture.
But the consequence was just as real — my team didn’t have the context they needed.
So I made a call.
I shared more than I was supposed to.
Not everything. But enough.
What happened next stayed with me.
The team didn’t panic.
They stepped in.
They reworked deals they were already handling and raised £500,000.
Not because they were told to.
Because they understood.
That moment changed how I think about trust.
People are rarely the problem.
But they can only help with what they can see.
Trust isn’t built through intention.
It’s built through what people can rely on, understand, and respond to — consistently.
And sometimes, that starts with letting them in just a little more than feels comfortable.
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