EP 91: Tough Year at Work? Rebuild Trust with This 3-Part Leadership Framework
If you’re heading into Q4 tired, second-guessing decisions, or sensing your team is a little… checked out, you’re not alone. When the year has been full of pivots, layoffs, tech issues, or turnover, trust almost always takes a hit. In this episode of Don’t Waste the Chaos, I’m breaking down a simple 3-part framework to help you rebuild trust, reset your culture, and rally your team to finish strong.
👇 Read the highlights below, then watch the full episode for the nuance, examples, and real-talk coaching.
Why Trust Is Your Hidden Performance Multiplier
Trust isn’t a “soft” leadership skill. It’s the currency of your leadership—and your culture is your balance sheet.
In the workplace, trust comes down to three things:
Integrity – Do you do what you say you’ll do?
Competence – Do people believe you know what you’re doing and can make sound decisions?
Dependability – Can your team count on you to show up consistently over time?
When trust is high, everything moves faster and smoother. When it’s low, even simple decisions start to feel hard and heavy.
I share several data points in the episode, including:
Employees who trust leadership are significantly more motivated and engaged.
High-trust companies dramatically outperform low-trust ones.
Only a small percentage of employees strongly agree they trust leadership—meaning most organizations have a trust gap whether they see it or not.
Pull Quote:
“Trust is the currency of your leadership. Let’s make sure you’re not bankrupting yours without realizing it.”
If performance, engagement, or culture has slipped this year, chances are trust has slipped too.
Part 1: Run a Simple “Trust Audit”
Before you try to fix trust, you need to honestly assess where you are. That’s where a basic leadership trust audit comes in.
1. Leadership Self-Audit
Grab a pen, open a note, or think this through on your drive:
On a scale of 1–10, how much do you believe your team currently trusts leadership?
On that same scale, how much do your direct reports trust you personally?
Where did that number slip in the past year?
A tough pivot?
Layoffs or terminations?
A tech rollout that went sideways?
A missed revenue or sales target?
A key team member quitting?
Try to identify one decision, season, or moment where trust may have been unintentionally eroded—especially when communication was light or the “why” was unclear.
2. Team Perception Check
Now flip perspectives:
If I asked three random employees today, “Do you trust leadership to do what they say?”
What do you think they’d say?
Would their answers match your self-rating?
That gap between your perception and theirs is where your most important work lives.
3. One Small Promise This Week
Trust isn’t rebuilt through a big speech. It’s rebuilt through small promises kept.
Ask yourself:
What is one small promise I can make this week—and actually deliver on?
Sending an overdue follow-up.
Sharing an update you’ve been sitting on.
Clarifying goals or priorities.
Following through on a development conversation you’ve put off.
“Don’t assume people trust you. Don’t assume they don’t. Ask, listen, and then start rebuilding through small, visible follow-through.”
Put it on your calendar. Do it. That’s your first trust deposit.
Part 2: Own Missteps with Honest Transparency
When trust is shaken, leaders often want to spin, soften, or move on quickly. The problem? Your people feel the gap whether you name it or not.
Instead, lean into this principle:
“Transparency builds credibility—even when the news is bad.”
A Simple Script for Owning a Misstep
The next time a project, change, or decision didn’t go as planned, use this 3-part structure:
Name the miss honestly
“We underestimated the scope of this project.”
“We underestimated how complex this tech integration would be.”
“We underestimated the gap when we didn’t backfill this role.”
Share what you’ve learned
“Here’s what we’ve learned about the workload…”
“Here’s what we’ve learned about timelines and resources…”
Explain how you’ll do better going forward
“Here’s what we’re changing about scope, staffing, or timing…”
“Here’s how we’re going to support you differently…”
You don’t have to be perfect—but you do have to be believable.
Avoid:
Spinning the story to make it sound better than it is
Sugarcoating the impact on people
Pretending everything is fine when the team is clearly drained
Your employees can smell spin a mile away—and it erodes trust even faster.
Part 3: Rebuild Trust Through Consistency & Connection
Once you’ve done the audit and owned the missteps, the real work is showing up differently over time.
Start Small and Deliver Consistently
Trust is not rebuilt in a single town hall. It’s rebuilt in:
Small commitments you keep over and over
Visible accountability loops, like:
Quarterly (or monthly) check-ins on promises
Tracking follow-through on key leadership commitments
Measuring progress, using things like:
Retention rates
Productivity markers
Engagement or satisfaction surveys specific to trust
“Credibility is earned in drops, but it can be lost in buckets.”
Each follow-through is a drop in the trust bucket. A major misstep can knock out a big chunk—but honest ownership and consistent action can refill it.
Don’t Cancel One-on-Ones
One of the simplest (and most overlooked) trust builders? Keeping regular one-on-ones.
Especially for remote teams, one-on-ones are where you:
Clear out outstanding emails and loose ends
Talk through obstacles, frustrations, or barriers
Connect relationally (since there’s no water-cooler or hallway chat)
When leaders repeatedly cancel or deprioritize one-on-ones, the message is loud and clear:
“Clients, prospects, and everything else come before you.”
That erodes trust fast.
So this week, consider:
Keep your one-on-ones—even if they’re short.
Stop saying, “If you don’t have anything, let’s just cancel.”
Protect that time on your calendar as sacred leadership space.
Help Your Team Finish the Year Strong (Without Toxic Positivity)
Your people don’t just want cheerleading. They want honesty and a path forward.
Here’s how to energize your team for Q4 and beyond without drifting into toxic positivity:
1. Acknowledge Fatigue (Don’t Dismiss It)
Say the quiet part out loud:
“Things are hard right now.”
“We’ve been running at a fast pace.”
“We know this has been a heavy season.”
Normalize it—but don’t stop there.
2. Define the Timeframe and End Point
Clarify:
How long you realistically expect this pace or season to last
What success looks like at the end of the year
How you’ll celebrate when you get there
Help people see a light at the end of the tunnel, not an endless grind.
3. Focus on a Few Meaningful Wins
Instead of trying to do everything, ask:
What one or two wins would make this year feel worthwhile for the team?
What’s the “why” behind those goals for this year and next?
Connect the dots:
Why this year went the way it did
What it’s setting you up for next year
Why it matters to your people—not just the P&L
Pull Quote:
“Trust doesn’t just rebuild culture. It rebuilds energy.”
One Trust-Building Action to Take This Week
As you think about your leadership, ask yourself:
What is one trust-building action I will take this week?
Keeping a one-on-one
Following through on a delayed decision
Communicating clearly about a change
Owning a misstep with your team
Put it in writing. Put it on the calendar. Follow through.
Small, consistent actions are where big cultural shifts begin.
Want Help Strengthening Trust & Culture in Your Organization?
If you’re realizing you need ongoing support, tools, and a place to ask real HR questions, I’d love to invite you into my world a bit more.
HR in a Box
HR in a Box is my monthly leadership lab for organizations typically between 5–100 employees.
Inside, you’ll get:
60 minutes of teaching each month on a key HR or leadership topic
Downloadable tools, checklists, and templates that match the training
30 minutes of live Q&A, where you can ask your specific questions
👉 Learn more and join here.
Fractional & Project-Based HR Support
If you’d like me to:
Run an HR or culture audit
Help you design better hiring, onboarding, or performance systems
Support your leadership team through a tough season
You can reach out directly:
📧 Email: hi@saltadvisors.com
Stay Connected
10% off one of Kerri’s favorite wellness tools: Oura Ring
Book Mentioned – The Speed of Trust by Stephen M.R. Covey
Follow on Instagram for daily encouragement + real-talk wellness:
@kerrimroberts
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