💭 HOW TO BUILD TRUST AT WORK
- Sallina Jeffrey
- Aug 22
- 2 min read
What builds Trust at work and in our personal lives for one person might not land the same way for another.
Why? Trust is contextual, shaped by our childhood, culture, past workplaces, and lived experiences.
Here’s how it can show up 👇
💬 Direct feedback
To some ➝ it signals honesty and reliability.
To others ➝ it feels confronting or unsafe.
🔄 Consistency
To some ➝ it means follow-through and dependability.
To others ➝ it feels rigid if there’s no space for flexibility.
🌟 Recognition
To some ➝ public praise builds belonging.
To others ➝ it feels performative or even embarrassing.
🌿 Autonomy
To some ➝ freedom builds confidence.
To others ➝ too much independence feels like abandonment.
💡 So what’s the answer?
There’s no single formula leaders can depend on. A more helpful approach is to:
🌍 Balance Consistency and Recognition - show up reliably and make people feel seen.
🎯 Adapting intentionally grows trust as it allows space for leaders to flex their style to meet people where they are, and the best way to learn what works is to ask your people for honest feedback.
🤝 Mentoring creates safe spaces for dialogue, self-reflection, and learning across different lived experiences.
🔎 Build feedback loops to create an environment where you can regularly monitor how Trust is landing, not just how you think you deliver it.
🌱 The takeaway:
Trust is layered. It grows strongest when leaders flex, honouring differences, creating belonging, and ensuring people feel safe and valued.
📝 Coming soon: The Trust Scorecard, a simple, self-reflective tool that individuals and leaders can use for personal reflection and across teams to spark meaningful conversations about Trust in action.
Author
Sallina Jeffrey MBA
Ph.D Candidate
Organisational Psychology
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