Trust is under a lot of strain right now. Not just in politics, or the news, but in our workplaces.

While there are pockets of excellence – where organisations are getting it right and fostering genuine trust – these remain the exception, not the rule. For too many employees, skepticism has replaced good faith, shaped by years of broken promises and unfulfilled commitments.

Leaders today are walking into rooms where doubt is the default. Even those with the best intentions often meet resistance. And let’s be honest – some of this distrust is earned.

The modern workplace has taught people that loyalty can be met with indifference. That effort doesn’t always mean reward. That leaders talk about change, but rarely deliver on it. So when people go to work, some don’t see leaders as partners, but as entities ready to let them down.

How do we fix this? How can leadership break through this wall of doubt and build genuine trust? And how can some organisations stop setting their leaders up to fail in the first place?

Get real about what’s breaking trust

Let’s be clear: trust isn’t about intent, it’s about perception. You can have the best intentions as a leader, but if your actions feel performative, inconsistent or self-serving, trust crumbles.

How leaders (unknowingly) erode trust:

• Blowing smoke. Bold statements – “We’re transforming our culture!” – buy time, not trust. Because when priorities shift, the promises evaporate.
• Being too hasty to please. People expect instant results, but change takes time. When leaders take on Herculean tasks with no realistic roadmap, they inevitably disappoint.
• Oversimplifying what’s broken. Trust problems aren’t about one bad leader or one bad call – they’re systemic. Pretending there’s a quick fix insults everyone’s intelligence.

Bigger systemic issues: The system is built for distrust

The fault isn’t all on leaders. Younger generations have grown up seeing headlines about exploitative workplaces, so leaders start their work on the backfoot. In fact, only 10% of British workers were engaged with their jobs in 2024 – proof that workplace distrust runs deep.

Meanwhile, the expectations placed on leaders by organisations are often unrealistic:

• We want change now. But transformation takes time.
• We want honesty. But too much transparency creates panic.
• We want accountability. But leaders aren’t always given the support to succeed.

Leaders hesitate because they know the drill: whatever they do, they’ll be scrutinised and blamed when things don’t change overnight. If organisations truly care about trust, they must ask: Are we equipping our leaders to succeed, or just setting them up to fail?

Redefining what trustworthy leadership looks like

The old-school leadership model is dead. Employees don’t want polished speeches about vision and values. They want leaders who show up, own their decisions and push for real change.

Leaders who build trust do three things differently:

• They don’t people-please. Saying what people want to hear in the moment destroys credibility. Be honest – even if the truth is that change will take years, not months.
• They stand firm. If your principles shift with the financials, you’re not a leader – you’re a weathervane. Commit. Follow through. Earn respect.
• They lean into hard conversations. Dodging conflict breeds distrust. Facing it head-on builds solutions – and real authority.

How to build trust in ways that actually work

1. Radical accountability

Employees don’t want to hear “we’re listening” or “we’re in discussions”. They need receipts.

Try implementing a “You Said, We Did” initiative to track leadership’s commitments and hold them publicly accountable. Or imagine a “Trust Dashboard”, updated quarterly, showing exactly what leadership committed to, what’s been done and what’s lagging (with explanations).

2. Reimagine the professionalism rule-book

People are exhausted from code-switching between their work self and their real self. No surprise, then, that only 55% of UK workers feel a sense of wellbeing at work.

Professionalism can be a trust barrier that forces people to filter and perform. Allow employees to drop the corporate mask, whether that means making them feel safe to push back on ideas or engaging with them about real-life stuff. When you treat people like humans, not cogs, trust naturally builds.

3. Transparency

Invisible decision-making kills trust. Employees are too often left in the dark about how key decisions are made, and that uncertainty fuels skepticism.

The fix? Be clear, be consistent, put it in writing. Employees should know how performance is measured, how promotions happen and what drives pay and rewards. When these frameworks are visible and applied fairly, trust follows.

You don’t have to be as transparent as glass, or give everyone a say in every decision. But you should remove the guesswork through consistent practices so that employees know what to expect, why choices are made, and that leadership is accountable to the standards they set.

4. Create a mature and safe feedback culture

Even though 65% of UK employees want their company to feel like a community, so many workplaces are trapped in silent cycles of blame. Leaders blame employees for disengagement, employees blame leadership for broken systems, organisations blame leaders for not towing the line. When no one’s talking, nothing changes.

Trust isn’t built on avoiding friction, but on handling it maturely. Organisations must normalise direct, grown-up conversations. If someone has an issue, they should feel comfortable addressing it – face-to-face, not through passive aggressive emails or whispered side chats.

And it starts with leadership. When those at the top can admit mistakes, take feedback on the chin and handle tough discussions calmly, it makes everyone else feel safe to do the same.

5. Admit the game is complex

Employees see the widening wealth gap, sometimes even cases of corporate greed and systemic inequities, and they know that sometimes leadership advice can just be window dressing.

Instead of gaslighting employees with “we’re all a family” rhetoric, acknowledge the ugly truths. Leaders who say, “Look, we know this system is built for profit, not people. Here’s how we’re creating a better balance inside our company”, will instantly stand apart from every leader who pretends otherwise.

What organisations must do to support their leaders

Leaders can’t create trust if they’re given impossible targets and no support. The organisation has to actively create the conditions for trust to thrive. This involves:

• Being realistic about what leaders can achieve
• Supporting leaders publicly
• Dismantling organisational silos
• Acknowledging the complexity of leading in change and uncertainty

But most crucially, it involves investing in leadership development to ensure leaders have the tools, self-awareness and competencies to lead with trust in the first place. Because trust isn’t just about intention, it’s about execution.

At Hanover, our leadership development solutions give leaders the space to self-reflect, refine their approach and build the skills needed to create lasting trust and drive meaningful change. Contact me directly to learn more about how we can bring this into your organisation.

Trust is an ecosystem, not a one-person job

The biggest mistake organisations make is acting as if trust is an individual leadership challenge rather than an organisational responsibility.

A single leader cannot single handedly fix a culture of distrust. It takes a systemic shift, an organisation-wide commitment to accountability, follow-through and leadership support.

The good news? Employees are craving trust. They want to believe in something. Those who are willing to go beyond surface-level fixes and tackle the deeper issues will be the ones who ultimately succeed. The question is – who’s ready to step up?