I recently flew out to give an off-site training for one of my clients and his leadership team. Ahead of this meeting, he sought input from his team, asking them what the most pressing topics were for them as managers. I don’t do these types of trainings often, and it was a great opportunity to hear from a variety of leaders within the organization.

A frequently mentioned topic was building trust—being seen as trustworthy leaders and advisors for their teams.

As a leader, it’s easy to view your relationship with your team and the broader organization in the context of goals and outcomes. But if you persist in this mindset, you’ll eventually find a lack of trust bubble to the surface.

One of the ways leaders at this organization are evaluated is by assessing them against the core leadership principles of the organization, including trustworthiness. But truly being a trusted leader goes beyond just being seen as trustworthy—it requires a shift away from this transactional lens.

I recently flew out to give an off-site training for one of my clients and his leadership team. Ahead of this meeting, he sought input from his team, asking them what the most pressing topics were for them as managers. I don’t do these types of trainings often, and it was a great opportunity to hear from a variety of leaders within the organization.

A frequently mentioned topic was building trust—being seen as trustworthy leaders and advisors for their teams.

As a leader, it’s easy to view your relationship with your team and the broader organization in the context of goals and outcomes. But if you persist in this mindset, you’ll eventually find a lack of trust bubble to the surface.

One of the ways leaders at this organization are evaluated is by assessing them against the core leadership principles of the organization, including trustworthiness. But truly being a trusted leader goes beyond just being seen as trustworthy—it requires a shift away from this transactional lens.