Friday espresso: Trust: BIG Word, small acts
Dec 05, 2025 1:01 am
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Trust: BIG Word, small acts
When people ask me about long business partnerships, they often expect a story about contracts, KPIs, or big legacy projects.
But the truth is, the longest partnerships don’t feel long at all. They feel light because they were built on something close to the heart:
Trust.
For 30 years, trust has been the invisible thread behind our collaboration with SHRDC, our long term business partner. While markets expanded, generations changed, and new technologies rewired how we learn… that thread never snapped.
What made it last wasn’t one specific project, but a mindset both sides shared from the start:
👉 Training is only impactful when people feel SAFE enough to grow.
Growth is only sustainable when TRUST comes before transaction.
👇Catch the full episode about our partnership here!
https://youtu.be/aso0LN4aGsw
WHY is Trust So Important in Growth
🧠Trust lasts. Curiosity is the birthplace of trust. When organisations stop assuming they already know what employees need, learning stops feeling prescribed and starts feeling supported.
💬Psychological Safety in Dialogue. One powerful misconception in corporate training is that the best facilitator is the one who sounds the smartest. But the best facilitators are the ones who sound clear enough for others to think alongside them, not beneath them. Trust forms when communication is steady, honest, and simple enough to land.
🌱Human Motivation Fuels Adoption. In the past, organisations measured training success by attendance or assessments. Now, we measure it by what happens after the session ends like:
“Does a person feel confident to use what they learned?” or “Are they willing to adopt new ways of working without losing themselves in the process?”
WHAT does a Trust-Centered Learning Culture Look Like
🎯Clarity Has a Lot to Do With Respect. Trust-centered leadership means being steady, giving direction in a way that protects dignity. Their feedback is honest without being humiliating, clear without being condescending, and built to empower action.
🤍Be Authentic. When a leader’s values align publicly and privately, people sense it. They trust your decisions, not because they agree with every one, but because they know your integrity isn’t for show.
🛠️AI Adoption Works Best When Trust Sets the Pace. A trust-centered culture uses AI as a thinking partner, not a shortcut. Teams are encouraged to critique, validate, and extend AI recommendations, not because they distrust AI, but because they trust their own minds enough to work alongside it responsibly.
HOW an We As Leaders Build People Who Build Trust
💡Empower Through Transparent Thinking. Leaders should actively narrate their thought process, especially in challenging conversations or decision-making moments. This doesn’t just teach what to think, but how to think. When teams see calm logic in motion, they learn to trust not just the conclusion, but the method behind it.
🤝Develop Communication That Invites. Strong workplace communication has evolved from persuasion to connection. Leaders build credibility by asking real questions, listening without defensiveness, and responding without ego. Training teams in storytelling, emotional intelligence, and thinking frameworks helps leaders lead with grounding.
🔁Invest in Lifelong Learning as the Proof of Leadership. Trust-centered leaders don’t pretend to know everything. They show they are still learning. Because learning builds humility, and humility builds trust people can feel.
People often think trust is built in the big moments.
It isn’t. It’s built in the everyday ones.
In the way we correct someone without crushing them.
In the way we innovate without losing our ethics.
In the way we lead without needing a script.
Connect with me on LinkedIn for more Leadership, Change and Heart content!
That’s the espresso, keep the momentum! ☕😌
Stay caffeinated & curious!
Koo Lily
l Founder of mq Training Coaching Consulting l
Leadership Coach l Change Facilitator l Speaker l
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