Bridging the Trust Gap: How Leaders Can Rebuild Credibility in Times of Disruption
Last week I had the privilege of hosting our Firewalking Instructor Training Retreat, five days of intensity, learning, and transformation. We had ten people joining for the first time, alongside my own team. Some of them I have walked with for more than a decade, others I met face-to-face for the very first time.
What struck me most was not just the fire, the glass, or the arrows we broke. It was trust. Every single person in that retreat, from seasoned veterans to nervous first timers, placed their trust in me to guide them through the process. They trusted me to keep them safe, to stretch them, and to hold the space while they discovered strength they did not know they had.
Trust was not a one-way street. I had to trust them too. I trusted that they would lean into the process, that they would bring their full energy, that they would rise when fear whispered, “sit down.”
That week reminded me of something powerful. Trust is not an idea we talk about in leadership workshops. It is the foundation. It is the fire we all walk on. Without trust, no one moves. With trust, people step across the coals barefoot, push through limits, and discover new power.
This is not just about firewalking. It is about business. It is about leadership. Right now, trust is in crisis. Global research shows that less than one in three employees say they trust their immediate managers. Think about that. In a room of ten people, seven are unsure whether the person leading them truly has their back.
That is not just a statistic. It is a leadership emergency. When trust erodes, culture erodes. When culture erodes, scaling slows down. Decisions get stuck, innovation dries up, and teams stop giving their best. In times of disruption, with AI transforming industries, markets shifting, and teams already fatigued, the absence of trust is the single biggest barrier to growth.
The retreat reminded me of a truth every leader must face. Trust is the currency of transformation. It is what allowed strangers to walk across fire together last week, and it is what will allow businesses to grow sustainably in 2025 and beyond.
Why Trust Matters More Than Ever
We sometimes treat trust as a soft concept, as though it belongs in the HR department rather than the boardroom. Yet every credible study says otherwise. Deloitte found that organisations with high trust cultures outperform their peers in shareholder value by several multiples. Gallup has shown repeatedly that when people feel trusted, engagement rises, turnover falls, and innovation grows.
Trust is the invisible engine of performance. When it is present, teams move faster because they are not second-guessing motives. They take risks because they believe failure will be treated as learning. They collaborate because they feel safe enough to share ideas that are not fully formed.
When trust is absent, everything slows down. People hesitate. They guard information. They protect themselves instead of creating together. The friction is not always loud, but it is costly. Scaling stalls, not because the market is wrong or the strategy is flawed, but because the foundation is brittle.
In a world of disruption, where leaders are asking teams to step into new technology, new markets, and new rhythms, trust is not optional. It is the one factor that makes people willing to take the leap.
Sources of the Trust Gap
If trust is so essential, why is it missing in so many workplaces?
Part of the reason is burnout at the top. Many leaders have been running at full speed since the pandemic. They have carried pressure without pause, leading through remote transitions, navigating crises, and now responding to AI disruption. Burned out leaders often lose clarity, and when clarity fades, credibility follows. People sense it. They know when their leaders are running on fumes.
Another reason is the gap between words and actions. Employees today are sharper than ever. They notice the small things. They see when a leader praises wellbeing but sends emails at midnight. They see when a company preaches culture but only rewards quarterly numbers. Every misalignment chips away at credibility.
The final reason is the absence of human centred leadership. Too many leaders are still taught to lead from authority rather than accountability. They believe empathy slows them down. They hide vulnerability because they think it will make them look weak. Yet the truth is the opposite. A leader who admits they do not have all the answers earns more respect than one who pretends.
When leaders are tired, when their actions and words do not align, when they forget that leadership is human before it is strategic, trust drains out of the system. Once that happens, even the boldest strategies and smartest technologies struggle to take hold.
Rebuilding Trust: The Playbook
The good news is that trust is not gone forever. It can be rebuilt. Not with slogans or campaigns, but with daily actions that prove credibility again.
It begins with transparency. People do not expect perfection. They expect honesty. When leaders admit mistakes, when they share not just the decision but the thinking behind it, they invite people to trust. A polished mask creates distance. Honest words create connection.
Trust also grows through feedback. Leaders who ask, “How are you experiencing me?” and then actually listen, open a door. Vulnerability is not weakness. It is the soil in which credibility grows. When people feel their voice shapes the journey, they commit more fully to the outcome.
Another piece is emotional intelligence. We invest heavily in teaching leaders finance, operations, even AI. Yet we rarely invest in empathy, listening, or conflict resolution. A DDI study revealed that empathy is the number one skill employees want from leaders, and the one least developed in organisations. That gap is not a skills issue. It is the trust gap.
Then there are the rituals of connection. Culture is not created in town halls or framed values. It is built in the small, consistent rhythms. Weekly check-ins where people can speak openly. Storytelling that reminds teams why their work matters. Celebrations that honour effort, not just outcomes. These rituals are the glue of trust.
Finally, leaders themselves must be supported. A burned-out leader cannot build trust. Wellbeing is not just for staff. It is for executives too. If leaders want to lead sustainably, they must protect their own energy. Because tired leaders eventually create tired cultures.
The Firewalking Metaphor
When I guide people through firewalking, I see trust in its purest form. Imagine a group standing at the edge of the fire. The coals glow, the heat rises, the fear is real. In that moment, they are not staring at the fire. They are staring at me.
Do I trust you to have prepared me? Do I trust that you know what you are doing? Do I trust that you will walk with me?
That is leadership under pressure. It is not about commanding people forward. It is about building the kind of credibility that makes them want to step. Firewalking works because trust is present. Business works the same way. Without trust, no one moves. With trust, people will take steps they never thought possible.
Trust as the Bedrock of Growth
We are living through disruption. AI is transforming work. Economies are shifting. Teams are fatigued. In this environment, trust is not a luxury. It is the anchor.
Without trust, scaling is brittle. Without trust, culture collapses. Without trust, leadership fails.
The lesson from my retreat is the same lesson for every business leader reading this. Trust is the currency of transformation. It is what allowed strangers to cross-fire last week. It is what will allow your team to cross whatever fires lie ahead.
So let me ask you directly: what one thing will you do this week to show up more authentically for your team?
Because rebuilding trust does not happen in a campaign. It happens in choices. Daily choices. The kind of choices that prove to people you are credible, you are consistent, and you are human.
The leaders who rebuild trust now will not only finish the year strong. They will carry their people into the future with momentum, resilience, and belief.
#Leadership #TrustInLeadership #Resilience #TeamCulture #BusinessGrowth #ExecutiveCoaching #WhateverItTakes
