Leadership and change management are indispensable to employees, who look to their leaders for stability, clarity and reassurance. However, trust should be built long before challenges arise, and leaders who take intentional steps to foster it create teams that are more resilient, engaged, and prepared to navigate whatever comes next.
As companies navigate constant shifts in strategy, technology, and market demands, leaders are often faced with uncertainty. While you may not always have control over the change itself, you do have control over how you show up for your teams. One of the most critical factors in successfully managing change through leadership is trust.
Trust isn’t built in a moment of crisis — it’s established long before challenges arise. Employees need to feel confident that their leaders are transparent, reliable, and genuinely invested in their success. Without that foundation, even the best change management plans will struggle to gain support.
Unfortunately, a foundation of trust is exactly what seems to be waning these days. According to the 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer Global Report, 61 percent of people feel that business leaders are purposely lying or misleading their team members.
So, how can leaders proactively foster trust before change happens? In this article, we’ll explore what trustworthiness is and five key actions leaders can take to establish said trust, ensuring employees feel supported and engaged no matter what lies ahead.
What Is Trustworthiness?
Trustworthiness is the foundation of strong leadership. But it’s not just about being liked — it’s about being reliable, ethical, and consistent in both your words and actions. Being a trustworthy leader, which 51.8 percent of people marked as being the most important trait of a leader, means you create an environment where your team members feel secure and valued.
It also means that you “consistently act with integrity, keep your promises, and can be counted on to do what is right, even if it’s not the easiest thing to do,” says Verna Montgomery, senior manager of people and change at Centric Consulting.
At its core, trustworthiness includes six key behaviors:
- Integrity: Doing what’s right, even when it’s not the easiest option. A trustworthy leader makes decisions based on ethical principles rather than personal gain or convenience.
- Follow-Through: If you say you’re going to do something, you do it. Keeping commitments, big or small, builds credibility over time.
- Honesty: Telling the truth, even when it’s uncomfortable. Trustworthy leaders don’t deceive, manipulate, or withhold key information that impacts their teams.
- Consistency: Acting in a steady, predictable manner builds confidence. Employees should know what to expect from their leaders, rather than feeling like leadership changes course on a whim.
- Support and Accountability: Standing by your employees, advocating for them, and taking responsibility when things go wrong. Trustworthy leaders don’t shift blame or disappear when challenges arise.
- Confidentiality and Respect: Handling sensitive information with care and discretion reinforces that employees can speak openly without fear of betrayal.
But trust isn’t built at the same pace for everyone. Some people extend trust freely and wait for it to be broken, while others require proof over time before they fully believe in a leader’s reliability. This means that leaders must be mindful that different employees may need different levels of reassurance, transparency, and consistency before they truly feel secure.
By consistently prioritizing these behaviors in your everyday interactions, you can foster a culture of trust that makes your teams more resilient, engaged, and prepared to navigate whatever challenges come next.
5 Actions for Building Trust: Leadership and Change Management
Building trust doesn’t happen overnight. It’s the result of consistent, intentional leadership. And once trust is lost, it’s much harder to rebuild than it was to establish in the first place. When your team members feel misled or unsupported, they may disengage, question leadership decisions, or even seek opportunities elsewhere.
Because trust is fragile, you must be intentional in how you build and maintain it. The good news? Trust isn’t about perfection — admitting to mistakes and taking accountability for them also helps build trust.
With that in mind, here are five key actions leadership in change management must take to implement the above six behaviors of trustworthiness and maintain trust before change happens.
1. Be Consistent
Consistency is a critical component of building trust. Your employees shouldn’t ever feel like you or your peer leaders are unpredictable or constantly shifting direction without explanation. If leaders frequently change their stance or fail to follow through on commitments, trust quickly erodes. Having a clear, steady vision that isn’t altered at every new challenge gives employees a sense of stability, even in uncertain times.
Trust isn’t built in a single moment. It’s the result of repeated, steady actions over time. Your team members should know what to expect from you — not just in terms of strategy but also in how you communicate, handle challenges, and support them in their roles. A leader who is approachable and transparent one day but distant and vague the next creates uncertainty, making it difficult for employees to fully trust their intentions.
2. Measure Twice, Cut Once
Nothing damages trust faster than broken promises. You must be mindful of what you commit to and ensure you can follow through before making guarantees because overpromising and underdelivering not only disappoints employees but also weakens credibility.
“Measure twice and cut once,” says Montgomery. “Don’t get out ahead of your message because if you have to backtrack it, it erodes confidence and the trust your team members have in you.” Instead, commit to realistic goals and communicate changes as early as possible if circumstances shift.
3. Make Every Interaction Count
Trust isn’t just built in big moments, either. It’s strengthened in everyday interactions. Prioritize active listening, taking the time to truly hear and understand employees’ concerns rather than just responding to them. Your team members should feel like their voices matter and that you value their input.
Make every interaction, whether it’s a one-on-one check-in or a team meeting, meaningful. Leaders who only engage when it benefits them or who have surface-level conversations without genuine care will struggle to maintain trust. Instead, ensure that your communication fosters connection, understanding, and mutual respect.
4. Recognize and Celebrate Contributions
Trust grows when employees feel valued. Take the time to actively recognize and celebrate your team’s contributions, ensuring that credit is given where it’s due. Employees should never feel like their hard work is overlooked or, worse, claimed by leadership.
A trustworthy leader doesn’t take credit for the work of others — they shine a light on the efforts of their team. According to Gallup, employees who feel recognized for their work were 45 percent less likely to leave their organization two years later. Celebrating successes, big and small, helps reinforce that you value collaboration and teamwork. It also sends a clear message: Your employees’ efforts matter, and they will be acknowledged.
5. Lead With Authenticity and Transparency
Employees don’t expect their leaders to be perfect, but they do expect them to be honest. Authenticity is a key driver of trust, and leaders who try to project false confidence or pretend to have all the answers risk losing credibility. It’s OK to admit you don’t have all the information — what matters is how you handle that uncertainty.
Your team needs change leaders who communicate openly about decisions, changes, and challenges — without sugarcoating or withholding critical information. Being upfront about what you know and don’t know, while also providing clarity on next steps, helps employees feel secure even in times of change. Focus on being transparent about the decision-making process and reinforcing your commitment to guiding the team through uncertainty with honesty and integrity.
Trust Is a Long-Term Investment for Leadership and Change Management
Trust isn’t something leaders can build overnight or restore with a single action — it’s a long-term investment that requires consistency, honesty, and intentionality. When employees trust their leaders, they are more engaged, resilient, and willing to embrace change, even when the future is uncertain.
As leadership in change management, your actions set the tone for your team. How you communicate, follow through, and show up for your employees will determine whether they see you as a reliable guide or an unpredictable force. Trust is fragile, but by prioritizing it before change happens, you can build a workplace where people feel secure, valued, and empowered to succeed — no matter what the future holds.
Our organizational change management checklist will help you make sure to hit the top ten leading principles throughout your change implementation.
Change is inevitable, but successful transformation requires more than just a project-by-project approach. We specialize in Enterprise Change Management (ECM) — enabling your organization to enable change and create a competitive advantage. Skip frustrated employees, missed opportunities, and a lack of sustainable transformation by working with ECM experts to drive your organization toward change. Learn more
