Lack of Trust: 10 Traits of Terrible Leadership

Does your team feel like they can trust you? Now before you answer that question, are you aware that according to the latest ANZ people matters study, only 47% of the Australian workforce say their employer cares for their well being over short term financial goals. Just under 1 in 2 Australians in the workforce believe their leaders care for them.

So, in this episode, we’re tackling a really important question, are your actions building trust—or breaking it?

Discover how small choices can have a big impact on your team’s confidence in you as a leader. If you’re ready to create stronger connections and foster accountability, this episode is for you!

• Transcript

  Have you worked in a team where everything was overly policy driven? Did it feel like projects had to go through multiple hands, or that no one was willing to make a final decision for fear of what might happen if it failed? These are strong indicators of lack of trust.  See, trust is the cornerstone of every high-performing team. It is essential for stronger profits and better culture.

  I remember working on a Board where we wanted to sell a small parcel of land. It should have been a very quick and easy process. However, contracts were written up and we would receive them back from the buying party and everything we had requested was disregarded. We would query, and rework. Over the phone, no problems! Easy, let’s get this done. And then the contracts would again disregard our requests. Now this process ended up taking longer than 2 years. Trust was completely lost between the parties, our chairman ended up burntout, we spent countless hours pouring over the documents. It was the biggest productivity waster I have ever seen. Lack of Trust is one of the greatest killers of productivity and profits.

  Here’s a quick self-check:

  • Are your company values clearly defined and actively discussed in your workplace? More importantly, do people actively align with them or role their eyes when they are discussed?

  • Can you think of something you’ve done at work recently that you wouldn’t want to share with your team?

  • Do you hold yourself to the same—if not higher—standard of integrity as you expect from your team?

  If you’re not comfortable with the honest answers to these questions, you might need to do some work here.

  Stephen Covey’s The Speed of Trust illustrates how trust impacts not just relationships but also organisational success. When teams trust their leaders, they work faster, communicate more openly, and collaborate more effectively.

  Trust is a choice leaders make daily. It’s choosing to show vulnerability, admit mistakes, and consistently align actions with words.

  As we conclude, I ask you, who is to blame if you find yourself in a low trust environment? If you answered your team and leaders, you’re right. Building trust doesn’t happen in isolation. If you answered, yourself. You’re right. In fact, trust starts with yourself. If you don’t take responsibility for building a culture of trust it is highly unlikely to eventuate. More importantly, you are the trust factor that you can control the most. So working on your own self-trust, trusting others, and helping others to trust you, is the best way to increase trust in your team’s culture.

  This week, take a moment to reflect: are you modelling the trust and integrity you wish to see in your team? Transparency starts with you. Let’s build trust together—one action at a time.