Be Trustworthy!

Cathie Leimbach • June 6, 2022

Trust is essential for success in any and all aspects of our lives. When we don’t trust others, we don’t want to spend time with them or collaborate with them. Likewise, when we aren’t trustworthy, others don’t want to work or play with us. The degree to which leaders are trusted by the people around them determines whether they are likely to be leading an enthusiastic results-oriented team or surrounded by lethargic and disgruntled low performers.  


Trust is so important that it is the focus of David Horsager’s company, Trust Edge. Trust can be defined as a “firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something”. Do your boss, peers, employees, customers, and suppliers all believe that you are reliable, honest, and skilled? If not, then they don’t see you as trustworthy. Their lack of trust in you is impacting the organization’s performance.


Increasing trust creates transformation. When leaders learn to balance transparency, consistent communication, and healthy, results-based accountability, their colleagues perceive them as more trustworthy. This is true for in-person, virtual, and hybrid work situations. A lack of trust breeds a lack of uncertainty which increases fear. This sparks our natural fight or flight instinct which reduces productivity and increases dissatisfaction, decreasing morale, performance, and retention.


Unfortunately, lack of trust is very common. 10% of people say they have never had a leader or employer they could fully trust. On average, employees indicate that they have mostly or completely trusted their leaders for only 45% of their work life. In early 2022, only 13% of the workforce reported completely trusting their current employer.


Since everything takes longer and costs more when trust is low, the lack of trust can be an organization’s biggest expense. 94% of Americans say that lack of trust affects their performance. Collaboration and strong connections among workplace colleagues create the foundation for business success. Yet, the majority of senior leaders spend more time on finances, technology, strategy, and production than they do on people and culture.


How much attention are you giving to connecting and collaborating with your people? What about engaging and empowering them by helping them know what is expected of them and ensuring they feel valued? Are you one of the 13% of leaders who are seen as trustworthy or one of the 87% who are contributing to suboptimal results by not paying enough attention to organizational culture and valuing your people? If you’re in the majority, when are you going to take your first step towards being more trustworthy and what will that first step be?  

When Leadership Feels “Fine”… But Results Tell a Different Story

By Cathie Leimbach • January 13, 2026
Many leaders feel things are mostly on track. Goals are set. Meetings happen. People stay busy. On the surface, it all looks fine . But underneath, small cracks often tell a different story. You may notice work getting redone, decisions slowing down, or people quietly avoiding ownership. These aren’t just workflow problems. They’re leadership signals — and they’re easy to miss when everyone is moving fast. Leaders often believe they’ve been clear. They think people know what’s expected and who owns what. And they assume that if something was wrong, someone would speak up. But in real life, expectations get interpreted in different ways. Ownership can feel risky. And many people stay silent just to keep the peace. That gap between what leaders intend and what teams experience is where performance starts to slip. A few simple questions can help reveal what’s really going on: · Where is work quality lacking? · What decisions keep getting stuck? · Where do leaders step in instead of letting others own it? Start noticing those patterns. They point to exactly where stronger leadership can make the biggest difference. 👉 See what a 10–15% leadership shift could mean for your bottom line. View the Leadership ROI Chart .

Why Leadership Skills Matter More Than Ever in 2026

By Cathie Leimbach • January 6, 2026
People are essential to your business success—yet many organizations underestimate the return on leadership development. Payroll and benefits alone account for 15 to 60% of operating expenses for most companies. In industries with lower payroll percentages, the trade-off is often expensive equipment—but without well-trained people, even the best tools underperform. The truth is simple: mediocre employee skills produce mediocre business results. What’s often overlooked is where performance and engagement are truly shaped. Employees themselves only control about 30% of the factors that drive engagement and high performance. Leaders control the other 70%. Despite this, only 18% of organizations say their leaders are very effective at achieving business goals, even though 71% offer leadership training. Why the gap? Much of that training focuses on strategy or systems—not on people leadership skills that directly improve performance. When leaders do build those skills, the impact is powerful. Employees who feel supported give 57% more effort and are 87% less likely to leave. Organizations can see earnings increase by as much as 147%. In fact, leadership training delivers a $7 return for every $1 invested—more than double the return on technology investments. Since leadership capability is being touted as the most critical factor for organizational success in 2026, it’s worth asking: Which people leadership best practices have your managers truly adopted? What currently weak areas are the most important to strengthen this year? A short leadership quiz can surface strengths and growth areas that aren’t always obvious—especially when you take time to talk through what it reveals.