---
title: "How to Cultivate Trust: A Make-or-Break Skill for Leaders"
description: Learn how leaders can cultivate trust to build a thriving workplace where employees feel valued, motivated, and connected, even in times of rapid change and uncertainty.
image: https://knowledgehub.cil.furman.edu/hubfs/Cynthia.jpg
---

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 May 29, 2025 4:13:20 PM

# How to Cultivate Trust: A Make-or-Break Skill for Leaders

![Picture of Cynthia Radford](https://knowledgehub.cil.furman.edu/hs-fs/hubfs/Cynthia_Radford_HEADSHOT.jpg?width=50&name=Cynthia_Radford_HEADSHOT.jpg) [Cynthia Radford](https://knowledgehub.cil.furman.edu/author/cynthia-radford)

Share: [Share this page via email](mailto:?body=https://knowledgehub.cil.furman.edu/how-to-cultivate-trust-a-make-or-break-skill-for-leaders) [Share this page on LinkedIn](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://knowledgehub.cil.furman.edu/how-to-cultivate-trust-a-make-or-break-skill-for-leaders) [facebook-f icon](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://knowledgehub.cil.furman.edu/how-to-cultivate-trust-a-make-or-break-skill-for-leaders)

Companies that make the *Fortune* 100 Best Companies to Work For® List outperform the [stock market by a factor of nearly four](https://www.greatplacetowork.com/press-releases/100-best-companies-to-work-for-deliver-staggering-business-performance). What do these organizations have in common? “Best Company” leaders create an environment where [employees trust the people they work for,](https://www.greatplacetowork.com/resources/blog/why-and-how-to-build-trust-in-the-workplace) enjoy the people they work with and find meaning in the work they do.

Trust is vital. According to Deloitte, 80% of employees who have high levels of trust in their employers feel motivated to work, versus less than 30% of those who don't. Leaders who cultivate trust create a stable foundation for their employees and organization to flex, adapt and thrive.

Unfortunately, according to the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer, there’s an unprecedented drop in trust for business leaders, signaling frustration and anxiety in the global workforce. There is a silver lining though: according to Richard Edelman, “Our research tells us that when people see solutions, they’re more hopeful and willing to sacrifice for the greater good. When trust is earned, optimism grows.”

So how do you earn the trust needed to find solutions? By doing what you say you will do, according to long-time leadership researchers, Kouzes & Posner, and by optimizing relationships and communication with each member of your team. Especially in times of rapid change and uncertainty, it truly matters for people to feel you “get” them.

Whole Brain® Thinking to the rescue. Consider which of these preference(s) might resonate with each of your team members and flex accordingly:

![Whole Brain Thinking: I Trust You When chart](https://knowledgehub.cil.furman.edu/hs-fs/hubfs/I%20Trust%20You%20When.png?width=626&height=352&name=I%20Trust%20You%20When.png)

Whole Brain® Thinking helps you cultivate trust at the heart of customizing the calm and communicating that you’re all in it together in these challenging times:

![Whole Brain Thinking: To Build Trust With Me](https://knowledgehub.cil.furman.edu/hs-fs/hubfs/To%20Build%20Trust%20With%20Me.png?width=626&height=352&name=To%20Build%20Trust%20With%20Me.png)

When a team trusts its leader and each member, and the leader trusts the team, together they can accomplish great things.

Cultivate that culture today!

 

*Following corporate roles in management and organization development, Cynthia Radford launched GreenLeaf Consulting, where she’s helped diverse teams and leaders from more than forty countries align, thrive, and accomplish important work. In addition to being an Amazing CareerTM Certified Coach, she has several professional certifications and is a longtime Certifying Master Facilitator of the HBDI® (Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument®), a cognitive diversity tool used by 97% of Fortune 100 companies to improve productivity, innovation, and inclusion.*

*To learn more about how to apply Whole Brain® Thinking in your workplace, contact us at [cil@furman.edu](mailto:cil@furman.edu).*

 

 

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© 2026 Center for Innovative Leadership at Furman University

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