Trust-Based Leadership: Back to Basics

– A 6-Part Series

Shaping the Lived Experience of Leadership

Over the past three decades in corporate leadership, followed by more than a decade developing leaders through the Trust-Based Leadership Academy, I have found myself returning to one simple observation.

Some leaders consistently bring out the very best in the people around them. Others, often with equally good intentions and technical competence, unintentionally create environments where people become cautious, disengaged or merely compliant.

Why? This series is my attempt to explore that question.

It is not another leadership model, nor does it suggest there is only one way to lead. Rather, it is a reflection on a simple idea that has emerged through years of practice, research and observation.

We believe that leaders deliberately shape the lived experience of the people they lead.

That lived experience becomes the foundation upon which trust is built, influence emerges, psychological safety develops and people discover the freedom to become the best version of themselves.

Over time, that simple observation has influenced my doctoral research, the development of the Trust-Based Leadership Academy, my books on trust, leadership moments and teams, and my work with thousands of leaders across many different organisations.

The six articles that follow explore this journey through six conversations.

Part One: Building Trust One Experience at a Time – What is trust, really?

Part Two: The Gift of Influence – Why does trust matter so much?

Part Three: Leadership by Design – How do leaders shape the lived experience of work?

Part Four: Deliberately Building Teams with Superpowers – How do great teams really develop?

Part Five: Deliberately Building Leadership Cultures – Who builds the leaders?

Part Six: One Experience at a Time – A Personal Reflection

My hope is that these articles will do more than introduce ideas. I hope they encourage every leader to pause and ask one simple question:

What is it like to work with me?

Because people respond to the environment their leaders create with trust or distrust. – Everything else follows.

Trust-Based Leadership: Back to Basics – A 6-Part Series