Welcome to this episode of The Leader’s Journey Podcast, where we take a deep dive into one of the most foundational — and often fragile — elements of leadership and community: trust. In this extended conversation, we explore how trust gets broken, why it's so emotionally charged, and what it really takes to rebuild it — both in relationships and within organizations. Whether you're a leader trying to repair harm, or someone deciding whether to trust again, this conversation is for you.
Trust is a two-way street: Both parties play a role in either building or breaking trust. It’s not about assigning equal blame, but about seeing the complexity of the system we’re part of.
There are different kinds of trust: Sincerity, reliability, competence, and care — and naming which one was broken matters.
The emotional impact matters: It's not enough to just hear feedback; trust repair requires acknowledging and connecting to the pain your actions caused.
Restoration is mutual: Even after an apology, the other person has to “let it count” for trust to begin to rebuild..
Trust takes time: Just because someone is trying to change doesn’t mean trust will instantly be restored. Rebuilding is often slow, with regular check-ins along the way.
Trust yourself: At the end of the day, we each have to develop trust in our own capacity to be okay, even if trust isn’t fully restored with someone else.
The Thin Book of Trust by Charles Feltman