Building trust.

There really is a formula for trust at work

"Trust is the glue of life. It's the foundational principle that holds all relationships."

- Stephen Covey

Why it matters

In many organisations, trust is expected — but rarely treated as a skill. We assume it should “just be there”. In reality, trust is fragile, context-dependent and easily damaged.

What tends to break down?

Collaboration becomes cautious or superficial
Information is filtered or withheld
Delegation feels risky and control increases
Conflicts remain unspoken or escalate

Why is this so difficult?
Because trust is not a rational choice. It is largely driven by automatic brain processes that continuously assess: Is this person competent? Are they reliable? Do they have my best interests at heart?

What happens if organisations ignore this?

Teams slow down and lose agility
Leaders start micromanaging
Employees disengage or leave

This is not about good intentions or motivation. Trust follows predictable behavioural mechanisms— which means it can be deliberately built and repaired.

What this enables

After this programme, participants are better able to:

Build trust deliberately in everyday interactions
Strengthen communication and collaboration, even under pressure
Delegate more effectively and foster ownership

The focus is on observable behaviour, not abstract concepts.

Our approach

This programme is grounded in behavioural science, cognitive psychology and decision science.

We start from one core insight: Trust is built in the brain through an interplay of fast, emotional processes and slower, deliberate reasoning.

That is why we focus on:

how trust operates in system 1 and system 2 thinking
the rational and emotional components of trust
concrete behaviours and communication strategies that increase trust

All learning is anchored in real cases from participants’ own work context.

Programme

1. What is trust? Why is it important?

Defining trust
The effects of broken trust at work
The importance of trust in the workplace

2. The Elements of Trust

What does trust imply for our brain? Link with system-1 thinking (emotional elements) and system-2 thinking (rational elements)
Rational versus emotional elements of trust
Trust building in different contexts and in relation to different personalities (i.e. how different personality types value different elements of trust)

3. Trust Building Strategies

Rational domain strategies
Emotional domain strategies
Communication-related strategies

4. Trust Building Action Plan

Self-assessment of strengths and areas for improvement
Action plan for building trust in your own workplace

Format

In-company training, 1 day
Practical, interactive and case-driven

Curious what deliberate trust-building could unlock in your organisation?

A short conversation is often the best start.

Book a short call