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12-Point Checklist for Building and Maintaining Trust in Times of Uncertainty

As a leader, building and maintaining trust within your team is essential to foster resilience, promote collaboration, and ensure continuity. But how can leaders achieve this, especially in today’s ever-changing world, where uncertainty has become a constant? This 12-point checklist provides practical strategies and actionable steps to help leaders cultivate and sustain trust within their teams.
Jun 25 / Stephenson Mansell Group

This resource is available exclusively to paid subscribers.
Unlock access to our full library of resources by subscribing today. 

A 12-Point Checklist for Building and Maintaining Trust

This 12-point checklist organised into four key areas—Credibility, Reliability, Intimacy, and Selfless Orientation—provides a self-awareness framework to help leaders reflect on how their words, actions, emotions, and motives can help build and maintain trust.

Take the time to reflect on each of the questions and consider how you can build a foundation of trust that will empower your team to thrive, no matter what the future holds.
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1. Credibility (My Words): Am I being trustworthy in what I am saying?

Being credible in uncertain time means being current.

  • Am I familiar with the most recent developments pertinent to the situation at hand?

  • Do I know my organisation's point of view so that I am speaking in alignment with it?

  • Am I being authentic, transparent and direct (e.g. when I don't know I say so)?

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2. Reliability (My Actions): Am I walking my talk?

In uncertain times a lack of reliability heightens anxiety. Reliability creates an anchor of certainty.

  • Am I doing the right thing rather than just focusing on a specific outcome?

  • Am I setting and gaining buy-in on clear and realistic expectations and role modelling them?

  • Am I consistently role modelling good time management?

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3. Intimacy (My Emotions): Am I building psychological safety?

In the face of uncertainty there is a heightened sense of vulnerability. Emotional connection builds trust.

  • Am I doing the right thing rather than just focusing on a specific outcome?

  • Am I setting and gaining buy-in on clear and realistic expectations and role modelling them?

  • Am I consistently role modelling good time management?

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4. Selfless-orientation (My Motives): Am I acting selflessly?

Think people first. We are all facing into an existential threat.

  • Am I truly seeing things from their point of view?

  • Am I considering others at work as fellow humans facing into the same concerns?

  • Am I being truly caring and compassionate?


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By using this checklist to reflect on your words, actions, emotions, and motives, you can build and maintain trust within your team, even in the most uncertain times. Trust is the foundation upon which resilient and successful teams are built.

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