Kedron Rhodes

Change is hard. It’s even harder when trust is missing.

A friend of mine—an executive—has been leading his organization through a period of transformation. There are structural shifts, new teams, revised roles, and, inevitably, a few difficult departures. It’s all intended to move the organization forward, but the process has surfaced something deeper: a deficit of trust.

What’s emerged is something I’ve seen echoed in countless other teams—when trust breaks down, even the best strategies falter. Change slows to a crawl. Decisions are questioned. Momentum stalls. And yet, trust isn’t some vague ideal; it’s actionable, earnable, repairable. Leaders can either cultivate it with care or erode it with neglect.

I’ve been reflecting on the hidden cost of mistrust—not just in organizations, but in society at large. We’ve grown skeptical, maybe even cynical, about authority, institutions, and each other. But we don’t have to stay that way. Trust is a renewable resource. With effort, transparency, and the courage to be vulnerable, we can start to rebuild it.

We all carry scars from places where trust broke down. And yet we also carry the capacity to help rebuild it—in our teams, our systems, and our culture. Let’s not give up on that.

Rebuilding Trust Within Organizations 🧱

This Systems Thinker piece begins with a story that many will find familiar: a manager, facing layoffs, trying to do the right thing for his people. From there, it unpacks the deep relational and systemic challenges organizations face when trust has been broken. The article explores how leadership behaviors, cultural norms, and communication dynamics intertwine to either fortify or fracture trust. Practical, human-centered, and rich with insight, it’s a useful read for anyone trying to build (or rebuild) something better. (Read More →)

Photo by Katelyn Greer on Unsplash

🪏 Take it a bit deeper with these…

🧭 Leadership

• Why Trust in Leaders Is Faltering and How to Gain It Back — Gallup unpacks why employees are losing faith in leadership and lays out what trustworthy leaders actually do differently. Data-driven and direct.

• 5 Steps for Restoring Employee Trust After a Layoff — Layoffs leave more than just empty desks. SHRM offers a roadmap for mending morale and regaining trust during turbulent transitions.

• A Framework for Leading Through Uncertainty — When the path isn’t clear, this framework helps leaders create direction, alignment, and commitment—even when answers are few.

• Why Buy-In Is the Most Overlooked Factor in Business Growth — Without buy-in, even the best ideas stall. This article makes the case that belief—not just strategy—is what truly moves businesses forward.

• How to Rebuild Trust: Lessons from Edelman’s Trust Barometer 2025 — Misinformation, inequality, and institutional breakdowns are eroding trust everywhere. This piece offers actionable recommendations from Edelman’s latest report.

• 7 Reasons Why Change Management Strategies Fail and How to Avoid Them — Planning change is easy. Navigating the human messiness of it? That’s harder. Harvard DCE breaks down the common pitfalls—and how to sidestep them.

• The Neuroscience of Trust — Paul Zak’s research dives into the chemistry behind trust and how leaders can use eight specific behaviors to foster it. Practical, science-backed, and surprisingly human.

• The Trust Crisis — From Facebook to Boeing, major organizations have struggled to hold public trust. This piece asks: What happens when faith in institutions fails—and what can leaders do about it?

• Why Trust Matters at Work — Fear kills innovation. This short piece from SHRM explains why creating a culture of trust is essential to any team’s growth.

• Trust As A Systemic Structure in Our Organizations — Trust isn’t just relational—it’s structural. This essay explores how the design of our systems influences how much we can (or can’t) trust them.

👋 Sign-Off

If you lead a team, I hope these links will help you build a culture of trust. Maybe you’re in an environment where trust is thin—what can you do to be the antidote? Or maybe it’s time to step away from a place that consistently breaks trust. Wherever you are, you have agency. Let’s do our part to rebuild what’s been lost.

Thanks for reading — see you next week.

⁓ Kedron

P.S. Indulge a proud-dad moment: My youngest graduated high school this past week and I couldn’t be more proud of the young man he’s becoming! Love you buddy!

Photo from awards night L2R: Summa cum laude, Valedictorian, Summa cum laude, Lordy Come Quickly