Trust isn’t a feeling — it’s a system signal.
When trust drops, performance follows.
In one of our workshops this week, a leader said, “We’ve got good people, but we don’t trust each other yet.” It’s a line I hear often — and it always tells me something about the system, not the individuals.
Trust doesn’t appear because we tell people to collaborate. It grows when the conditions for success — clarity, purpose, safety, and structure — are in place. And it disappears when pace, fear, or uncertainty take over.
When leaders slow down long enough to notice where trust is thinning, they gain one of the most powerful diagnostic tools they have. Because trust isn’t just emotional — it’s the system’s feedback loop telling us where pressure and misalignment are hiding.
At CPEM, we see trust as a measurable part of system health — the signal that tells leaders when it’s time to pause, reflect, and reset.
How do you notice when trust in your team is shifting — and what do you do first?
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