Trust Is the Quiet Test Every Boss Is Taking

Every boss is being tested, quietly, every day. Not on strategy or results, but on something far simpler: trust. Your team won’t hand you a report card, but they’re always asking one question “Am I safe with you?”

When the answer is yes, people share ideas, admit mistakes, and stretch themselves. When it’s no, they protect, retreat, and play it safe. And a safe team might look calm, but it’s rarely creative.

The Trust Equation

The Trust Equation, first introduced in The Trusted Advisor by David Maister, Charles Green, and Robert Galford, breaks something soft and subjective into something practical and measurable:

Trust = (Credibility + Reliability + Vulnerability) ÷ Self-Interest

It’s not about being perfect. It’s about being safe. When you move from boss to coach, this equation becomes your compass.

Credibility: Do I believe you?

Bosses rely on authority. Coaches build credibility. Credibility doesn’t come from your title. It comes from your thinking, listening, and honesty. You grow it by asking good questions, sharing what you know, and admitting what you don’t. When a leader says, “That’s a good question. I’m not sure, but let’s find out,” credibility rises, not falls. It’s what stops groupthink and opens space for better ideas.

Reliability: Can I count on you?

This is where trust turns from words into action. Reliability is consistency. It’s how you show up, keep your promises, and follow through. It’s being predictable in the best way so people know what to expect from you. It’s also not what you do, but also who you are. Try reinforcing it with small phrases like “as promised.” That’s how trust moves from assumption to proof.

Vulnerability: Is it safe to be real with you?

This is the part many bosses skip because it feels risky. But coaches know vulnerability is what unlocks connection. It’s not oversharing. It’s openness. It’s saying, “Here’s something I’m still learning,” or “That meeting didn’t land how I hoped.”

When you go first, your team follows. As Brené Brown puts it:

“Trust is choosing to make something important to you vulnerable to the actions of someone else.”

When you lead that way, you give others permission to do the same. That’s when honesty replaces politeness.

Self-Interest: Who is this really for?

This part sits quietly underneath everything. When your actions are driven by your own win, people sense it. When your actions serve shared success, trust multiplies. Coaches care about growth on both sides, theirs and their team’s. They ask questions that lift others, not themselves.

Ask yourself: “Do my people believe their success matters as much to me as my own?” If the answer is yes, you’re already building trust.

The real equation of leadership

Credibility, reliability, and vulnerability are what your team can see. Self-interest is what they can feel. You can be smart, organised, and consistent, but if people think it’s all about you, trust falls apart.

When you lead from control, people hold back. When you lead from care, people lean in. Because trust isn’t a one-time achievement. It’s built in every conversation, every promise kept, every moment of honesty. That’s the quiet test every boss is taking and the best ones are passing it without saying a word.