Can you explain trust — in under a minute?

Trust matters everywhere — with customers, your people, investors, regulators, and the media. But most importantly: do you know how to build more trust?

That’s because trust isn’t a soft, vague idea — it has clear causality. If I trust you more, I recommend you more, buy from you more, stay loyal, and advocate for you. It’s how we make decisions.

Sociologist Niklas Luhmann once described trust as “blinkers that narrow the view.” The more you are trusted, the fewer alternatives your audience even sees or considers. The most trusted doesn’t just win — they become the only real choice. And that shows in every measure that boards and executives care about.

It’s not just about being trusted for the basics — reliability, compliance, delivering what’s promised. Most can reach that level. The real advantage comes from going beyond, earning trust for the things your audience would love to trust you for, but that only you can credibly deliver.

And the gains are exponential:

• With every little bit more trust, customers are twice as likely to recommend, buy, and stay loyal.

• Your people’s engagement doubles with every little bit more trust.

• Communities and regulators see you as twice as reputable.

  
  

As a leader, you need to ask:

• Can you explain to your teams how to build more trust?

• Do they know how to measure and manage it?

• Do they understand how trust drives the KPIs you want them to achieve?

  
  

Trust isn’t a side issue. It is the driver. The question is whether you’re managing it with the same rigor as your financials.

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