Trust: The Invisible Engine of High Performing Teams

“Trust is built when someone is vulnerable and not taken advantage of.” – Brené Brown

As I work through the Managing People and Organisations unit in my Master of Business Psychology, one theme keeps leaping off the page and into my real-world consulting work: trust. It is not just an academic concept. Trust is the difference between a team that flourishes and one that flounders. Whether I am coaching a business team, running a wellness workshop, or reading a dense journal article for an assignment, trust continues to emerge as the invisible thread that holds everything together.

Recently, I worked with an organisation that had gone through significant operational change. Morale was low, communication felt fractured, and staff were hesitant to speak up in meetings. It was a textbook case of lost psychological safety. Drawing from what I had been learning about trust and team dynamics, I introduced a few small but deliberate changes, beginning with the leadership team. We had open conversations about communication, role clarity, and follow-through. Slowly, the energy began to shift. People started contributing ideas more freely, leaders asked better questions, and checking in became a genuine habit rather than a box to tick.

This is exactly what the research describes. Trust lays the foundation for psychological safety, the kind that encourages people to speak up, share incomplete ideas, and admit mistakes without fear of judgment. When that foundation is solid, collaboration and innovation do not just become possible, they become the norm.

What I am seeing again and again is that trust turns strategy into action. It transforms a top-down directive into a shared mission. When people trust their leaders and each other, they do not just comply, they commit. That commitment does not only show up in project milestones. It is reflected in wellbeing, retention, and psychosocial safety.

Of course, trust is not built through one-off workshops, it grows through consistent, everyday behaviours. One of the studies I reviewed recently (Breuer et al., 2020) highlights three key elements that underpin trust across all team types, reliability, competence, and benevolence. When someone consistently follows through on their commitments, shares their expertise openly, and genuinely supports their colleagues, trust deepens. And when leaders model these behaviours, trust spreads across the whole team.

I have witnessed where trust breaks down. In one organisation I supported, the culture was so heavily focused on being “like family” that no one challenged decisions or raised difficult issues. On the surface, it seemed warm and inclusive. But underneath, people were afraid of creating conflict. What I have come to understand through both experience and study is this: warmth without clarity is not trust, it is avoidance. People need to feel cared for, yes, but they also need to know that expectations are clear, feedback is welcomed, and accountability matters.

Through my studies and hands-on consulting, I have identified five habits that help leaders and teams build trust in meaningful and lasting ways:

Be reliably consistent. Follow through on your promises. Meet even the smallest deadlines. Communicate delays before they become problems. Show people they can depend on you.

Lead with vulnerability. Be honest about your own mistakes. Let others see that you are human. When leaders create space for openness, psychological safety grows.

Make your values visible. Do not assume everyone shares the same understanding of what matters. Spell it out. Be clear about non-negotiables and create shared clarity.

Adapt with empathy. Especially in remote or culturally diverse teams, ask questions like, “What does trust look like from your perspective?” Then really listen to the answer.

Celebrate integrity. Acknowledge the team members who quietly follow through. Value consistency, not just big wins. It is this behaviour that builds a strong and sustainable culture.

Every workplace I enter reinforces this truth: It is the silent engine behind performance, wellbeing, psychosocial safety and long-term business success. And as I continue to deepen my learning through the Master of Business Psychology, it is incredibly fulfilling to see these concepts come to life. They are not just theories; they are tools that make a real and measurable difference.

What is one small action you can take today to show your team that you trust them and that they can trust you? Maybe it is asking for their input, owning a mistake, or giving someone more space to lead.

Start there. Because trust is not just what makes teams function. It is what makes them great.