Let’s be honest with each other, managing people is rarely a gentle stroll through the park. It’s a demanding, high-wire act of balancing ambition, coordination and genuine care. You’re on the hook to deliver results, foster a team that’s genuinely switched on, and somehow exceed every expectation. But here’s the question that really counts: are you truly inspiring excellence, or are you just firefighting resistance, pushing past delays, and navigating a sea of quiet disengagement?
If your team’s energy feels off, the first temptation is often to look at the people you’ve hired. But before you leap to that conclusion, it pays to look in the mirror. More often than not, the problem isn’t a lack of performance, but a subtle erosion of trust.
Why Trust Isn’t a ‘Soft Skill’, It’s Your Operational Core
Trust isn’t some fluffy, nice-to-have sentiment; it’s the operational backbone of any team worth its salt. When it’s missing, morale plummets, engagement evaporates, and productivity inevitably wobbles. And here’s the part that’s not up for debate: the responsibility for building and maintaining that trust begins and ends with you, the leader. Let’s look at four common managerial slip-ups that can poison the well, and how to steer clear of them.
1. The ‘Reward’ That Backfires: Promoting Great Talent into the Wrong Job
I’m sure we’ve all seen this unfold. Picture Kathy, a fantastic graphic designer you hired to give your website a much-needed overhaul. Her creative flair is undeniable. So, what do you do? You promote her, naturally, to lead the content writing team. A few weeks on, her output has fallen off a cliff and Kathy seems completely adrift. What on earth has gone wrong?
You’ve taken someone who was absolutely flying in their area of brilliance and shunted them into a role that has little to do with their core skills. Kathy isn’t failing; you’ve simply misjudged her strengths. The result? Her confidence takes a beating, and the team’s trust in your judgement starts to fray.
What Exceptional Leaders Do:
They see promotions as opportunities to accelerate growth, not just as a pat on the back for past work. Talent needs careful alignment, not lazy assumptions. When people feel misunderstood or misplaced, it’s a fast track to disengagement.
Rebuild Trust:
It’s time for an honest conversation. Acknowledge the mismatch, sit down with her, offer coaching or mentoring, and figure out if a course correction is needed. Whether that means refining the role or getting her specific skills support, the aim is simple: let your talent do what it does best. That’s the space where trust and peak performance meet.
2. The Curse of the Vague Brief: When We Fail to Communicate with Precision
Now, let’s think about Robert, your new salesperson, full of drive and ready to go. You set him loose to generate leads. By the end of the week, he’s buzzing, presenting you with a list of new contacts. But a quick look reveals he’s been targeting entirely the wrong industry sector. You’re baffled. He’s deflated. And trust takes another hit.
The issue here wasn’t a lack of motivation on Robert’s part. He just didn’t have a clear map to follow.
What Often Happens:
As managers, we assume our instructions have landed with the clarity we intended. But communication isn’t about what you say; it’s about what the other person understands. In any fast-moving business, ambiguity is your silent saboteur.
Rebuild Trust:
You have to define what success looks like right from the very beginning. Give people detailed direction, which includes not just the goals but also the boundaries, key expectations, and the wider context. Foster a culture where asking questions is seen as a sign of intelligence, not weakness. In that kind of open environment, trust thrives, and these kinds of missteps become valuable lessons, not terminal fractures.
3. Forgetting the ‘Why’: Issuing Tasks Without Context
Let’s turn to Mary, one of your seasoned marketing professionals. You ask her to get a new campaign moving. Two weeks later, she presents a fully-formed campaign, ready to launch and beaming with pride. The problem? You were expecting a concept proposal, not a finished product ready for roll-out. Confusion reigns.
Mary’s effort and dedication weren’t the problem at all. The real issue was that she was missing the ‘why’, the crucial story behind the task.
The Core Leadership Miss:
When we neglect to provide context, we effectively rob our teams of their agency. They cease to be strategic thinkers and become simple task-doers instead. And in that vacuum, misalignment is almost inevitable.
Rebuild Trust:
Every single task deserves its ‘why’. Take the time to explain the broader mission and frame the ultimate purpose. When your team understands the impact their work has, they become more invested, more agile, and far more accurate. Empowerment begins with understanding, and that understanding is what truly builds trust.
4. The One-Size-Fits-All Trap: Ignoring How People Actually Work
Every team you lead is a complex mosaic of different minds. Some people do their best work in a flurry of collaboration; others need quiet solitude to think deeply. The problems start not because of these differences, but when we pretend they don’t exist.
When we try to force a uniform way of working onto everyone, we don’t just dilute excellence; we send a clear signal that we don’t value the individual.
People-First Leadership:
This is about tuning into individual preferences, not trying to standardise behaviours. Yes, tools like DISC assessments can offer a useful starting point for decoding work styles, but the real magic happens when you shift your mindset. Do you view this diversity in how people deliver work as a challenge to be managed, or as a strategic advantage to be harnessed?
Rebuild Trust:
Adapt your approach. If someone on your team needs more time to process information, give them that space. If another thrives on spontaneity, find ways to channel that energy productively. It’s about celebrating neurodiversity, introversion, extroversion and everything in between. Trust flourishes when people feel they are seen and stretched, not squashed into a box.
Trust Isn’t a Perk; It’s the Entire Operating System
Trust isn’t something that sits quietly on the sidelines. It is the very rhythm that powers every strong organisation. Without it, your team will always feel like a collection of disconnected parts, rather than a cohesive, powerful engine. With it, you unlock incredible alignment, energy and resilience.
So, here’s the real take-home message:
Great management isn’t about ticking off tasks on a list. It’s about being tuned in. Align roles with real talent. Communicate with precision and care. Share the purpose behind the work. Honour the individual rhythms of your people. When you do all this, you’re not just avoiding mistakes; you’re actively architecting a culture where people can truly thrive.
That isn’t just management.
That’s leadership.
