Trust didn’t break in a crisis.
There was no blow-up. No conflict. No moment where everything visibly broke.
In fact, if you had looked at my team from the outside, you would have said we were performing exactly as we should. Targets were being hit. Stakeholders were aligned.
I had strong proximity to the executive leadership team, and decisions were moving quickly.
Everything looked like success.
But something had shifted—and I missed it.
At first, it showed up in ways that were easy to misinterpret. Meetings became more efficient. Decisions were made faster.
There was less friction, less debate, less challenge. Conversations felt cleaner, more streamlined.
I told myself the story most leaders tell in that moment: this is what alignment looks like.
But it wasn’t alignment.
It was hesitation.
The moment it became undeniable wasn’t dramatic. It was subtle, which made it more confronting.
I asked a question in a team session—one that should have triggered discussion, disagreement, different perspectives.
Instead, I got silence.
Then a few safe answers.
Then quick agreement.
And we moved on.
After the meeting, someone I trusted pulled me aside and said:
“People aren’t pushing back because you’re too close to the exec team.”
That was the moment everything clicked.
Not because it was surprising, but because it explained everything I had been seeing but not understanding.
I had believed my proximity to senior leadership was an asset for my team. I thought it created clarity, alignment, and speed.
What I hadn’t considered was the other side of that equation.
To them, it created risk.
If they disagreed with me, what did that signal?
If they challenged a view, was that seen as misalignment with the executive team?
Would it impact how they were perceived, or even their progression?
No one said these things out loud.
They didn’t need to.
The behaviour told the story.
And that’s how trust erodes—not through conflict, but through caution.
Silence replaces honesty. Agreement replaces thinking.
And as a leader, if you’re not paying close attention, it can look exactly like high performance.
This experience fundamentally changed how I think about trust.
It’s not just about creating psychological safety.
It’s about reducing perceived risk.
So ask yourself:
Are people aligned with you—or managing you?