Building trust within an organization is a delicate, continuous process. It is a living dynamic built or eroded in the micro-moments of our daily interactions. This is especially true today, as we navigate an era of intense ambiguity and change, where teams are asked to pivot, experiment, and co-create in uncharted territory. 

In a recent panel discussion, I talked with dear colleagues and organizational trust experts Michelle Reina, PhD, and Dennis Reina, PhD, about how people can achieve trust-building communication, especially in this multi-gen, AI-driven workplace.

Our conversation revealed that trust isn't a static achievement. It’s an ongoing, reciprocal practice that requires sharp emotional intelligence, compassion, and learnable skills.

In this blog, I’ll share highlights from our discussion, which include invaluable insights and concrete steps you and your team can take to make trust-building a way of life.

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The Six Pillars of Trust-Building Communication

Trusted communication dictates both literally and figuratively how we speak with one another. The Reina’s framework consists of six core behaviors:

Sharing information: Providing pertinent context openly in service of clients and teams.

Telling the truth: Being honest, even when you aren't at liberty to share every detail.

Admitting mistakes: Showing humanity and giving others permission to do the same.

Giving and receiving constructive feedback: Embracing constructive feedback as a gift for growth.

Maintaining confidentiality: Protecting individual and organizational information.

Speaking with good purpose: Addressing issues directly and constructively without blame.

Let’s look at each pillar.

Share Information Iteratively

When data is scarce, or a situation is shifting rapidly, a natural human instinct is to hoard information until it is "fully baked." Example: Leaders often wait until they have 100% of the answers before communicating, fearing that sharing incomplete plans will cause panic.

According to Michelle, that is exactly backward. "Right now, sharing information iteratively, and in a way that invites dialogue, goes a long way," she explains. People are incredibly resilient. They understand that the corporate landscape is unfolding in real time, and they want to be a part of that process.

If you don't have new information to share during a period of transition, share that. Simply saying, "Here is where we stand, and this is what we know right now," stops the rumor mill before it starts. In the absence of information, people will naturally fill the vacuum by inventing their own narratives, and they are rarely positive.

Give Context and Tell the Truth

Sharing information is only half the battle; the context and intent behind it matter just as much.

Consider a quick message over Slack: "I need to know how many client escalations we received today." Without any context, the person receiving that message immediately experiences a spike in anxiety, wondering: Did I do something wrong? Am I in trouble?

Adding just one sentence, "I'm asking because I want to ensure we have enough coverage for tomorrow," completely changes the fluid dynamic of the interaction.

Dennis also stresses the importance of avoiding the temptation to "spin" difficult truths. "The truth is rarely clean-cut; it's loaded with complexities. Leaders may want to provide a comfortable variation of the truth, but people can see right through that."

So, give people context, be clear about the facts, acknowledge what is out of your control, and ensure your actions align with your words.

Admit Mistakes Without Rationalization

For some, the hardest pill to swallow is the vulnerability required to admit when things go sideways. Many fear that owning up to a mistake will destroy their credibility.

"When a mistake unfolds, we often want to say we were tight on time or dealing with limited information. All of that may be true, but it is experienced as an excuse."

The Reinas' research proves the exact opposite. Michelle shared a powerful example of a senior executive at a nationwide commercial construction firm. Just minutes before stepping into a high-stakes board presentation, a team member confessed that a major financial calculation was profoundly wrong.

Instead of pointing fingers, playing the blame game, or trying to hide the error, the leader stood before the executive committee and led with complete transparency: "We're excited to be here with you today, but we're also in a very precarious position. My team has been working diligently, and it has just come to our attention that there is an error in some of the calculations."

The room went completely silent while everyone adjusted. Then, the CEO looked at them and said, "I want to thank you for the level of honesty you have just expressed." He then worked with them to map out the next steps.

What separates an acknowledgement that builds trust from one that erodes it? Rationalization.

"When a mistake unfolds, we often want to say we were tight on time or dealing with limited information," Michelle notes. "All of that may be true, but it is experienced as an excuse."

Instead, Michelle recommends a simple four-step structure when owning a mistake publicly:

     Acknowledge it clearly: State plainly that a mistake occurred.

     Take responsibility: Own your part without beating yourself up.

     Discuss the impact: Give voice to how it affected others.

     Commit forward: Share what you are learning and how you will fix it.

Dennis adds that when you model this, you give your team permission to do the same. "If you're not making mistakes, you're playing it safe. Mistakes will happen, but it’s how we handle them that gives birth to something greater."

Give and Receive Feedback as Guidance, Not Judgment

This habit is about normalizing the constant exchange of constructive feedback. Dennis points out that the biggest mistake people make is making feedback about judgment rather than development. "They wait too long, deliver it when they are emotionally upset, or focus on the person rather than the behavior," he says.

To build a high-trust feedback culture, we must also master receiving it. Michelle recalls a lesson from her mentor, feedback pioneer Dr. Charles Seashore: When someone gives you feedback, you are learning volumes about them. You learn what they need, what they value, and what their expectations are.

Lower the stakes by making feedback a frequent, casual conversation rather than a high-stakes event. When giving it, preface it with positive intentionality (e.g., "I'm sharing this because I believe in you and want to help you elevate your impact"). When receiving it, see it as a gift, and always close with a simple, genuine "Thank you."

Balance Transparency and Confidentiality

A common struggle, especially for leaders, is navigating the fine line between transparency and protecting confidential information. True transparency does not mean telling everyone everything. Instead, healthy transparency means being clear about what you do have permission to share.

Dennis noted that 90% of the ways trust is broken are minor and unintentional. Well-meaning people frequently breach confidence through subtle, everyday slips, such as looping people into emails too broadly, or casually sharing an employee’s private struggles (like health issues or upcoming parental leave) without explicit permission.

To avoid these accidental breaches, Michelle suggests asking three self-reflection questions before sharing information:

     Is this my information to share?

     Do I have permission?

     Am I sharing this to serve the individual or team,
     or just to relieve my own discomfort in holding a secret?

Listen to Michelle elaborate on these questions . . .

When you genuinely cannot share details, lean into authentic phrasing. For example, a leader can quiet anxiety by sharing that they intend to be fully transparent; but because certain details are currently in flight, they are not at liberty to share them yet. Then, they should commit to updating the team the moment they can. 

Speaking With Good Purpose: An Emotional Discipline

When asked which of the six behaviors leaders struggle with the most, Michelle answered instantly: Speaking with good purpose. I think it’s the case no matter your position in the organization.

Speaking with good purpose is the hardest to master because it acts as an emotional discipline before it ever becomes a communication style. When people are stressed, multitasking, defending their authority, or reacting emotionally, they are prone to weaponizing communication, often unconsciously. They may seek to "get even" or protect themselves rather than solve the problem.

Speaking with good purpose means that when you have an issue, you ground yourself first, and then go directly to the person or team involved. The explicit intent (the emotional discipline) must be to work through the issue constructively together, which means naming the concern clearly, addressing its impact, and omitting blame.

Michelle shared an example of a leader who noticed his team growing increasingly frustrated with uneven AI handoffs. Instead of issuing a top-down, heavy-handed reprimand, the leader waited until he was centered, brought the team together, and asked an open-ended question: “How are we all engaging with these tools? Where are we accidentally dismissing our own core knowledge, skills, or values?” Because he approached the issue with curiosity rather than blame, the team safely co-created guidelines for using the tools effectively.

The Roadmap to Rebuilding Trust

Despite our best intentions, trust breakdowns are inevitable, even when practicing trust-building communication. Rebuilding trust is the ultimate key to organizational sustainability. Michelle and Dennis outlined a three-step approach to repairing the bond when a confidence is broken. 

1. Acknowledge the Breakdown and Its Impact

When a leader makes a mistake, such as asking for team input on a major decision but moving forward before closing the input loop, the worst thing they can do is pretend nothing happened.

Better to get out ahead of it, giving voice to what happened without over-explaining. Going on too long weakens the acknowledgment, making it sound like self-protection, justification, or rationalization. Instead, simply name the issue, name the impact honestly, and create space for the team to express their questions and emotions. If emotions aren't given space, they go underground and become toxic.

2. Practice Active, Present Listening

Listening is sometimes the necessary first act of repairing trust, and it is not passive. It means making room for the truth of another person's experience without rushing to defend your original intent. The goal is not necessarily to agree with every single detail, but to deeply understand how the situation was experienced from their perspective. Leaders should explicitly ask what they might be missing from the other person's perspective.

Dennis expands on the importance of leaders listening well . . .

3. Establish Reciprocal Commitments

Trust is a two-way street. Repairing it cannot be a monologue where one person takes 100% of the responsibility while everyone else sits back to watch them fail.

Once you own your part and state your forward-looking commitment (e.g., building focused updates into weekly meetings), invite the team to participate in the solution. Rebuilding a bridge requires synergy, support, and a shared agreement on how the team will catch and help one another moving forward.

Final Thoughts

Trust isn't built by accident or in sweeping, grand gestures. Every single email, meeting, response, and decision is a "trust moment," a distinct opportunity to either build or break a bond.

The next time you face a workplace frustration, resist the urge to avoid it or react defensively. Take a pause, center your emotions, put on your curiosity hat, and find the opportunity to speak with good purpose.

Want to learn more?

Take advantage of these resources:

Watch the full Live! discussion about trust-building, plus all past events here. Or listen on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Also: Why Leadership Communication Drives Successful Change Management