Trust takes years to build ….
but only a minute to break.
I’ve seen it happen too many times. A leader, a colleague, or even a business partner spends years earning trust only to lose it in a single moment of poor judgment.
Trust is like a bank account. Every honest action is a deposit. Every broken promise is a withdrawal. And one major mistake? That can bankrupt it completely.
Here are three ways to protect trust in leadership and business:⤵️
1️⃣ Be brutally consistent.
People trust what they can predict. If your actions align with your words every single time, trust will naturally grow.
2️⃣ Own your mistakes immediately.
We all make errors. But hiding them, blaming others, or making excuses will destroy trust faster than the mistake itself. A simple “I got this wrong” can go a long way.
3️⃣ Never overpromise.
The easiest way to break trust? Say you’ll do something and fail to deliver. It’s always better to underpromise and overdeliver than the other way around.
‼️ Here’s the tough part: Once trust is broken, repairing it is 10x harder. Some relationships never recover.
So before making that questionable decision, before sending that hasty email, before saying “yes” to something you can’t follow through on, ask yourself: Is this worth the risk?
What’s your experience with trust in leadership and business? Have you seen it built or broken in an instant? – Ali Aydan
Ali Aydan: Trust takes years to build
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