Clarity Builds Trust

Cathie Leimbach • July 12, 2022

“People trust the clear and mistrust the ambiguous,” says David Horsager. “Everything of value is built on trust, … and the root of most problems is a lack of trust.”

The foundation on which trust is built is clarity. We don’t trust an organization to be ethical if we aren’t clear on its values and how it serves its customers. We don’t trust that our manager will be satisfied with our work if we aren’t clear on what she expects us to accomplish. We don’t trust that our unexpected medical expenses will be covered by insurance if we aren’t clear about our workplace benefits.

A clear vision and mission supported by clarity around core values unifies team members. When everyone is working towards the same outcomes and is committed to the same standards, they are more likely to trust that their colleagues will fulfill their roles.

When employees know precisely what they are expected to accomplish each day and are clear about how to get the desired results, they trust that they can succeed and their efforts will be valued. This builds workplace morale.

When managers and peers acknowledge what an individual is doing well and give specific feedback on how they could improve their performance, employees know what to keep doing and what changes to make to be even more effective. This increases a team member’s trust in having a secure job.

On the other hand, when employees aren’t certain which work is most important this week or today and don’t feel confident that they are doing their job correctly, they may worry about the security of their job. They may not trust that their supervisor cares about their success at work. This often decreases energy, productivity, workplace satisfaction, and attendance.  In turn, it weakens morale and trust.

Achieving clarity requires leaders to agree on the organization’s focus and priorities and put their decisions in writing. Expectations must be communicated to everyone involved, ideally both orally and in writing. It is best when supervisors ask employees daily to state their current priorities to ensure accurate communication.

Leadership clarity is the foundation of employee productivity and workplace success. How clearly are you communicating? What level of trust are you generating in your organization?

The Power of Strategic Choice: Making Room for What Matters

By Cathie Leimbach • November 10, 2025
In most organizations, the instinct is to add —more goals, more projects, more meetings. But as Juliet Funt, founder of the Juliet Funt Group, teaches in her Strategic Choice process, real leadership strength lies in deciding what to stop doing . Strategic Choice is the intentional narrowing of priorities—cutting away the clutter so teams can focus on what truly drives results. It’s a disciplined act of letting go: saying no to good ideas so there’s room for the great ones. Funt’s approach challenges leaders to pause, think, and create the mental and operational space their people need to perform at their best. By removing unnecessary tasks and misplaced effort, leaders make room for precision, innovation, and real thinking time. This isn’t about doing less—it’s about doing what matters most. When businesses adopt this mindset, they replace overwhelm with clarity and regain control of their time, energy, and outcomes. For small to mid-sized companies, embracing Strategic Choice can transform busyness into focus—and that focus is where sustainable growth begins. Want a quick visual overview? View Strategic Choice: Making Room for What Matters to see how this process helps leaders focus on what truly drives results.

Unlock Your Team's Potential: Fix Dysfunction, Boost the Bottom Line!

By Cathie Leimbach • November 4, 2025
Hey team leaders! Ever wonder why some companies soar while others stumble? Patrick Lencioni's bestseller, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team , nails it: workplace dysfunctions such as no trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoiding accountability, and ignoring results lead to mediocre performance at best. But here's the good news—smart leadership development changes the game! Start with building trust . Train leaders to open up and be vulnerable. Teams bond, ideas flow, and costly mistakes drop. Next, embrace healthy conflict . Teach team leaders to make it safe for team members to share the pros and cons of current or new ways of doing things. This helps everyone understand different perspectives. Then, drive commitment . Leaders who clarify goals, ask everyone to share their level of buy-in, and address their concerns get everyone bought in. People focus on high value work and get more done. . Hold folks accountable through coaching. Leaders learn to give kind, direct feedback by praising good work and calmly providing more training as needed. Turnover plummets and the quality and quantity of work improves. Finally, focus on results . Be clear on expectations. Keep score by monitoring progress weekly or daily. Acknowledge team wins when the goals are met. Winning sports teams pay attention to these Five Behaviors of a Team. How would a World Series winner have been determined this week without trust among the players and coaches, openness to tough coaching, the whole team working together, players focusing on their specific positions, and getting players around the bases to get the top score? Every workplace can benefit from these team behaviors as well. Lencioni's research proves it: Companies who prepare their leaders to overcome these 5 common workplace dysfunctions, improve the culture and see huge financial gains. Invest in your leaders today. Your bottom line will thank you! Click here to learn more about the painful cost of team dysfunction.