The 5 Signals Senior Leaders Scan For Before They Trust You

Jan 26, 2026

They unpack how senior leaders grant trust based on reducing uncertainty rather than past performance. Concepts include defining your value perimeter versus a fading job description. Learn to underwrite decisions by pricing costs of action and inaction. Explore consequence literacy—prioritizing stability over being right—and bilingual translation between technical teams and the C-suite.

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INSIGHT

Trust Is A Prediction, Not A Reward

Enterprise trust is a predictive assessment, not a reward for past performance.
Senior leaders grant trust to those who reduce the cost of uncertainty.

ADVICE

Define A Value Perimeter

Replace your job description with a value perimeter defined by outcomes leadership trusts you to uphold.
Expand capacity beyond that perimeter to become promotable as roles decay over time.

ADVICE

Underwrite Your Decisions

Stop only executing and start underwriting decisions by pricing the cost and probability of loss.
Always evaluate the cost of not acting as well as the cost of acting.

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Promotions are risk reallocation, not performance rewards. If you are ready to shift how leadership assesses you, apply for a strategy call here: https://m.masteryinsights.com/application

What is Enterprise Trust?

Enterprise Trust is a prediction mechanism used by senior leadership where confidence is granted not based on past performance or role mastery, but on an operator's ability to forecast pipeline volatility. Unlike interpersonal trust, Enterprise Trust is a risk assessment of your ability to see what is coming and reduce the cost of uncertainty before it creates damage or delay within the organization.

Key Concepts:

- Value Perimeter: A strategic boundary defined by the outcomes leadership trusts you to uphold, distinct from your "Job Description" which is merely a decaying list of tasks.

- Executive Underwriting: The mental shift from asking "Can I do this?" to valuating the economic reality of a decision. It requires pricing the cost of inaction and the probability of loss rather than seeking validation.

- Consequence Literacy: The ability to prioritize homeostasis (stability) over brilliance (being correct). It is the skill of identifying and reducing unwanted surprises in a complex ecosystem.

- Bilingual Translation: The capacity to speak both the technical language of direct reports and the enterprise-level language of meaning required by the C-Suite.

Which is blocking promotions more in your environment:

A) internal politics/visibility or B) enterprise trust (your ability to reduce uncertainty)?

Show notes and free resources:
https://CareerRevisionist.com/episode227

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