247: David Horsager — What Makes a Trusted Leader?

Feb 17, 2021

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Are you working on the right things as a leader? When leaders struggle with influence, direction, and having everyone work together as a team, the key component that might be missing is trust. Today’s guest has more on how you can build this vital skill.

David Horsager, MA, CSP, CPAE, is the CEO of TrustEdge Leadership Institute, national bestselling author of The Trust Edge, inventor of the Enterprise Trust Index, and director of one of the nation’s foremost trust studies: The Trust Outlook. David has developed an eight-pillar framework to help build trust quickly.

David started his entrepreneurial journey from humble beginnings and rented out a $350 windowless apartment with no bathroom or kitchen, and black mold growing alongside the walls. When you have a dream, nothing will stop you.

People say that you need someone to like you in order for them to trust you. That’s not true. There’s a ton of people you might not like, but you still trust them to get the job done. Have a leadership problem? No, you don’t. You have a trust problem. People might think you have a communication issue or a sales pipeline issue… nope! It goes back to trust.

David conducted a study asking if people lead with trust first and withdraw when it’s been broken or lead with skepticism first and then build trust over time. Americans answered this question 50/50. That’s what leaders are working with. What’s true overall is it’s hard to gain trust and accountability if people feel like you don’t care about them at all.

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