
FranklinCovey On Leadership Minda Harts: Bringing Trust Back to the Center of Work
Dec 2, 2025
Minda Harts, a bestselling author and workplace equity expert, delves into her book, Talk to Me Nice, sharing the seven trust languages that can transform workplace dynamics. She emphasizes that trust is a daily leadership practice, critical for fostering transparency, acknowledgment, and security in teams. Minda discusses the importance of middle managers in shaping culture and offers actionable strategies to rebuild trust, linking it to productivity and retention. Her insights challenge leaders to close expectation gaps and prioritize trust as essential to organizational success.
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From Personal Pain To Public Platform
- Minda Harts started The Memo after feeling 'othered' in corporate America and discovering her experience was shared by many.
- Her blog grew into a book and a movement that affirmed agency for women of color in the workplace.
Trust Is The Underlying Issue
- Trust underlies many workplace complaints like 'I don't trust HR' because unmet expectations sit beneath the surface.
- Treating trust as the core topic broadens solutions beyond identity-specific issues.
Trust Languages Explain Mismatches
- People build and receive trust in different ways; mismatches create friction even when intentions are good.
- Mapping seven 'trust languages' helps identify what each person actually needs to feel trusted.







