Trust is the confidence that people will act in good faith, do what they say, and treat one another with respect. In a startup, it is not a soft extra. When leaders trust the team, people are more willing to improve, accept responsibility, and take sensible risks without waiting for permission at every turn. section 22.2.1
A practical starting point is to assume the best before reacting. Someone may appear to have made a mistake, but the first impression may be wrong. Calmly finding out what happened protects the relationship; publicly attacking people, especially in angry email, can destroy it quickly. section 22.2.1
Trustworthy management pairs respect with follow-through:
- Treat people like adults rather than asserting authority through demeaning or patronizing behavior. section 22.2.1
- Trust people to act independently, while verifying work rather than replacing trust with constant suspicion. section 22.2.1
- Share bad news honestly and transparently so distance from leadership does not become distrust. section 22.2.1
- Avoid workplace politics, which weakens the sense that people are part of the same effort. section 22.2.1
Trust across teams
A team cannot align around a strategy if its members do not like, respect, and trust one another. Make cross-team dependencies visible, celebrate shared wins, and create chances for people to know each other outside their usual work interactions. Those habits make collaboration less like a handoff between strangers. section 22.3.2
Trust also needs communication when plans change. Repeatedly explain the new strategy, why it changed, and how each role is affected. Leaders can then check understanding by talking directly with people, not merely broadcasting an announcement. section 22.3.2
Remote wandering around
Informal contact can continue when a team is remote. Managers used Slack to ask whether someone was available and Google Meet links for quick face-to-face conversations, preserving the habit of checking in and clarifying roles. section 22.3.2
The practical moral: give people respect and room to act, communicate candidly when circumstances change, and verify without treating every colleague as a problem waiting to happen. section 22.2.1 section 22.3.2
