In the workplace, trust is everywhere. From the hiring interview where the recruiter places confidence in a candidate, to the candidate who in turn places their trust in the company by joining it, to the manager who, by delegating various tasks, also demonstrates trust in their team.
Trust: an essential but demanding asset.
In an environment like digital, where innovation is both rapid and constant, or in communications where audience expectations change in real time, trust is a sine qua non condition for moving forward with agility and performing effectively.
Yet today, this trust is being put to the test. Faced with the great resignation, phenomena of quiet quitting and growing employee disengagement, it becomes a critical resource to (re)build. Employees are not just leaving positions; they are also distancing themselves from a certain relationship with work—sometimes due to lack of recognition, clarity, or purpose.
Trust can no longer be implicit: it must be nurtured, verified, and reciprocal to be effective.
Managers in these sectors must understand that trust is not a blank check, but rather a balance between delegation and accountability. It is not about relying solely on the goodwill of employees, but ensuring they are equipped, prepared, and supported to make the right decisions.
The dangers of blind trust: the importance of verification.
While trust is a performance lever, blind trust can become a pitfall. Managers may be tempted to fully delegate certain responsibilities, but the risks are real. Not questioning decisions, not monitoring results or not analyzing customer feedback can lead to drift or lack of consistency in actions taken.
Not questioning decisions, not monitoring results, or not analyzing customer feedback can lead to deviations, a loss of purpose or lack of consistency in actions—all weak signals that, if undetected, fuel disengagement.
As Jean-Paul Sartre summarized it: “Trust is gained in drops and lost in buckets.” A poor judgment call, lack of listening, or managerial inconsistency can undo months, sometimes years, of relational effort.
Trust must therefore be combined with evaluation: assessing progress, project results, and being ready to adjust direction if necessary. Managers must adopt a coaching stance, without overcontrolling, but by establishing regular checkpoints.
A concrete example in digital marketing.
Take the example of Netflix. The streaming giant relies on trust in data, but also on mutual trust between creative teams and technical departments. Marketing teams are empowered and have the resources needed to continuously test, adjust their strategies, and promote content in a targeted way.
However, this trust is also measured. Every campaign is tracked, results are analyzed in real time, and adjustments are made quickly to maximize impact. This ability to combine trust and monitoring, autonomy and responsibility, is the key to sustainable team engagement and success.
From trust in individuals to trust in a result.
In the professional world as elsewhere, trust is built, given, and sometimes lost. It evolves based on situations, interactions, and the organizational climate. Finding the balance is not easy. While trust is at the heart of relationships, it materializes in what we produce together.
It means shifting the focus too often centered on people, to refocus it on concrete results, as the center of collective work.
The manager’s stance—like that of employees—is central to everyone’s ability to trust themselves and trust others. Giving responsibilities, fostering the expression of skills, verifying, evaluating, challenging constructively is a guarantee of performance and engagement.
Conversely, if these stances are not clear, or if verification is perceived as personal distrust, then trust erodes. And with it: motivation, work quality, and interpersonal relationships. Underperformance is never far behind.
Trust cannot be blind. It is essential, but must be accompanied by pragmatism, clear alignment on objectives, and benevolent rigor. This is how we can recreate the conditions for collective pride, job satisfaction — and sustainable performance.
