Building Trust with Strategic Partners

Trust doesn't come from your accomplishments. It comes from quiet moves like these: For years I thought I needed more experience, achievements, and wins to earn trust. But real trust isn't built through credentials. It's earned in small moments, consistent choices, and subtle behaviors that others notice - even when you think they don't. Here are 15 quiet moves that instantly build trust 👇🏼 1. You close open loops, catching details others miss ↳ Send 3-bullet wrap-ups after meetings. Reliability builds. 2. You name tension before it gets worse ↳ Name what you sense: "The energy feels different today" 3. You speak softly in tense moments ↳ Lower your tone slightly when making key points. Watch others lean in. 4. You stay calm when others panic, leading with stillness ↳ Take three slow breaths before responding. Let your calm spread. 5. You make space for quiet voices ↳ Ask "What perspective haven't we heard yet?", then wait. 6. You remember and reference what others share ↳ Keep a Key Details note for each relationship in your phone. 7. You replace "but" with "and" to keep doors open ↳ Practice "I hear you, and here's what's possible" 8. You show up early with presence and intention ↳ Close laptop, turn phone face down 2 minutes before others arrive. 9. You speak up for absent team members ↳ Start with "X made an important point about this last week" 10. You turn complaints into possibility ↳ Replace "That won't work" with "Let's experiment with..." 11. You build in space for what really matters ↳ Block 10 min buffers between meetings. Others will follow. 12. You keep small promises to build trust bit by bit ↳ Keep a "promises made" note in your phone. Track follow-through. 13. You protect everyone's time, not just your own ↳ End every meeting 5 minutes early. Set the standard. 14. You ask questions before jumping to fixes ↳ Lead with "What have you tried so far?" before suggesting solutions. 15. You share credit for wins and own responsibility for misses ↳ Use "we" for successes, "I" for challenges. Watch trust grow. Your presence speaks louder than your resume. Trust is earned in these quiet moments. Which move will you practice first? Share below 👇🏼 -- ♻️ Repost to help your network build authentic trust without the struggle 🔔 Follow me Dr. Carolyn Frost for more strategies on leading with quiet impact

A client came to me this morning (not happy) and said that their MSP gave them a document to sign stating that the MSP is absolving themselves of all risk because she wouldn't approve the security operations solution they pitched... If your idea of “risk management” is having your client sign a document that says “you tried to sell them a tool or service, and they said no” … ->you're not managing risk. You’re managing your liability. And it shows. This is one of the fastest ways to create distrust, kill rapport, and get fired. It instantly turns the relationship adversarial. You’re no longer a partner or trusted advisor, and they see you as someone shifting blame just in case something goes wrong. That’s not leadership. That’s fear. Let me ask you something, How do you think it makes your client feel when you hand them a paper to sign that says, 'This one’s on you'?” You don’t need a signature to prove they own the risk. They already do. What they need is clarity, collaboration, and leadership. Here’s a better way: -Put the risk on a shared Risk Register. -Document the conversation in context, not as a threat, but as a roadmap. -Identify compensating controls you can implement. -Make the risk visible to decision-makers...NOT to blame, but to educate. -Revisit it periodically. Shrink it over time. That’s how you build trust. That’s how you protect the relationship. And that’s how you lead clients through risk & not around it. If you frame risk as a “you didn’t buy the thing, so you’re at fault” moment, you’re losing the negotiation before it even starts. But if you treat it like a shared challenge that you’ll solve together, you build a long-term partnership. One built on truth, not transactions. Stop asking for signatures. Start showing leadership. Your clients won’t forget it...and neither will your churn rate. #msp #ciso #riskmanagement #business

𝗢𝗻 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 Early in my career, I thought being a great researcher meant delivering perfect insights. I spent hours polishing slides, crafting the clearest recommendations, thinking that’s how I would gain influence and drive impact. But over the years, I’ve learned: 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘂𝗽. Looking back, some of the most trust-building moments weren’t in research readouts, but in smaller and ongoing interactions like chats, 1:1s, tech reviews and roadmap meetings. At first, these deeply technical discussions about model architectures, system tradeoffs, and backend constraints felt daunting. But I leaned in with deep curiosity to learn their world – their language, their constraints, how they define success. I began asking questions that brought a different lens – questions about user experience implications, hidden assumptions in metrics, and whether definitions of success truly aligned with user value. Over time, I noticed a shift. Partners began pulling me into more of these conversations. They valued not only the different perspective I brought but also that I was designing research grounded in their reality. The closer I got to their world, the more they trusted me to help them navigate complexity with users in mind. Here are a few lessons that have guided me: 💡 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲. It’s easy to point out flaws. It’s harder – and far more powerful – to ask questions that unlock better thinking. 💡 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱. Sit in their reviews and participate in their discussions. Learn the tradeoffs they’re wrestling with. Empathy is the foundation of trust. 💡 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. When partners see how you approach a problem, they begin to trust your intuition and judgment, not just your final results. 💡 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘂𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸. Research isn’t just about answering questions; it’s about reframing them to drive better decisions. When partners see that your involvement helps them achieve goals faster, better, and with greater user impact, trust accelerates. 💡 𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝘀. Research insights are powerful, but it’s the engineers, PMs, and designers who build and ship. Recognizing their contributions creates shared ownership and success. At the end of the day partnership is built in 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 – asking a clarifying question that reframes priorities, acknowledging a tough tradeoff, or staying a bit longer to align on next steps. Trust grows when partners see you’re not just doing your job, but actively working to strengthen their efforts and amplify their impact.