Why Professional Trust Alone Isn't Enough

You Asked. I Did. It Broke.   In high-pressure work, there is a comfort in simply doing what's asked. Follow the checklist. Stick to the timeline. Deliver exactly what was requested. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: that’s not always enough. When something goes wrong — even if it’s based on what was instructed — the question that often comes back is: “You’re the expert. Why didn’t you flag this?” That’s not unfair. Because delivery isn’t just about execution but also about applying judgment. Like pausing before saying yes to something new — to assess what it’ll take, not just rushing to please. Or speaking up when a shortcut might help today but backfire tomorrow. Or asking whether something that “helps productivity” is even okay to begin with. It is all about spotting risks, pushing back when needed and asking the harder questions before things go off-track. That’s where trust is built — or quietly lost. No one remembers who followed instructions. They remember who took ownership.

“Can you just bless it?” That’s the line I hear all the time. It’s rarely that simple. When you’re hiring a professional—whether it’s an accountant, marketer, lawyer, broker, or other advisor—you’re not buying a rubber stamp. You’re buying specialization. And real expertise doesn’t live at the surface. Too many people want blueprint-level input and expect a finished house. They forget that blueprints don’t build anything. The construction is where the value is. That’s where the advisor rolls up their sleeves, finds the issues, applies judgment, and delivers the product or service. You can’t ask someone to build the kitchen but only pay for a sketch of the layout. Because then what happens later when that person you hired to “glance at it” tells you the foundation is cracked? You either want it fixed, or you want to pretend it’s fine. I’ve had the same CPA for 8 years. She took the time to understand our particular setup. When she sends a bill, I pay it on the spot. Because I trust she’s gone deep enough to get it right. And that’s what I’m paying for. Want to build trust with a professional? Start by sharing your real objective. Then ask what it’s going to take to get you where you want to accomplish it. Be ready to go beyond the blueprint. #advisors #blueprint #entrepreneurs

"As a coach you should trust that a team is mature enough to discuss anything" - that is what a certified team coach said today and missed 3 reasons why that statement can cause more harm than good. While it is true that you should have trust in your client's ability, it should not be a substitute for data and expertise. Having done 100s of team scans to measure, visualise and optimsie team dynamics, these 3 patterns emerged in most cases independent on how smart and experienced some or most team members were: - they cannot talk about something they are not aware of. They often feel something is not right, something is frustrating or working perfectly, but they cannot put it into words or they phase it very differently than other team members. Providing a common frame of reference and vocabulary is the foundation of meaningful and constructive conversations. - team members might be mature and experienced, but the culture is not psychologically safe and motivating enough so no constructive conversations happen. - the conversations revolve around tasks, temporarily uplifting concepts such as growth mindset, etc, without tackling the root causes of personal clashes and ways to optimise them. Data-driven team development offers solutions after a diagnosis (while trusting the team...yes) and it measures progress in a transparent way while providing skills and strategies to continue the work without the coach. Trust is not a substitute for expertise, it is an enabler. If the starting point is not precise, how can you plan the journey? Trust is important and we also have a lot of data, the reality is that most teams do not have the right environment and skills to turn their differences into synergy. The reason why they also get outstanding results is that we do not try to build on something they do not have, but they get exactly what they need. #leadership #teams #coaching #icqglobal

45% of young people believe that someone who has “done their own research” is just as knowledgeable as a medical doctor… I was reading the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer report recently when I came across this statistic. It doesn’t necessarily mean that people think credentials don’t matter. Rather, it seems that they are prioritising connection. According to the report, the two top reasons people choose non-experts over professionals are: 1. Empathy. 2. Direct personal experience with the issue. When people have a concern, they increasingly turn to someone who feels like them. Someone who shares lived experience. Someone who speaks in a language they recognise. There are huge risks in abandoning science in favour of a sense of personal connection. But we can’t ignore this trend. I’d argue that it’s a call to action to improve our ability to translate science through stories, lived experience, and meaningful dialogue. Trust isn’t built by always being right. It’s fostered by being relatable. The communicators thriving in this new era aren’t necessarily the most qualified. They’re the ones who can bridge the gap between knowledge and humanity. Have you noticed this tendency to trust friends, peers and influencers over credentialed experts?

⏱️Decisions with AI ➡️ Faster but Worse? Does AI efficiency make us worse at thinking? 👇 Speed matters, but does it come at the cost of trust? A recent study, Beyond efficiency: Trust, AI, and surprise in knowledge work environments, explored how knowledge workers process information and what truly drives sound decision-making. 📌 The key takeaway? Efficiency alone isn’t enough. 🔬 Study Overview ✅ Mixed-methods research – interviews + surveys ✅ Focus – How professionals assess, validate, and act on information ✅ Key questions – How do they determine reliability, manage complexity, and build trust in decision-making? 📊 Findings ⚡ Trust > Raw Information – People rely more on trusted sources than independent fact-checking ⚡ Automation ≠ Understanding – AI speeds up work but doesn’t improve sensemaking ⚡ Efficiency Tradeoff – Faster decisions often mean less confidence in the outcome 🚀 Business Implications 🔍 Trust-building beats pure speed – Systems should reinforce confidence, not just automate 🔄 AI & automation need transparency – If users don’t understand why, they won’t trust what 🏢 Efficiency must support clarity – Speed without validation creates risks 🏥 My Takeaways for Healthcare Too often, healthcare systems focus only on efficiency—reducing clicks, shortening workflows, and speeding up processes. But: ❌ Faster doesn’t mean better care ❌ Speed without sensemaking leads to errors ❌ AI must build trust, not just automate 🔹 Clinical decision-making requires confidence, not just quick answers 🔹 Over-prioritizing efficiency hurts adoption if users don’t trust the system 🔹 AI tools must explain why, not just what If efficiency reduces trust, it’s not truly efficient. How do you balance speed + trust in your work? Allen S. Brown, Christopher R. Dishop, Andrew Kuznetsov, Ping-Ya Chao, Anita Williams Woolley,Beyond efficiency: Trust, AI, and surprise in knowledge work environments,Computers in Human Behavior, Volume 167,2025,108605  ISSN 0747-5632, https://lnkd.in/gMWhugNN. #llm #genai #artificialintelligenc #ai #ML #healthcareai