Building trust as a technical leader without sharing details

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

How I Build Trust Without Fancy Dashboards as a Program Manager at Amazon Trust isn’t built by data alone. It’s built by how you show up when things go sideways. Early in my PM career, I thought trust came from hitting deadlines and sharing crisp metrics. Now? I know the real trust builders are quieter…and harder to fake. They show up in the messy middle, not the final deck. Here’s how I build trust without fancy dashboards or status theater: 1/ I respond before I’m asked ↳ I don’t wait for “any updates?” ↳ I update proactively…especially when things slip ↳ Unprompted visibility earns trust fast 2/ I say “I don’t know” quickly…but follow up faster ↳ Honesty > pretending ↳ I don’t hide behind fluff…I find the answer and circle back ↳ Fast clarity beats slow polish 3/ I ask the hard questions early ↳ “What could derail this?” ↳ “What are we assuming?” ↳ Trust isn’t about avoiding problems…it’s about revealing them early 4/ I show my work ↳ I don’t just say “we’re on track”…I explain how ↳ I share the why behind tradeoffs ↳ Transparency beats polish every time 5/ I protect the team publicly, push privately ↳ I own the risk when things go wrong ↳ But I don’t let it slide behind the scenes ↳ People trust who they feel safe with Dashboards are helpful. But if you’re only building trust through metrics… You’re missing the deeper game. 📬 I share high-trust, execution-first tactics weekly in The Weekly Sync: 👉 https://lnkd.in/e6qAwEFc What’s one quiet way you build trust with your team?

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.

Stop answering what's asked, Answer what's meant instead: When someone asks, "How's the project going?" most respond, "It's fine." But great leaders know this surface-level question masks deeper concerns: • "Should I be worried?" • "Are we meeting our goals?" • "When will I get the next update?" • "Do you need help?" Surface-level responses miss opportunities to: • Build trust through transparency • Provide actionable clarity • Demonstrate ownership • Address unspoken concerns Worse, vague answers breed doubt, cause churn, and trigger unnecessary escalations. Here's what to do instead: 1/ If you know the person: Use your understanding of their concerns and priorities. For example: • “It’s on track. We’re dialing up milestone M1 on Tuesday as planned. Our next status update is scheduled for Wednesday.” 2/ If you don’t know the person well: Provide an answer and invite clarity (demonstrates ownership). For example: • “The project is on track for delivery by XX/YY, and I’ve attached our latest bi-weekly update. Are there specific areas or concerns you’d like me to address?” Answering the question behind the question is a leadership superpower. PS: Questions are icebergs—90% lies beneath the surface. --- Follow me, tap the (🔔) Omar Halabieh for daily Leadership and Career posts.

One of the hardest balances to master as a leader is staying informed about your team’s work without crossing the line into micromanaging them. You want to support them, remove roadblocks, and guide outcomes without making them feel like you’re hovering. Here’s a framework I’ve found effective for maintaining that balance: 1. Set the Tone Early Make it clear that your intent is to support, not control. For example: “We’ll need regular updates to discuss progress and so I can effectively champion this work in other forums. My goal is to ensure you have what you need, to help where it’s most valuable, and help others see the value you’re delivering.” 2. Create a Cadence of Check-Ins Establish structured moments for updates to avoid constant interruptions. Weekly or biweekly check-ins with a clear agenda help: • Progress: What’s done? • Challenges: What’s blocking progress? • Next Steps: What’s coming up? This predictability builds trust while keeping everyone aligned. 3. Ask High-Leverage Questions Stay focused on outcomes by asking strategic questions like: • “What’s the biggest risk right now?” • “What decisions need my input?” • “What’s working that we can replicate?” This approach keeps the conversation productive and empowering. 4. Define Metrics and Milestones Collaborate with your team to define success metrics and use shared dashboards to track progress. This allows you to stay updated without manual reporting or extra meetings. 5. Empower Ownership Show your trust by encouraging problem-solving: “If you run into an issue, let me know your proposed solutions, and we’ll work through it together.” When the team owns their work, they’ll take greater pride in the results. 6. Leverage Technology Use tools like Asana, Jira, or Trello to centralize updates. Shared project platforms give you visibility while letting your team focus on execution. 7. Solicit Feedback Ask your team: “Am I giving you enough space, or would you prefer more or less input from me?” This not only fosters trust but also helps you refine your approach as a leader. Final Thought: Growing up playing sports, none of my coaches ever suited up and got in the game with the players on the field. As a leader, you should follow the same discipline. How do you stay informed without micromanaging? What would you add? #leadership #peoplemanagement #projectmanagement #leadershipdevelopment

The Best Leaders are Often the Ones You Don't See The most impactful work I do as a TPM is often the work no one sees. Recently, my team was collaborating with another team on a critical project. We were clearly misaligned on dependencies and timelines, and the project was at risk. I knew we needed alignment, but an official escalation felt premature. The lead engineer was tasked with sending an email to clarify things. He came to me first, and together, we drafted a clear, diplomatic message that explicitly laid out our position and asked for alignment. The email went out, and it worked. The message landed perfectly, and it opened the door for a productive dialogue. Another lead on my team then reached out to me for help in crafting their own response to the other team's reply. Together, we drafted a response that perfectly articulated our next steps. By the end of the day, both teams were aligned, and the project was back on track. My name wasn't on a single one of those emails, but my fingerprints were all over the crucial parts of the conversation. The lesson here is knowing when to lend your voice, not so you can get the credit, but so the message lands where it needs to. 👻 Be the 'Ghostwriter' of Clarity: Use your expertise to help others articulate complex ideas. A well-phrased email can be the forcing function that gets everyone on the same page. 🤝 Empower, Don't Command: True influence often comes from empowering others to act. Your job as a leader is to build a team of leaders, not a team of followers. 🎯 Prioritize Impact Over Credit: The goal is project success, not personal glory. By staying in the background, you build trust with your team and ensure the right voices are heard at the right time. That's the power of leading with empathy and a focus on the collective win. It builds trust, and it moves mountains. – 👉 Just sharing my journey and the lessons learned along the way. If you're on a similar path and this resonates, follow me, Rony Rozen, for more real-world reflections from the world of tech and leadership.

Great engineering leadership isn’t about solving everything. It’s about creating the conditions where your team can. In my early leadership days, I thought I had to walk in with the answers. Over time, I learned something better: Most engineers don’t need hand-holding. They need clarity, context, and trust. Here’s how I lead now (and what’s worked): 1. Present the problem, not a pre-baked solution. → Engineers are problem-solvers. Don’t rob them of that. → Instead of “We need to use Kafka here,” say: “We need async processing at scale. Thoughts?” 2. Share constraints early. → Be open about deadlines, budget, team bandwidth, or tech debt. → Constraints help the team make realistic design choices. 3. Make room for trade-off discussions. → Your job isn’t to rush decisions. It’s to ensure good ones. → Let the team think through latency vs cost, monolith vs microservices, etc. 4. Guide the decision, don’t dictate it. → Ask: “What risks do you see?” or “What’s your fallback plan?” → Step in only when clarity or urgency is needed. 5. Protect builder time. → Cut unnecessary meetings. Shield them from noise. → Innovation dies in a calendar full of status syncs. Leadership is knowing when to speak and when to listen. You don’t earn trust by having all the answers. You earn it by helping your team find better ones.

Trust isn’t built with grand gestures. → It’s built in quiet moments. → One honest word at a time. Most leaders think they need bold moves to earn loyalty. But that’s not how trust works. I’ve spent years studying how leaders build real relationships. Here’s what I’ve learned: The right words, said honestly, can change any conversation. 🔑Here are 15 simple phrases that build trust fast (and why they work): “I appreciate your perspective on this.” ↳ People want to feel seen. ↳ This tells them they matter. “Help me understand…” ↳ Curiosity invites connection. ↳ No judgment. Just listening. “I made a mistake - and here’s what I learned.” ↳ Vulnerability builds respect. ↳ People trust real, not perfect. “What would success look like for you?” ↳ Shows you care about their goals. ↳ Not just your agenda. “I noticed the impact you made when…” ↳ Specific praise hits deeper. ↳ It’s fuel for motivation. “What do you think we should do?” ↳ People back what they help build. ↳ It sparks ownership. “Let me clarify to make sure I understood…” ↳ Listening is an underrated superpower. ↳ This shows you’re actually doing it. “Thank you for bringing this up.” ↳ Appreciation = safety. ↳ It keeps the door open. “I don’t know, but I’ll find out.” ↳ Honesty beats confidence theater. ↳ People can smell fake. “What support do you need from me?” ↳ Leading also means serving. ↳ This opens space for trust. “Your time is valuable - let’s focus on priorities.” ↳ Respecting time builds loyalty. ↳ Everyone feels overbooked. “Here’s what I’m excited about…” ↳ Energy is contagious. ↳ Share yours to lift others. “I trust your judgment on this.” ↳ Trust given is often returned. ↳ It empowers action. “Let’s explore the challenges you’re seeing.” ↳ It’s you with them, not above them. “I’m committed to finding a way forward together.” ↳ Commitment is louder than certainty. 👉 Words don’t cost much. But they mean everything. Which phrase will you use this week? Drop it in the comments ⬇️ — ♻️ Repost to share with someone working on building trust. 🔖 Follow Véronique Barrot or more like this. -- 📌 📌 📌2 years ago, my profile stood empty. No followers. Now 100, 000+ people follow what I share here. I’ve spent 100s of hours studying what works (and doesn't). Get the LinkedIn Visibility Playbook - Free. Send me a DM "LinkedIn Visibility", and I’ll send it to you right away!

Ever notice how leaders feel pressured to always have the answers? It’s understandable—most people get promoted for solving problems, making decisions, and being the go-to for solutions. But here’s the surprising part: "The best leaders don’t know it all—they admit when they don’t." I once believed that as a leader, saying “I don’t know” would undermine my credibility. Turns out, it does the opposite. When you’re honest about not having all the answers, something important happens: 1. You’re building trust. By being open, you show your team that you trust them enough to share your vulnerability. The people you trust most are the ones you can be real around. This sets the stage for stronger relationships. 2. You’re inviting collaboration. Instead of pretending to have all the answers, you’re creating space for your team to step up. You’re signaling, “I want to hear your perspective. Let’s solve this together.” 3. You’re being human. Let’s be real—your team already knows you don’t have all the answers. Admitting that doesn’t diminish your leadership. In fact, it reinforces your authenticity. You don’t win respect by pretending you know it all. You win respect by being real. __ 📌 Want to build your best team ever? Join 27,000+ who receive these insights in my free newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gCv_2MQ2

Leadership trust isn’t about words. It’s about  what you do when no one’s watching… Most think trust is about being liked. It’s not. It’s about consistency. In 25+ years I have worked with 100s of leaders. And one insight stands out. Leadership trust is not built in big moments. It is built in small, repeatable actions. Here’s how: 1/ Micro-Promises Multiply ↳ Promise what seems too small. ↳ Deliver it 24 hours early. 2/ Expensive Truth Rule ↳ Share bad news first, in person. ↳ Say: “Here’s what I’m doing about it.” 3/ Power Hours ↳ Block 2-4 PM for crisis-only access. ↳ Protect focus time. Say "not now." 4/ Silent Defense ↳ Never defend yourself in meetings. ↳ Defend your team when they’re absent. 5/ Predictable Power ↳ Set auto-replies with exact response times. ↳ Beat your own deadlines by 10 minutes. 6/ Inverse Spotlight ↳ Take blame before facts are known. ↳ Praise moments, not just results. 7/ Crisis Capital ↳ Show up first when things break. ↳ Stay last until stability returns. → → Swipe to learn more see why these work When trust breaks? Don’t explain. Demonstrate. Act first. Apologize later. What will you add to this list? 👇 ↓ Save this for your next new leaders training ♻ Repost to help other leaders develop trust ➕ Follow Adi Agrawal for more leadership insights