🪜 Trust is a Ladder—Which Rung Are You On?

In leadership, trust isn’t “yes or no.” It’s built in levels. And each level unlocks a different kind of performance:

1️⃣ Basic Trust → “I trust you’ll show up.”

This is surface-level. Reliable attendance, basic follow-through. It keeps the lights on, but it doesn’t drive excellence.

2️⃣ Competence Trust → “I trust you’ll do it well.”

Here’s where skills matter. Leaders and teams perform, but performance is limited to the job description.

3️⃣ Relational Trust → “I trust you’ll have my back.”

This is when people go beyond their role. They protect each other, speak honestly, and support the mission—even under stress.

4️⃣ Transformational Trust → “I trust you to lead me into the unknown.”

This is the highest level. It’s what makes people follow leaders into uncertainty, change, and high-stakes missions. It’s where high-performance and innovation thrive.

👉 Most organizations stop at competence trust. They hire smart people, expect them to do the job, and call it good. But the real breakthroughs—whether in the Navy or in the boardroom—happen when leaders climb higher.

💡 Leadership takeaway: Trust isn’t just a “soft skill.” It’s a performance multiplier. The stronger the trust, the faster the decisions, the more resilient the team, and the higher the results.

💬 Community Challenge:

What level of trust do you think most leaders stop at—and what does it take to move to the next rung?

Drop your insight below 👇—your perspective might be the key someone else in this community needs.

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