In business, trust is omnipresent. From the job interview where the recruiter places their trust 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 asset, but a demanding one.
In an environment like digital, where innovation is both rapid and constant, or in communication where audience expectations change in real time, trust is an absolute prerequisite for moving forward with agility and performing.
But this trust, today, is being severely tested. 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 detaching 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 authorization without oversight, but rather a balance between delegation and accountability. It is not about relying solely on the goodwill of employees, but about 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 lever for performance, blind trust can become a trap. Managers may be tempted to delegate certain responsibilities entirely, but the risks are real. Not questioning decisions, not monitoring results or not analyzing customer feedback can lead to drift or a lack of consistency in actions taken.
Not questioning decisions, not monitoring results, or not analyzing customer feedback can lead to drift, loss of purpose or lack of coherence in actions taken — all weak signals that, if undetected, fuel disengagement.
As Jean-Paul Sartre put it: “Trust is gained in drops and lost in buckets.” A single misjudgment, a lack of listening, or a managerial inconsistency can destroy months, sometimes years, of relational effort.
Trust must therefore go hand in hand with evaluation: evaluating progress, project results, and being ready to adjust course if necessary. Managers must adopt a supportive posture, without micromanaging, but by establishing regular checkpoints.
A concrete example in digital marketing.
Take Netflix as an example. The streaming giant relies on blind 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 manner.
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 with monitoring, autonomy with accountability, is the key to sustained team engagement and success.
From trust in individuals to trust in a result.
In the professional world as elsewhere, trust is built, given, sometimes lost. It evolves based on situations, interactions, and also the climate of the organization. Balance is not easy to find. While trust is at the heart of relationships, it is manifested in what we produce together.
The goal is to shift focus too often centered on individuals, to refocus it on the concrete result, as the center of collective work.
The posture of the manager — as well as that of employees — is central to each person’s ability to trust themselves and trust others. Giving responsibilities, fostering skill expression, verifying, evaluating, and challenging constructively is a guarantee of performance and engagement.
Conversely, if these postures are not clear, or if verification is perceived as personal mistrust, 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.