Leadership trust is one of the most important things holding an organisation together — it’s what employees, customers, and investors are really relying on when they buy into a company’s leadership. In today’s world of remote work, growing accountability, and shifting generational expectations, trust plays a huge role in driving performance, customer loyalty, profitability, and innovation.
For a long time, trust was seen as something intangible — a feeling you just sensed rather than something you could actually measure. But that’s changing. Leadership trust can actually be measured and managed like any other business asset. That means leaders should treat it seriously: make it visible, track it, act on it, and compare it against others. Based on research from Aston Business School and years of coaching CEOs and sports leaders, John Blakey outlined four key steps executives and boards can use to properly evaluate this often-overlooked asset: trust.
Step 1: Pick a Way to Measure It
Over the past few decades, several frameworks have emerged to help measure trust. The UK’s Leadership Trust Index (LTI), for example, looks at trust-based leadership behaviours — like openness — through what’s called the “Nine Habits of Trust.”
Paul Zak developed a neuroscience-based approach called the Organisational Trust Index, which connects trust levels to performance, engagement, and overall wellbeing. And Stephen M.R. Covey’s “Speed of Trust” model treats trust as something that directly affects efficiency and costs — a real, measurable business asset.
These tools all approach trust a little differently, but they agree on one core idea: trust can be measured, and doing so reveals exactly where it’s being built up or lost within leadership. Which tool works best really depends on what you’re focused on — leadership style, company culture, or organisational structure — and who you’re trying to convince. Covey’s approach tends to resonate more in sales-driven environments, while the LTI’s more neutral tone works well across almost any industry.
Step 2: Keep Monitoring It
Boards, investors, and regulators are increasingly paying attention to non-financial factors — like trust — as key indicators of long-term success. And because trust naturally shifts based on leadership decisions, company culture, and outside events, it needs to be tracked regularly, not just checked once and forgotten.
For example, one hospital had strong clinical ratings but was still struggling with deeper cultural issues. After running a Leadership Trust Index survey, they were able to identify specific leadership behaviours to work on — and within a year, their trust scores improved significantly. The lesson here is that trust should be tracked just like revenue, employee turnover, or customer satisfaction — as a core metric that helps you catch problems early.
Step 3: Actively Manage It
You can’t fit trust perfectly into a spreadsheet, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be measured in a meaningful way. And doing this objectively really matters — because research shows CEOs often rate their own trustworthiness up to 29% higher than their employees actually do. Using proper assessments helps close that gap between how leaders think they’re coming across and how their teams actually experience them.
Step 4: Benchmark Against Others
Once a company has measured, tracked, and actively worked on building trust, the next step is comparing those results against other companies in the same industry. This helps leaders understand where they really stand.
Companies that consistently score above the industry benchmark can actually turn that trust into a real competitive advantage — using solid data to back up their reputation as a top employer, rather than just relying on nice words.
Why This Matters
Taking a deliberate, structured approach to measuring trust helps build a workplace where employees genuinely feel valued, stakeholders feel confident, and leaders have the tools they need to lead effectively. And ultimately, that’s what creates real operational strength and resilience — especially in uncertain times.
FAQs:
Q1: Why is leadership trust important for organisations?
Trust drives performance, customer loyalty, and innovation, making it a key factor in overall business success and stability.
Q2: Can leadership trust actually be measured?
Yes, tools like the Leadership Trust Index and Speed of Trust model measure trust as a real, trackable business asset.
Q3: Why should companies monitor trust regularly?
Trust shifts with leadership decisions and culture, so tracking it regularly helps catch problems early, like revenue or turnover.
