Employees trust leaders who make them feel heard, valued, and psychologically safe.

Authority creates compliance. Human connection creates commitment and extra effort.

Fear-based cultures silence ideas, innovation, challenge, and honest feedback.

Trust grows through dialogue, curiosity, and empathy—not leadership broadcasting.

A well-known CEO in the UK was in the news recently for ill-judged remarks about his expectations of leaders and managers at his company, which drew significant negative feedback for seeming out of step with current business culture. The resulting damage to his previously unblemished professional reputation drew smiles from former colleagues, who remarked that his standing within the company was not always as positive as others might assume.

Many leaders care deeply about how investors, customers, and the media perceive them. Far fewer pay enough attention to how they are experienced by the people who work for them every day. That can be a problem.

In The IC Index, published this week by the UK’s Institute of Internal Communication raises major questions about the relationship between organisational leaders and their staff. According to the study, trust in leadership at all levels has fallen by 9% in the past year, and half of employees don’t trust their CEOs or senior leaders.

Meanwhile, fewer than half of employees (49%) feel they can share their opinions at work without fear of negative consequences. When people fear speaking honestly, organisations lose far more than morale. They lose ideas, challenge, innovation, and early warnings.

This should concern every leader. According to an IPA/Financial Times survey last year, companies that measure trust as a........

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