When we think of a high-performance team, we usually think of things like productivity, how much effort people are putting in, accountability, and higher outputs and profits. All that is important, but there is one other thing without which a team will never be high-performing.

In this episode, I sit down with Ashley Cox, a leadership mentor who equips women to build high-performance teams they trust. She shares what the missing piece is for your team, as well as practical strategies to implement this key ingredient and ensure your team's success.

▶️ Key Points:

02:02 How Ashley's career started down an unexpected but welcome path

05:31 THE missing piece to building a high-performing team

09:12 The Triangle of Trust framework for high performance

11:16 Strategies for leaders to build trust in their team

16:07 Strategies for leaders to earn and maintain their team's trust

20:43 The value of having support as you work on building trust

22:46 Strategies to foster trust among team members

26:46 Signs that you succeeded in creating high trust in your team

30:55 The impact ripples of not building trust among your teams

33:48 Vulnerability isn't a weakness

Our Typical Response to Performance Issues at Work

When teams struggle to meet expectations, it’s tempting to focus on skills, tools, or processes. We throw training at the issue, only to find nothing changes. But as leadership coach Ashley Cox shared in episode 151 of Learning for Good, those surface fixes only go so far. The real foundation of high performance is trust.

Trust in the Workplace

According to a Forbes article, a PwC survey found that 61% of employees said if they don’t think their employer trusts them, their ability to do their job is impacted.

So how do we build trust in the workplace?

Ashley introduced a simple but powerful framework she calls the Triangle of Trust:

Leaders must trust their teams – giving them space to use their skills and take ownership.
Teams must trust their leaders – believing their leaders have their backs and will support them.
Team members must trust one another – collaborating without fear of judgment.

If any side of that triangle is weak, the whole structure collapses. But when all three sides are strong, teams have the safety and confidence they need to perform at their best.

And once this trust exists, training can do its thing more effectively.

Why is Trust Important to Building High-Performance Teams

Trust may feel like a “soft” concept, but its impact is very real. High-trust teams:

Take smart risks and innovate
Collaborate more effectively
Require less oversight and micromanagement
Stay committed to the mission

For nonprofits where resources are tight and the stakes are high, trust isn’t optional. It’s what allows teams to do more with less and stay resilient under pressure.

How Leaders Can Build Trust

Building trust doesn’t happen overnight, but it starts with consistent actions:

Follow through on commitments. Do what you say you will do.
Communicate openly about decisions and changes.
Model vulnerability. Be willing to admit mistakes and ask for help.
Give staff ownership and recognize their contributions.

As Ashley reminded us, trust is built in small, everyday moments, and it is the leaders who set the tone for the workplace.

To learn more about trust in the workplace, tune into episode 151 of the Learning for Good podcast.

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