Connecting to Admired Leadership
The Behaviors of Trust
Episode Summary
A conversation with Eric Springer, Executive Coach at CRA | Admired Leadership, exploring the foundations of trust in leadership. Eric shares insights on how the most effective leaders build trust through specific behaviors rather than words alone, examining the trust equation (credibility + reliability + intimacy ÷ self-orientation) and practical ways to develop deeper connections. The discussion reveals how actions, measurements, and decisions speak louder than words in establishing authentic trust with teams and colleagues.
Episode Notes
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Key Highlights
- The Trust Equation: Understanding trust as a formula of credibility + reliability + intimacy divided by self-orientation
- Actions speak louder than words: The four loudest things in leadership (in order):
- What leaders do (behaviors and actions)
- What leaders measure
- What leaders decide in crucial moments
- What leaders say
- Building trust through the trifecta of relationship development:
- Congratulations - recognizing what matters to others
- Gratitude - expressing specific appreciation
- Invitation - bringing others into your world
- Trust is gained in inches and lost in miles - the importance of consistent, intentional behaviors
- Relational closeness leads to clarity - understanding what truly matters to others
- The five levels of trust (referenced from a Field Note) as a framework for assessing relationship depth
Notable Quotes
- "When it comes to trust, everybody's from Missouri - they're from the 'Show Me' state."
- "What gets modeled gets mirrored."
- "The things that somebody says are actually the fourth loudest thing that you will see from them."
- "What gets measured gets done. The problem with that statement is, it's usually the only thing that gets done."
- "Closeness leads to clarity."
Featured Speaker
Eric Springer is an Executive Coach at CRA | Admired Leadership. He brings a unique perspective from his background as a retired Air Force Colonel with experience in special operations. Eric specializes in helping leaders build high-trust environments that drive both team performance and followership. His military experience in high-risk environments has given him firsthand insight into the critical importance of trust in leadership.
Resources Mentioned