Leading in Low-Trust Times

Tech has been experiencing a low-trust climate since the pandemic. Cynicism is the air we breathe. Widespread layoffs, mechanical handling of those layoffs, delayering, shrinking team sizes, disappearing backfills, tightening budgets. All of this creates a sense of scarcity and mistrust. It's delusional to think employee trust toward leadership has stayed the same. Subbu Allamaraju's tech friends all share the same view: one even said having people report to you is now a liability. More and more, people don't believe their leadership's strategy and decisions. There's fear and uncertainty about getting caught in the next round.

Low-trust situations have consequences you can't ignore. Your team will be less willing to follow your lead or support your vision. They'll see your inspirational pep talks about why things are great as delusional or tone-deaf. They'll be less enthusiastic or even apathetic to your team's purpose. Why bother when things seem to be falling apart, or you could be out in the next round? Given their fear of uncertainty, they'll be less collaborative and more likely to fall back on poor organizational citizenship behaviors: self-benefit and preservation. This creates a vortex of cynicism. Engagement suffers. Good people leave.

The common response is staying silent and hiding behind prepared remarks. Or acting like a victim, venting to your team and peers, blaming "the people upstairs." Your team may sympathize and see you as a buddy on their side, but this passive leadership behavior lacks humility, courage, and authenticity. It keeps fueling cynicism. The solution isn't complicated. Authenticity is the antidote.

The tactics are straightforward. Begin by listening and acknowledging the situation. Create a climate where people feel comfortable telling you how they feel. You may not have answers, but people appreciate when their managers listen and acknowledge feelings. Run listening tours and unscripted Q&A sessions. Be open, honest, and straightforward. Don't hide behind scripted statements. Transparency, even when the reasons aren't popular, helps repair trust. Tell your teams like it is. Only then, provide or co-develop an objective direction. When possible, give a framework and invite teams to participate in addressing challenges. Collaborative problem solving improves organizational citizenship behaviors. In collaborative settings, attention shifts from scarcity to abundance.