The pace of change facing organisations today can feel relentless.
Whether driven by technological innovation, economic uncertainty, shifting workforce expectations or evolving societal demands, leaders are increasingly required to lead through ambiguity whilst maintaining engagement, performance and wellbeing.
Yet amid all this change, one thing remains constant.
People follow leaders they trust.
This year's National Inclusion Week® theme, Build Trust. Navigate Change, captures one of the defining leadership challenges of our time.
According to the 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer, trust remains fragile and seven in ten people are now hesitant to trust people they perceive as different from themselves. Yet employers remain one of the most trusted institutions in society, positioning leaders as trust brokers, bridging divides, fostering dialogue and helping people navigate uncertainty together.
Trust: The Hidden Variable in Successful Change
Many organisations approach change as a strategic or operational challenge: new systems are implemented. Structures are redesigned and processes are updated.
However, implementing change is multifaceted. As we explore in our Leading Change workshop, resistance is rarely about the change itself. It is about what people fear losing: certainty, belonging, influence, status or control.
The leaders who navigate change most successfully understand that trust is created through relationships, not distant communication the can fail to reach those most impacted by it.
This is where the Trust Equation, developed by David Maister, Charles Green and Robert Galford, offers valuable insight:
Trust = (Credibility + Reliability + Intimacy)
Self-Orientation
In summary:
- Credibility is about expertise and competence. Do people believe their leaders know what they are doing?
- Reliability concerns consistency. Do leaders follow through on commitments?
- Intimacy reflects the quality of relationships. Do people feel safe sharing concerns, challenges and perspectives?
- Self-orientation is about whose interests are being served. When leaders appear focused solely on themselves, without considering their team or organisation, trust diminishes.
Great leaders understand that trust is built when the top three elements are present, and when self-interest is seen to be low.
When leaders communicate openly, listen well and genuinely seek to understand others' perspectives, trust grows.
When leaders appear defensive, inaccessible or focused solely on outcomes at the expense of people, trust diminishes.
This is where the ABC Model comes in.
The ABC of Inclusive Leadership
At School for CEOs, our proprietary ABC Model provides a practical framework for leaders seeking to build trust whilst navigating change.
Accountability
Trust begins with accountability.
Effective leaders recognise that they will make mistakes. They know that no one sees every perspective, understands every experience or always gets every decision right.
They are open to feedback when their behaviours or decisions have unintended consequences. They take responsibility for their actions and they hold others accountable for doing the same.
Behaviour
Leadership is experienced through behaviour not organisational values statements. This means that people judge their leaders through everyday interactions.
Effective leaders model behaviours that help others feel respected, valued and able to contribute. They encourage challenge, listen actively and communicate transparently.
One of the recurring themes in our change leadership work is the importance of communicating the why before the what. People are far more likely to support change when they understand the rationale behind it and feel involved in the journey.
Curiosity
Leaders often experience change very differently from those around them. What feels like progress to one individual may feel like risk to another. This is why curious leaders actively seek different perspectives and are self-aware. They understand their own biases and are open to learning.
They engage stakeholders early, explore concerns openly and involve people in shaping solutions.
From Trust To Inclusive Cultures
The connection between trust and inclusion is clear.
Inclusive cultures emerge because leaders consistently create environments in which people feel safe to contribute, challenge and participate fully.
Trust grows when people feel heard, valued and included in shaping the future. Building trust across difference requires leaders to take responsibility for the culture they create (Accountability), consistently role model inclusive practices (Behaviour) and remain genuinely interested in perspectives beyond their own (Curiosity).
When leaders embrace all three elements of the ABC Model, they create the conditions for dialogue, collaboration and trust; the very foundations needed to navigate change effectively.
How School for CEOs can Help
School for CEOs supports organisations to develop inclusive, high-performing leaders through:
- ABC 360 Inclusive Leadership Feedback
- Inclusive Leadership Workshops
- Reverse Mentoring Programmes
- Leadership Series Workshops, including Leading Change, Tackling Performance & Crucial Conversations, Building Emotional Intelligence and Leadership Success, Communicating with Impact, Developing Great Networks
Together, these interventions help leaders build trust, strengthen inclusion, and create cultures that are better equipped to navigate change successfully.
