The analogy with raising a kid is powerful: just like a child, a team needs to be trusted slightly more than its current competence level to actually grow and prosper.
I hadn't given this enough weight before, but I now see that trust isn't just a reward for competence, it's the fuel for it. We need to give people the space to swim (even if they risk sinking a bit). I’ll carry this lesson with me for my future career. Thank you!
This is so true: trust isn’t something you “earn later”, it’s what lets people grow in the first place.
When you don’t trust people, they start double-checking everything, asking for approvals, and playing it safe, so of course they look slower and less capable. Then leaders go, “See? I was right,” and tighten the screws even more. In a high-trust team, even newbies level up fast because they’re allowed to try, mess up a little, and learn. Low trust doesn’t create quality, it creates fear with extra meetings.
Sensational piece.
The analogy with raising a kid is powerful: just like a child, a team needs to be trusted slightly more than its current competence level to actually grow and prosper.
I hadn't given this enough weight before, but I now see that trust isn't just a reward for competence, it's the fuel for it. We need to give people the space to swim (even if they risk sinking a bit). I’ll carry this lesson with me for my future career. Thank you!
This is a great depiction of the possiblities!
This is brilliant. And like other elegant theories, explains so much.
This is so true: trust isn’t something you “earn later”, it’s what lets people grow in the first place.
When you don’t trust people, they start double-checking everything, asking for approvals, and playing it safe, so of course they look slower and less capable. Then leaders go, “See? I was right,” and tighten the screws even more. In a high-trust team, even newbies level up fast because they’re allowed to try, mess up a little, and learn. Low trust doesn’t create quality, it creates fear with extra meetings.