Circle of Trust
How an in-person moment revealed the real payoff of deliberate trust-building
In my last post, I shared how to begin building trust, even when you’re starting in a deficit. So for today’s Tuesday post, I want to share one of my favorite anecdotes from the year—one that perfectly encapsulates the rewards that can be sown from investing in trust.
Specifically, I want to share about the Circle of Trust. Not a name of my own creation, but one that I like to believe was lovingly given to the exercise. Let me set the scene:
The Offsite
Over the summer, I attended an off-site for a sales team I’d been working with closely. This group had been working together for about six months — long enough to have shared projects, real pressures, and the beginnings of team dynamics that were still taking shape.
Most of the people in the room had also been in my Elevate program during those six months, which meant we had already built a meaningful foundation of trust. They had used our cohort space to talk honestly about tensions, expectations, and what was helping or hindering them. Feedback had been flowing — across teams, up the organization, and within the group itself. By the time we reached this off-site, we had built the muscles for it.
But it’s important to note that while most folks had been going through my program, they hadn’t all been in the same cohort. Sales reps and executives had the same language, but they didn’t necessarily have the shared space or cadence to use the tools together on a regular basis.
So when it came time for my portion of the agenda, my gut told me we needed to make space. With this time together, in person, I wanted to elevate the communication. Give the positive feedback. Acknowledge moments of growth. Ask tough questions. Hold tensions.
Our newly anointed Circle of Trust was designed to create the conditions for trust to deepen in real time. It was aptly named.
The Instructions
Before we began, I gave the executive team one clear guideline: they could participate, but their contributions needed to stay positive. If constructive feedback came their way, they could ask clarifying questions — but the purpose was for the team to speak up, and for leadership to receive without defensiveness.
My goal was simple: make it safe for upward feedback to land well and be witnessed by the entire group.
Then I asked everyone to move into a circle. (Hence the name.)
What Happened Next
We opened the floor.
Positive. Constructive. Check-ins. Amends. Gratitude.
Anything honest was welcome.
And it worked.
People named tensions that had been quietly sitting under the surface. Leaders received feedback with openness and reflection. Teammates shared appreciation, frustration, and perspective. You could feel the room exhale as the slate started to clear.
What made this possible wasn’t the circle itself — it was the six months we had spent building trust in our cohorts. People had already practiced these conversations. They had learned how to give and receive feedback. They had seen that real dialogue didn’t have to be dangerous.
What stood out to me most was how naturally the group stepped into it. No mediation was required. No temperature spikes. Just honesty, humility, and a shared desire to move forward.
The Payoff
We’re now six months past that moment. The group is about to graduate from my program, and the growth is unmistakable.
They’re clearer. More confident. More cohesive. They’re better at speaking directly. Better at receiving directly. They’ve learned that honesty doesn’t rupture trust — it builds it. They can give feedback to their leaders. And if they need support, they know where to turn.
That’s the true payoff of trust work.
It takes time. It takes intention. And it requires practice long before you ever sit in a circle.
But when you do — when a team can look one another in the eye and speak truthfully — the investment becomes visible. Tangible. Transformational.
This work is doable for any team.
All it takes is a structure that holds them, a space to practice, and the courage to step into the circle.
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