While many senior executives are investing in AI, technology, and new governance tools to accelerate decision-making and execution, the most critical factor often goes unnoticed: trust.

Trust is not a soft concept – it’s a competitive advantage. Research from Gartner and McKinsey shows that organizations with high psychological safety:

  • Execute faster and more accurately
  • Detect and correct errors earlier
  • Maintain engagement and resilience under pressure

Yet, in my coaching work, I still encounter many leaders who respond to uncertainty with control, reporting demands, and siloed thinking. It’s understandable – but it hinders innovation and collaboration.

Future-ready performance cultures require something else: a leadership style where autonomy, ownership, and learning are allowed to flourish. It starts with the leader’s ability to:

  • Create psychological safety through clear communication and availability
  • Share uncertainty and invite co-leadership
  • Focus on purpose and expectations rather than micromanagement

Organizations that succeed in this can experiment, adapt, and grow. Those that lack trust risk stifling initiative – and pushing away their top talent.

In my work with Intelligent Leadership®, we map both individual and organizational leadership DNA. We identify how values, behaviors, and communication patterns generate either engagement or resistance – and how to embed a trust-based leadership culture in practice.

Here are three clear signs of low trust in an organization – and the impact on performance:

  • Decisions escalate upwards despite competence being present at lower levels
  • Employees withhold ideas or avoid giving constructive feedback
  • Excessive energy is spent on self-protection rather than core task delivery

Trust doesn’t emerge from team-building exercises or value posters. It comes from consistent, present, and human leadership. Leadership where an executive dares to say: “I don’t have all the answers – but I trust you.”

This requires training and reflection – especially in an AI-driven era where technology changes processes and roles faster than culture can adapt. That’s why culture must be seen as a strategic concern – not an afterthought.

I support leaders and organizations in working systematically with:

  • Culture mapping (Culture Pulse)
  • Trust-based leadership behavior and individual leadership profiles (MLEI)
  • Strategic alignment between structure, behavior, and results

Organizations that actively work with trust will stand stronger in a complex, tech-driven future. Because trust is not the opposite of performance – it is the foundation.

Is your culture ready for the next level? Let’s start with a confidential conversation about how to build a culture where AI and humans work together – not against each other. www.birgittethorup.dk