Trust doesn’t happen in a memo. It happens in a moment—when someone says, “Let me tell you what happened to me…” and a teammate says, “Me too.”
That’s the power of shared stories.
You want to build a team that’s not just functional but fiercely loyal? Start by opening the circle of story. Because when we share stories, we share ourselves. We tear down titles. We transcend job descriptions. We stop being “marketing,” “sales,” “ops”—and start being human.
As a spoken word artist and leadership speaker, I’ve sat in rooms where CEOs cracked open with vulnerability, and suddenly the energy shifted. The team didn’t just see a boss—they saw a person. And in that moment, trust wasn’t requested. It was earned.
Stories build bridges where walls once stood. They say, “This is who I really am. This is what I’ve survived. This is what I believe.” And that kind of transparency breeds a culture where people don’t just collaborate. They connect.
Want your team to trust each other? Give them space to tell their story. Not just the polished professional one. The real one. The one with risk. The one with revelation.
Because when stories circulate, so does empathy. And empathy is the soil where trust takes root.
So gather your team—not just for updates, but for understanding. Share not just wins, but what shaped them. Don’t just talk about vision. Tell the story behind it.
Because in a world where everything moves fast and feels distant, a shared story slows us down and draws us in.
And trust?
It grows in that space between your truth and theirs.
