Trust: The Foundation of Strong Teams
BY APRIL WILLERS
Leading Forward: A monthly perspective on leadership, innovation, and the evolving intersection of insurance, law, technology, and data.
One lesson that has stayed with me since early in my career came from a leader who told me he intentionally surrounded himself with people who were smarter than he was in their respective areas of expertise.
I’ve tried to do the same ever since.
I learned to trust.
And as a leader, it’s my job to figure out how to verify without undermining that trust.
Years later, at Disney Institute’s Leadership Excellence program, I heard a similar idea: leaders surround themselves with people they trust with their careers.
That kind of trust isn’t automatic.
It’s earned.
And when trust exists in every direction, something changes.
Information flows more freely.
Healthy debate becomes possible.
Constructive conflict strengthens decisions.
Risk can be evaluated without fear or finger-pointing.
We stop judging every decision solely by its outcome and instead ask whether it reflected our values, our process, and our purpose.
To me, that is what a strong leadership team should create.
Today, I couldn’t imagine stronger teammates alongside me at Hermes Law and ClaimDeck.
Their strengths complement mine.
They challenge my thinking.
They make me better.
They even help me develop a sense of patience, which is a newer skill for me over the last few years. And I’m absolutely not “there” yet.
Trust doesn’t mean everyone always agrees.
In fact, I think the strongest teams are often the ones that can disagree honestly, challenge one another thoughtfully, and still move forward together.
Because trust isn’t simply about believing someone will tell you what you want to hear.
It’s knowing they care enough about the shared goal to tell you what you need to hear.
That kind of trust takes time.
But once it exists, it changes what a team can accomplish together.
LEADING FORWARD SERIES:
