Start With Trust, Not Just Strategy
Trust is the real foundation of successful change.
If your team is resisting change, it’s easy to think the strategy isn’t clear enough.
But most of the time—it’s not the plan. It’s the people’s experience of the plan.
You can have the strongest roadmap in the room:
✔️ Clear milestones
✔️ Ambitious goals
✔️ A beautifully designed rollout
And still?
Change can stall.
When People Don’t Feel Safe, They Don’t Move
What I see in coaching, again and again, is this:
When people don’t feel safe—they won’t move.
They won’t speak up.
They won’t offer input.
And they certainly won’t take the risks that meaningful change requires.
Most teams underestimate the emotional and relational weight of change, and we are inclined to think resistance means people don’t understand the plan.
But more often?
They don’t feel grounded in it.
They don’t feel seen in it.
That’s not a strategy problem.
That’s a trust problem.
Ask Yourself This
If you’re a leader in the middle of a transition, here’s a question to ask:
💭Is there enough trust in this room to support the discomfort we’re about to walk through?
Trust isn’t just a culture word. It’s a strategic lever.
When trust is strong, people take ownership. They stay open. They step forward.
When it’s weak, even the best strategy can feel like a threat.
Three Ways to Strengthen Trust During Change
Name uncertainty out loud. Your team already feels it. Naming it builds credibility and signals psychological safety.
Invite input early. Co-creation builds buy-in, and buy-in leads to resilience.
Be consistent and transparent. Trust isn’t built in kickoff meetings. It’s built from how you follow through.
Change Requires More Than Clarity
Change requires clarity, yes.
But it also requires courage.
And courage only shows up when people feel safe enough to bring their full selves to the table.
Ready to strengthen trust on your team?
If you're navigating change or preparing for it, I offer a 30-minute exploration call to help you think through how to build a stronger foundation. It’s a chance to connect, talk through what you’re seeing in your team, and explore whether this kind of support is the right fit.
Schedule your call here!
Let’s build the kind of team that can move through change—together.
Liv Olson is an executive coach and facilitator specializing in team effectiveness. She partners with financial services leaders and their teams to strengthen clarity, confidence, and collaboration.