The Currency of Collaboration: Why Trust Pays Dividends

 Author: Sandra McDowell, CEO, MA, PCC, CPHR, CULC

What if I told you that the single most powerful driver of collaboration isn’t intelligence, strategy, or even technology?

Many leaders assume people collaborate because they’re supposed to. But collaboration is always a choice. Every day, people decide whether they will contribute fully, share openly, and lean into the collective effort—or whether they’ll hold back.

The factor that tips the scale one way or the other is trust.

When trust is high, collaboration feels natural. People speak up with new ideas, challenge each other respectfully, and support one another when problems arise. When trust is low, even the most capable teams stall. They become cautious, protective, and resistant to risk. The result is stagnation.

Why Trust Matters More Than Ever

In today’s workplaces, collaboration isn’t a “nice to have”—it’s survival. Hybrid teams, cross-functional projects, and a pace of change that never slows make it impossible for anyone succeed alone.

And yet, trust is fragile. Gallup reports that only about one in three employees strongly agree they trust the leadership of their organization (1). Two-thirds of the workforce show up each day with at least some doubt. That doubt seeps through the system. If you don’t trust your leaders, you’re less likely to fully trust your peers.

The impact of that is profound. Neuroscience tells us that when trust is low, the brain activates its threat response. Cortisol levels spike, narrowing focus to self-preservation (2). People become less likely to share, less willing to experiment, and more likely to avoid conflict. Collaboration shuts down.

By contrast, high-trust environments release oxytocin and dopamine—neurochemicals that foster calmness, connection, and openness (3). People feel safe enough to bring their best ideas forward. Collaboration flourishes.

Trust, quite literally, changes the brain. And when the brain shifts, actions follow.

What Leaders Often Get Wrong

Here’s the trap: too often, leaders try to engineer collaboration through external tools and processes. They roll out new project-management software. They organize off-site retreats. They add more meetings.

But none of these tactics work if the foundation is missing. Collaboration cannot be forced into existence. It has to be unlocked—and the key is trust.

Building trust doesn’t happen through grand gestures. It happens through the small, everyday signals leaders send. Do you follow through on what you say? Do you own up to mistakes? Do you invite voices into the conversation and actually listen to them?

Trust is built less on charisma and more on consistency. People would rather work with a leader who is steady and reliable than one who is brilliant but unpredictable.

The Trust-Collaboration Flywheel

Think of trust and collaboration as a flywheel that gathers momentum with every turn:

1. Trust sparks openness. People share without fear of criticism.
2. Openness sparks learning. Challenges are explored from new angles.
3. Learning sparks innovation. Fresh solutions emerge.
4. Innovation sparks results. Teams achieve more together.
5. Results spark trust. Success reinforces confidence.

It’s a virtuous cycle, but it’s also fragile. A single breach of trust can slow or even stop the wheel. Protecting it requires constant attention.

The Provocative Truth: Trust is Risky

Here’s the paradox: trust always involves risk. To trust someone is to make yourself vulnerable. That’s why trust can’t be demanded; it must be earned. And leaders have to go first.

If you want collaboration, you must take the first risk. Share openly. Admit you don’t have all the answers. Be transparent about the challenges ahead. That vulnerability signals safety to your team.

Trust is like a bank account. Every promise kept is a deposit. Every inconsistency is a withdrawal. Your balance determines how much risk your team is willing to take in collaborating with you and with each other.

Unlocking Collaboration: Three Bold Moves

If you’re ready to invest in the currency of collaboration, here are three bold actions to start with:

1. Make it personal. Move beyond transactional check-ins. Ask about your team’s goals, struggles, and aspirations. People trust leaders who care about them as humans.
2. Tell the truth, unvarnished. Share both the wins and the losses. People can handle reality; what breaks trust is inauthentic spin.
3. Hold people capable, not just accountable. Accountability without trust feels punitive. Accountability with trust feels empowering.

Your Challenge

Take a moment to reflect: what’s one specific action you can take this week to deepen trust with your team?

It might be following through on a small commitment. It might be asking, “What do you think?” in your next meeting—and then truly listening. It might be admitting you missed the mark on something.

Whatever it is, do it consistently. Collaboration is the fuel of modern leadership, and trust is the spark. Without it, the engine stalls. With it, teams move farther and faster than you ever imagined.

So here’s the real question: will your leadership multiply collaboration through trust—or stifle it through doubt?

The dividends depend on you.

References

1. Gallup. State of the American Workplace (2017); Gallup. State of the Global Workplace (2022).
2. Rock, D. (2008). “SCARF: A brain-based model for collaborating with and influencing others.” NeuroLeadership Journal.
3. Zak, P. J. (2017). “The Neuroscience of Trust.” Harvard Business Review.

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