Without trust, followership fails, and so do leaders
The boardroom was silent as the project update wrapped up. The leader had spoken with confidence, charts were polished, and strategies were neatly outlined. But everyone in the room knew the reality: the numbers didn’t add up. The missing voice wasn’t leadership; it was followership. No one wanted to be the person to puncture optimism. Fear of being dismissed, labelled, or sidelined kept lips sealed. The plan moved forward, the project derailed, and the cost was millions. At its heart, the breakdown wasn’t just in strategy but in trust.
Trust, or the absence of it, is the invisible currency of organisations. Leaders may design the vision, but followers decide whether that vision lives or dies by their willingness to engage, challenge, and commit. And followers, in turn, only bring their full selves when trust makes it safe to do so. Without trust, followers retreat into silence, leaders double down on control, and organisations bleed creativity.
“Without trust, followers retreat into silence, leaders double down on control, and organisations bleed creativity.”
The conversation around leadership has always been obsessed with authority, charisma, and strategy. Yet the overlooked truth is this: trust is the glue that makes followership work. When followers trust their leaders, they contribute boldly. When leaders trust their followers, they grant space to influence outcomes. In fact, the strength of any organisation rests not on individual brilliance but on the mutual trust between those who lead and those who follow.
A 2024 Deloitte study found that 79 percent of employees who strongly trust their leaders are more engaged, productive, and willing to innovate. Conversely, in workplaces where trust is fragile, turnover increases by nearly 40 percent. The research is clear: trust isn’t a nice-to-have; it’s the engine of performance. But here’s the nuance often missed: trust doesn’t just flow downward from leaders to followers. It flows upward and sideways, too. Followers, through their integrity, accountability, and courage, earn and extend trust just as much as leaders do.
The art of followership is, therefore, inseparable from the practice of trust. Courageous followers do not confuse silence with loyalty. They speak truthfully, but they also do so responsibly, to advance collective success rather than vent frustration. They hold themselves accountable, delivering not only on tasks but also on the unspoken commitment to strengthen the social contract of trust in their teams. And they amplify peers, reinforcing a culture where trust is shared rather than hoarded.
Consider the subtle but powerful difference between two employees. One notices a flaw in a rollout plan but says nothing until the mistake surfaces. The other raises it in the meeting, framing it as a contribution to success: “I see a potential gap here; how might we address it before it becomes a problem?” The first employee protects themself but erodes trust. The second risk is discomfort but it builds the team’s confidence in collective honesty. Trust grows when followers practise this kind of courage.
Of course, trust is fragile. Followers often wonder: What if my leader retaliates? What if speaking up costs me opportunities? These are valid fears. But the paradox is that this trust cannot exist without risk. To follow well is to invest in trust even when outcomes aren’t guaranteed. And when multiple followers model this courage consistently, they create a climate where leaders are compelled to reciprocate.
So, what does it look like to practise followership through the lens of trust? It looks like reframing your voice as a contribution rather than a confrontation. It looks like stepping into the initiative rather than waiting passively for permission. It looks like building coalitions of peer courage so that truth-telling is shared, not isolated. Above all, it looks like aligning actions with integrity so that your presence adds weight to the culture rather than subtracts from it.
Here are questions worth pausing over: Do I withhold my perspective out of fear, and in doing so weaken the trust my team needs? Do I treat my leader’s shortcomings as reasons for withdrawal or as opportunities to engage constructively? When colleagues speak truth, do I add my voice in solidarity or quietly watch from the sidelines? And perhaps most uncomfortably: am I trustworthy myself in the way I handle responsibility, honesty, and accountability?
This week, I challenge you to practise one deliberate act of trust-building as a follower. Speak up with honesty in a meeting where silence feels easier. Take ownership of a task without waiting for direction. Or affirm a colleague who risks candour, so their courage doesn’t echo in a vacuum.
Because here’s the truth: leadership without followership is empty, and followership without trust is impossible. The future of work will not be defined by charismatic leaders alone but by brave followers who choose to trust, engage, and act with integrity. Trust is not given; it is built. And every follower holds the power to shape it.
In the end, leaders may set the direction, but it is trust cultivated daily by those who follow that determines whether organisations merely move or truly soar.
About the author:
Dr Toye Sobande is a strategic leadership expert, executive coach, lawyer, public speaker, and award-winning author. He is the CEO of Stephens Leadership Consultancy LLC, a strategy and management consulting firm offering creative insight and solutions to businesses and leaders. Email: [email protected]
