How leaders can cultivate trust in an era of information overload

Information is a commodity. The real challenge is establishing trust in today’s world of content overload and automated answers. How can you tell who, among an array of self-proclaimed experts, really understands a topic? And more importantly, how can you instill that trust in others? It starts at the top. According to the 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer, 75% of respondents said CEOs are obligated to help bridge trust divides, but just 44% do so well. That’s a huge gap that highlights a leadership credibility challenge, playing out externally with customersand inside the workplace. 3 TRUST-BUILDING STRATEGIES These are three core principles I lean on to establish trust. 1. Transparency: Be honest and open to what you don’t know. Authenticity builds connection. Leaders who admit they don’t have all the answers and show vulnerability earn deeper trust. This openness creates a culture of accountability that resonates with both employees and customers. One thing we do at Scribd, Inc. is quarterly employee pulse surveys. As you might imagine, scores across various topics fluctuate. But we share all of them in company meetings, using it as an opportunity to discuss what’s going well and dig into how we can improve. This has led to higher engagement. Transparency means also sharing the bad as well as the good. If someone tells me everything is going great and is perfect, I’m not likely to trust them. There is always something we can do better. It’s the same when you communicate with the employees—share the misses as well as the wins. 2. Communication: Clarity and humanity over bulk. Always clearly articulate your intent, purpose, and vision. Don’t give your teams or your audience an opportunity to second-guess or fill in the blanks of what you don’t say. How you share is equally as important as what you share. We all sound better since we learned to bulk up our messages with AI. It’s personally been a great copyeditor for me, but I don’t want it to take my voice.