By Wendy C. Wilson
Years ago, our industry was suffering under intense foreign competition. The U.S. division, the company’s largest, came under a mandate from headquarters: cut US $50 million by year-end.
The pressure was crushing. Everyone knew that the decisions we made would affect jobs, families, and the future of the business. As head of Procurement, all eyes turned to me for solutions.
We doubled down on negotiations with suppliers, cut unnecessary expenses, and explored every creative avenue. But despite all efforts, the numbers were clear: payroll cuts were unavoidable. Layoffs loomed.
In moments like this, people don’t just look for answers, they look for trust. And as leaders, how we show up in those moments defines whether our teams will follow us through instability or lose faith when they need us most.
Trust is the currency of crisis leadership. Without it, no plan, no matter how strategic, will succeed.
Here’s what I’ve learned:
Calm builds trust. When leaders remain steady, they communicate: “You can count on me.”
Trust reduces instability. Teams in crisis don’t just need strategies; they need anchors.
Trust sustains resilience. It gives people the courage to keep moving forward, even when the path is uncertain.
Titles don’t inspire loyalty in a crisis. Trust does. And it’s built in how leaders show up, especially when the hardest decisions must be made.
How do you build trust when the environment is unstable, and decisions carry painful consequences? Here are five ways:
1. Show up consistently
Instability magnifies people’s need for reliability. Your presence, showing up steady, day after day, speaks volumes.
2. Communicate truthfully
Spin destroys trust. Transparency builds it. Share what you know, admit what you don’t, and explain why decisions are being made.
3. Protect your team where you can
Even small acts of safeguarding, defending a benefit, sparing a role, helping negotiate a fair severance package or providing extra support, show you value your people beyond the balance sheet.
4. Model vulnerability wisely
In our $50 million cut, I admitted openly that layoffs were the hardest part of my career. Sharing that truth didn’t weaken trust, it strengthened it. People knew I understood the weight of what they were carrying.
5. Keep commitments
When instability shakes everything else, honoring your word becomes a foundation your team can lean on.
Trust Across All High-Stakes Environments
Whether in a corporation facing layoffs, a non-profit supporting survivors, or a law enforcement unit heading into danger, one truth remains constant: trust is what makes people move forward together when everything else feels uncertain.
The context may differ, a boardroom under financial pressure, a shelter supporting those in crisis, or a command center making split-second decisions. But the principle does not change: in high-stakes moments, teams don’t follow titles or organizational charts. They follow leaders they trust.
Crisis leadership isn’t about having every answer. It’s about building the trust that makes people want to follow you, even when the answers are painful.
When we had to cut $50 million, what mattered most wasn’t just the cost-saving measures we implemented — it was whether people trusted me and the leadership team to act with integrity, fairness, and humanity. That trust allowed us to move forward, even through one of the most difficult seasons of my career.
Trust gives people something to hold onto when everything else feels unsteady. It transforms uncertainty into a shared journey, and fear into resilience. And when leaders consistently show up with honesty, steadiness, and care, they become more than decision-makers — they become anchors in the storm.
Whether you’re leading a global corporation, guiding a nonprofit team, or serving in law enforcement, the call is the same: build trust, and your people will follow you through adversity.
For more on resilience and leadership through adversity, explore my book Iron Will and subscribe to my blog.
