Hi there,
Over the past month, I’ve found myself reflecting on a question we recently brought to our team.
Are you building trust by setting the example and providing what the team needs from you? Or are you eroding trust by resisting what the team needs from you?
The room became quiet. Not because people didn’t understand the question, but because most of us realized it required looking in the mirror. And looking in the mirror is always harder than looking through the window.
It’s easy to identify what others should do differently. It’s much harder to honestly assess our own actions, our own attitudes, and the role we’re playing in helping a team move forward.
Pat Lencioni describes the absence of trust as the first and most foundational dysfunction in The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. Without trust, difficult conversations are avoided. Accountability becomes inconsistent. Commitment weakens. Results suffer.
But trust isn’t something organizations build once and move on from. It requires constant attention.
Trust Is Built in the Ordinary Moments
Building a thriving team is difficult work.
Many leaders assume trust is established during strategic planning sessions, team-building events, or company meetings. Those moments can certainly help, but trust is really built in the ordinary moments that happen every day.
It happens when someone does what they said they’d do. When a hard conversation gets had instead of postponed. When a leader holds themselves to the same standard they hold everyone else to. When someone picks the team’s win over their own preference. And when someone admits, out loud, that they might be part of the problem.
Leading isn’t only managing other people. It’s managing yourself: your reactions, your attitude, your willingness to adapt. On a team, there’s no neutral. Everyone is adding to trust or taking from it.
That is why the question we posed to our team created such reflection. Not because it challenged others, but because it challenged each of us – myself included.
Trust in the Field
The same principle exists throughout our industry – trust can take years to build, and only moments to damage.
Every company makes mistakes. Every leader makes mistakes. Every team experiences setbacks. Sometimes we recognize those mistakes, own them, and work hard to correct them. Yet even then, the response from others may not always be what we believe we deserve. That’s simply reality.
We cannot control how others choose to respond. We cannot control how long it takes someone to trust us again. We cannot control whether others see our intentions the same way we do.
What we can control is how we respond to adversity.
We can choose accountability. We can choose transparency. We can choose consistency. We can choose to keep showing up and doing the right things for the right reasons.
Over time, trust is earned not through perfect performance, but through consistent character.
People watch how individuals and organizations respond when things don’t go according to plan. They watch whether accountability is accepted or avoided. They watch whether actions align with words.
Just as strong teams are built through trust, strong partnerships are built the same way. Neither happens overnight. Both require constant attention.
Upcoming Events
In October, we’re continuing the Arizona Water Stewardship Leadership Forum series as GRO builds sector-specific conversations around confidence, stewardship, and responsible decision-making:
October 14, 2026
HOA & Master Planned Communities – Scottsdale, Arizona
A discussion focused on resident confidence, stewardship, and how communities can create stronger conversations around landscape expectations and Arizona’s water future.
October 15, 2026
Commercial Real Estate & Development – Scottsdale, Arizona
A conversation focused on water as a business risk and how owners, developers, and property leaders can strengthen investment confidence through greater visibility, planning, and stewardship.
⭐ Tickets to the forums are complimentary, include a catered lunch, is hosted by Grassroots Resource Optimization (GRO) LLC with support from GPEC, Arizona State University (ASU), and the SiteOne Green Tech Technology Center.
👉 Learn more about the forums and register to attend
Final Thoughts
As I reflect on the month behind us, the lesson is simple.
Most growth begins when we stop looking through the window and start looking in the mirror.
Trust isn’t built by demanding more from others. It’s built by asking more of ourselves.
And when enough people choose to do that, teams, organizations, and industries all become stronger because of it.
Thanks,
Randy Valk
Founder/CEO
Grassroots Resource Optimization