The Real Reason Teams Fall Apart (Hint: It’s Not Strategy)

Everyone loves to talk about strategy. But after decades of working with leadership teams, I’ve learned something far less glamorous and far more important:

Most team dysfunction isn’t about strategy, talent, or even workload.

It’s about trust.

And more specifically, lost trust.

On a recent episode of Work Unscripted, I sat down with Dr. Dennis Reina and Dr. Michelle Reina, pioneers in the research of workplace trust who have spent more than three decades studying how trust is built, broken, and rebuilt in organizations. Their work has influenced leaders across industries and is captured in bestselling books like Trust and Betrayal in the Workplace and their newest book The Art of Trust Building. 

What makes their framework powerful is that it removes the vagueness. 

Want to know the secrets to:

• building trust at scale?

• rebuilding trust at scale?

• building trust with clients?

• building trust with customers?

• building trust with remote teams?

• building trust on your team? 

• building trust within yourself?

…this conversation is for you.

Trust Isn’t One Thing. It’s Three.

One of the biggest misconceptions about trust is that it’s simply about liking someone. Or being nice. The Reinas’ research shows something different: trust is built through three distinct dimensions. Understanding these changes how leaders diagnose conflict and how they fix it.

1. Trust of Character (Contractual Trust)

This is the simplest and most overlooked form of trust. It comes down to a basic question:

Do you do what you say you’re going to do?

Trust of character is built when people:

• Honor commitments

• Deliver as promised

• Respect boundaries

• Look out for others’ interests, not just their own

It sounds basic. But in organizations moving at lightning speed, it’s also where trust quietly erodes. A missed deadline here. An unclear expectation there.

Individually, these moments seem minor. Collectively, they create something much bigger.

2. Communication Trust

This is where many teams break down. Communication trust is built through:

• Transparency

• Sharing information

• Telling the truth—even when it’s uncomfortable

• Giving and receiving feedback

But the real danger shows up in silence. When leaders stop communicating clearly, people simply don’t wait for answers. They fill in the gaps themselves. I call it “emotional reasoning” where you create someone’s intent instead of actually asking them. And those stories you tell yourself are rarely positive.

I hear this all the time when working with executives:

“My boss hates me.”

“They’re trying to push me out.”

“Leadership is hiding something.”

When we unpack it, the issue usually isn’t hate or sabotage. It’s missing communication trust.

3. Competence Trust

This dimension shows up in subtle ways that often create friction across teams. Competence trust is about believing that someone:

• Has the capability to do the job

• Is respected for their expertise

• Is empowered to contribute their skills

Where it breaks down is in the gray areas. Different interpretations of roles. Overlapping responsibilities. Assumptions about what someone “should” be doing. Without clarity, capability quickly turns into conflict.

Why Betrayal Happens More Often Than You Think

One of the most fascinating insights from the Reinas’ decades of research is this:

Most workplace trust violations are unintentional. Not malicious. Not strategic. Just small behaviors that accumulate.

Broken promises.

Information withheld.

People left out of decisions.

Individually, each incident feels manageable. But over time they create what I often describe to clients as “the green glass of muck.” The first breach clouds the glass slightly.

Then another. 

And another. 

Until eventually, everything someone does is viewed through that distorted lens.

Why Leaders Struggle to Rebuild Trust

Here’s where many leaders make their biggest mistake.

They apologize. 

Then they move on. 

They assume everyone else has moved on too.

But rebuilding trust doesn’t work that way. Trust can take years to build. And it can disappear in a moment. Repair requires consistent behavior over time, not a single conversation. That’s where the real leadership work begins.

The Part of Trust Leaders Rarely Talk About

Toward the end of our conversation, the Reinas introduced something even deeper:

Self-trust.

Because before you can build trust with others, you have to trust yourself.

Your judgment.

Your intentions.

Your ability to navigate uncertainty.

When leaders lose that internal confidence, they often become reactive, territorial, or defensive.

Sound familiar? 

Exactly.

Want the Full Conversation?

In this episode of Work Unscripted, Dennis and Michelle Reina also reveal:

• The most common workplace betrayals leaders unknowingly commit

• Why silence destroys trust faster than mistakes

• The 7-step process for rebuilding trust after it’s broken

• How remote work and constant change are reshaping trust inside organizations

And one insight that completely changed how I coach leaders through team conflict.

🎧 Click here to listen to the full episode, Trust in the Workplace: How It Breaks, Why It Fails, and How to Rebuild It with Drs. Dennis & Michelle Reina.