Leading in the Age of Distrust & Disruption

There’s a survey out this month that says a lot of Americans are deeply dissatisfied with leadership across business, education, healthcare, and public service. People don’t just want competence anymore, they want leaders they can trust, who understand real life and act with transparency.

Today’s “hot topics”: from inflation to return-to-office mandates, labor shortages, vendor pressures, remote vs hybrid work: mean leadership isn’t just about steering the ship. It’s about being visible in the storm.

1. When Trust Is Worn, It Costs

With reports of leadership failing to align with everyday values, 77% of Americans say they can’t name a public leader they admire, leaders must build credibility through small acts, not grand speeches.

For example: saying “I don’t have all the answers, but I’m working on them”, rather than pretending certainty. A leader who admits what they don’t know often gains more respect than one who pretends.

2. Vendor & Partner Relationships: More Than Just Contracts

With supply chain disruptions, inflation, and companies feeling squeezed from all sides, leaders who treat vendors as transactional risk missing deeper value.

Because vendors see what many inside organizations don’t, they work across sectors and geographies. They observe trends, challenges, and innovations that can be shared insight.

Leaders who build relationship + accountability with vendors (fair contracts, open feedback, shared purpose) can tap into that external intelligence.

3. Hybrid Work, Culture, and the Tension of “Coming Back”

Many workplaces are pushing return-to-office mandates, citing collaboration and performance. Others are maintaining remote or hybrid flexibility. The tension is real: employees want flexibility; many also want connection.

Leaders today must decide not just where people work, but how people feel. Do remote workers feel included in decisions? Are hybrid schedules planned with fairness? Are employees judged equally regardless of location?

Because culture isn’t just built in physical halls, it’s in trust, communication, and being intentional.

4. The Cost & Opportunity of Being Rarely Seen

Right now, leaders who stay safe and distant are costing trust. But those who show up, literally and figuratively, with empathy, humility, and accountability are becoming rare, and thus more powerful.

Being seen means admitting hardship, balancing demands, navigating uncertainty, and still choosing to lead with integrity.

Closing Thought

We’re not in normal times. The stakes are higher. People are exhausted. Costs are rising. Expectations are shifting.

Great leadership now isn’t about numbers on a report. It’s about presence, transparency, and choosing both relationship and accountability, even when it’s easier to default to the opposite.

That’s LeadHERship in our time.

Your Turn: What’s one decision you’re making this week to lead more with trust than with metrics?

Want more? Part of my series with MothHERload Monday and WealthiHER Friday, these posts are about how we show up for family, work, and wealth in a changing world.