The Irreplaceable Value of Trust in Business, According to Florence Divet ☀️

In a recent LinkedIn post, Florence Divet ☀️ explores the critical distinction between replacing people and replacing trust within an organization. The insights shared by Divet ☀️ highlight how leaders often overlook the foundational element of trust until it is gone, leading to significant operational and cultural disruptions.

Divet ☀️ begins by asserting a core principle: “You can replace people. You can’t replace trust.” This statement sets the stage for a deeper examination of what constitutes genuine trust in a professional context, moving beyond mere likability or good intentions.

“And by trust, I don’t mean likability or good intentions. I mean that you can count on someone to consistently do the right thing.”

The author elaborates on the ease with which employees can be replaced compared to the profound difficulty of rebuilding trust. While seats can be filled and tasks redistributed when someone leaves, the underlying foundation of reliability and integrity is far harder to replicate. Divet ☀️ emphasizes that trust is about the quiet assurance that problems will be addressed, deadlines met even under pressure, and uncomfortable truths spoken, not out of obligation, but out of a commitment to doing what is right.

The Subtle Erosion of Trust

Florence Divet ☀️ points out that leaders often only recognize the absence of trust when it’s too late. This realization typically comes when a trusted individual departs, leaving a void in critical functions that were previously handled seamlessly. As Divet ☀️ notes:

“Most leaders don’t take people for granted on purpose. They do it because the most trusted people rarely make a fuss. They keep judgement clean when situations get messy. They fix things before anyone sees the problem. They absorb pressure quietly.”

These trusted individuals, Divet ☀️ explains, often become so integrated into the operational fabric that they become invisible, akin to wallpaper. Their consistent performance and quiet problem-solving mean they don’t draw attention, making their eventual departure all the more disruptive. The common refrain upon their exit, “Wait… who usually handles that?” underscores this point.

The Impact of Bias on Perception

Adding another layer to the challenge, Divet ☀️ discusses how unconscious bias can further complicate a leader’s perception of their team. Subtle cues like quietness can be misinterpreted as a lack of leadership potential, while confidence might be wrongly equated with competence. Divet ☀️ argues that leaders may fail to notice the growth and development of their team members because they are relating to an outdated version of them.

“People don’t wake up one day with better judgement. They build it. Tiny reps over time. Better questions. Cleaner decisions. Fewer escalations.”

This continuous, incremental growth in judgment and capability is easily missed if leaders are not actively paying attention. Divet ☀️ stresses that true competence is built over time through consistent, small actions and decisions.

Actionable Strategies for Leaders

To combat this passive oversight and foster a deeper understanding of team value, Florence Divet ☀️ offers a practical framework for leaders. These strategies are designed to help leaders actively recognize and appreciate the trust-building efforts of their team members.

Key Practices for Recognizing Trust:

• The “What Would Break?” List: Leaders are encouraged to identify what critical functions would falter if a specific individual were absent for a short period, focusing on real impacts rather than job titles.
• The Trust Check: This involves assessing where reliance on an individual is unspoken but crucial, such as in handling crises, maintaining client confidence, or ensuring team stability.
• The Growth Proof Habit: Leaders should regularly (e.g., monthly) identify specific areas where an individual has improved over the past 90 days, ensuring they are observing current capabilities.
• The Bias Tripwire: Recognizing when descriptive words like “solid,” “helpful,” or “nice” might be masking an unarticulated impact or a lack of deeper understanding.
• Say It Out Loud: Moving beyond generic praise like “great work” to specific affirmations, such as “I count on you for X because you consistently do Y,” reinforcing and acknowledging valuable contributions.

Divet ☀️ concludes with a call to action, urging leaders to acknowledge someone they quietly count on by sending a specific message detailing what they rely on that person for and why. The author suggests that being surprised by someone’s success elsewhere is often a sign that one is only now seeing them clearly.