As President & CEO for Ricoh North America, Carsten Bruhn leads the information management and digital services company.
In today’s volatile environment, trust is not just a nice-to-have; I believe it is the ultimate currency of leadership. Unlike financial capital, which can be bought, borrowed or manufactured, trust is earned over time through authenticity, vulnerability and consistency. When leaders establish trust, they create the foundation for innovation, loyalty and resilience.
The Challenge Of Trust
The truth is, trust has never been harder to build or easier to lose. Employees are eager to share their perspectives, and from what I’ve experienced in my own career, many feel even more comfortable doing so in an environment where open dialogue is encouraged and seen to support both personal growth and the success of the organization. But to create this type of culture, leaders need to be radically transparent about objectives, admit when challenges arise, and show employees they are being invited on the journey rather than handed directives from above.
My company’s latest research found that 90% of U.S. workers say strong human connection at work directly impacts their productivity, and 94% believe that “actively investing in authentic human connection creates long-term competitive advantage.” Whether with employees or customers, trust and authentic connection can be differentiators for lasting success.
Lessons From Servant Leadership
Over decades in leadership positions across global markets, I’ve learned that trust is non-negotiable. My approach has always been grounded in servant leadership: putting the needs of the team first, listening deeply and ensuring people feel valued and safe to contribute ideas.
That philosophy has been reinforced throughout my life, including years in martial arts training and my service in the Danish Navy. In both arenas, trust was everything. You relied on your team, and they relied on you.
The same holds true in business, and my international career has only deepened that lesson. Living and working in Denmark, the U.K., Japan and now North America, I’ve seen that trust is a universal currency, essential to building high-performing teams across cultures. And my experience has taught me that leaders cannot demand trust; they must embody it. Only by demonstrating humility, courage and openness can you create an environment where people are willing to speak the truth and innovate without fear of retribution.
Trust As A Performance Driver
Trust is not a soft value; it is a measurable driver of performance. Employees who trust their leaders are typically more engaged, more innovative and more loyal. A Harvard Business Review study found that people at high-trust companies report 50% higher productivity, 76% more engagement and 40% less burnout. Conversely, when trust erodes, organizations can lose agility, collaboration and their competitive edge.
I have seen this play out firsthand. When faced with complex market disruptions such as shifting tariff policies, my instinct was not to centralize control but to trust the team. By empowering them to move quickly and creatively, we not only navigated the challenge but also turned it into an opportunity to further differentiate our brand by taking a thoughtful and intentional approach. This demonstrated how trusting others to lead, while providing the safety net of support, can allow organizations to thrive under pressure.
Crucially, trust can also serve as a foundation for navigating difficult decisions—those moments when leaders must make and communicate choices that may be challenging for the organization. I’ve found that when trust is strong, employees are more likely to understand the reasoning behind tough calls and remain engaged in the company’s mission, even amidst change. This mutual confidence can allow you to steer through uncertainty with transparency and empathy, preserving a sense of shared purpose and belonging.
My company’s experience supports this. By developing a culture rooted in trust—where leaders communicate authentically and employees feel their contributions matter—we’ve seen higher engagement and stronger performance. Trust is not abstract; it is a driver of growth, loyalty and resilience.
Building Cultures That Endure
The responsibility of leaders is not only to inspire trust today but also to ensure it endures for the next generation. By building a culture of psychological safety where people can challenge ideas, test bold solutions and know they will be respected, you can create an enduring advantage.
That means being brave enough to model vulnerability, invite feedback and resist the temptation to protect only your own position. Too often, leaders cling to job security, but this tends to undermine their organizations in the long run. By contrast, I’ve observed that leaders who prioritize openness and empowerment more often create organizations that attract and retain talent, adapt faster and deliver more sustainable growth.
The Currency That Compounds
Ultimately, trust is like compound interest: The more consistently you invest in it, the stronger and more valuable it becomes over time. It shapes how employees show up, how customers respond and how organizations withstand inevitable disruptions.
In an era when technology and market forces evolve faster than strategies can be written, trust is constant. By committing to authenticity and servant leadership, you can not only inspire loyalty but also unlock the creativity, agility and resilience your organization needs to thrive.
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