Trust is the invisible force that drives performance, collaboration, and culture in every workplace. Yet, according to the latest State of Trust at Work Report from WiLD Leaders, 48% of employees live in a "Jungle of Trust"—a workplace environment where trust in leadership, colleagues, and systems is dangerously low.

In a recent live web session based on the report, Dr. Rob McKenna and the WiLD team explored the challenges of trust in the workplace, why trust breaks down, and what leaders can do to rebuild it. This conversation is now available as a podcast, and article, providing valuable insights into one of the most critical issues facing organizations today.

Trust is the foundation of every successful relationship, organization, and leader. But how do we truly become trustworthy? This is the critical question Dr. Rob McKenna, CEO of WiLD Leaders, and Sabeth Kapahu explore in their recent podcast conversation. Their insights challenge the way we think about trust—not just as a concept, but as an actionable practice that starts within each of us.

There’s a lot of talk about AI becoming a real part of our teams. Some people have even gone so far as to name their AI teammates. At first, the whole idea felt gimmicky, like a marketing ploy to humanize a tool that isn’t actually human. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I needed to take the question seriously: If AI is going to be integrated into our teams, then we need to understand who or what we’re actually onboarding. And that raises some big questions: Who is this “team member”? What’s it good at? Where does it fall short? Will it learn and improve over time? Does it have a sense of purpose? A personality? What kind of support does it need? Will it help or hinder the rest of the team? And most importantly—can we trust it?

There are few things as powerful as the moment you find yourself in your sweet spot. These are the moments when the whole of who you are is expressed in perfect alignment with what you are doing. It is almost euphoric, as if everything around you is moving in slow motion, while within you there is an excitement and ease that gives you that sense that you are right where you are supposed to be - doing exactly what you are supposed to be doing.

One of the most powerful and challenging relationships in the world is the relationship between co-owners of a business. They knew their partnership would open up resources and powerful ways to build together, but often there were many things they didn’t know and questions they didn’t even know how to ask each other when they signed the contract or invited someone else to take shares in what one of them had built.

Every person you know has a story occurring at the center of their identity and their progress that is too often expressed as an unanswered question: How do I connect my driving purpose to what I am doing every day? We ask it in different ways, but at the core of who we are as human beings is the question that connects the invisible pieces of our hearts with the visible pieces of our actions.

Our world is so desperate for trust. We live at a time where most of us put people in boxes far too quickly - making the assumption that you are either my enemy or my friend, and those are the only two options. But, what if this is a fatal flaw in our thinking? What if there is a third option?