Leaders need to provide Hope and Trust — How?
Leadership isn't about having all the answers—it's about creating an environment where trust flourishes and hope grows. New Gallup research shows these two qualities account for nearly 90% of what people value most in their leaders.
Recent Gallup research revealed something fascinating about what people need from leaders - with hope and trust far outranking other qualities. While hope ranked highest at 56%, trust followed at 33%, together accounting for nearly 90% of what followers value most in leaders.
What makes this particularly relevant to our work at Apiarion is how perfectly it aligns with our hexagonal framework for higher education marketing. The research's emphasis on self-awareness in leadership resonates deeply with our approach. True trust isn't built on projecting perfection. Instead, it grows from leaders who understand their own strengths and limitations, acknowledge them openly and work collaboratively to fill the gaps.
The Power of Acknowledging Limitations
Think about the leaders you trust most. Chances are, they're not the ones who claim to know everything or do everything perfectly. They're likely the ones who:
Openly acknowledge when they need help
Share their thought process, including their uncertainties
Recognize and leverage their team members' complementary strengths
Create systems and processes that account for human limitations
Building Trust Through Mutual Understanding
This kind of trust-building extends beyond individual self-awareness. It requires creating frameworks and systems that help everyone understand each aspect of the operation - which is exactly what the Apiarion hexagonal framework is designed to do. Through our six interconnected elements, we help teams understand:
People: Each other's strengths, limitations and potential
Priorities: The clear direction that guides our decisions
Processes: How we work together effectively
Policies: The boundaries that keep us safe and aligned
Promotion: How we share our story with the world
Performance: How we measure and improve our impact
When we create this kind of shared understanding through a structured framework, we build an environment where trust can flourish. We stop expecting perfection from each other and start expecting honesty, effort and collaboration.
From Understanding to Hope
And here's where the magic happens - when we truly understand ourselves and each other, including our limitations, we actually create more hope, not less. Because now we can:
Make realistic plans that account for our actual capabilities
Leverage our collective strengths more effectively
Support each other's growth and development
Create sustainable solutions rather than quick fixes
The Path Forward
Building this kind of trust requires courage - the courage to be vulnerable about our limitations and the courage to create systems that acknowledge human imperfection. But the payoff is immense: stronger relationships, better outcomes and, yes, more hope for the future.
As leaders, our job isn't to pretend we have all the answers. It's to create environments where we can safely acknowledge what we don't know, support each other's growth and work together toward shared goals. This is why frameworks like Apiarion's hexagonal approach are so valuable - they provide a structured way to build understanding, trust and ultimately, hope.
That's how we build real trust. And that's how we create genuine hope.
Want to learn more about how the Apiarion framework can help build trust and hope in your organization? Contact us to start the conversation.
Based on insights from Gallup's Global Leadership Report: What Followers Want (2024)
