The Fastest Way to Earn Trust From Leadership
Become someone your team relies on, even when you're not in the room
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Intro
Trust builds your career when you're not in the room.
It is what gets you access to better projects, faster promotions, and strategic conversations before they happen.
People don’t just listen to you, they look for your input.
In my 8 years of experience, I have realized that trust isn’t handed out. It’s earned, repeatedly, through your behavior, your decisions, and the way you show up.
In this newsletter, I’ll break down how to intentionally build trust as an engineer, not just with your manager, but with your peers and leadership. This is based on my experience working and learning from multiple high performers across multiple companies
You’ll get clear principles, examples, and actionable steps that you can start implementing right away.
The Three Layers of Trust
Trust isn't a single trait; it's layered.
At the base, there’s trust in your ability: whether you can deliver quality work consistently.
Then comes trust in your behavior: how reliable, thoughtful, and collaborative you are on a day-to-day basis.
At the top is trust in your judgment: whether people believe you make smart decisions with limited information, especially under ambiguity.
All three layers are equally important. And over time, they reinforce each other.
You can’t fake them. But you can build them, layer by layer.
1. Build Trust Through Ability
Become the person who always delivers
Before anything else, your team needs to know that you’ll follow through.
That's when you say you’ll do something, it gets done: on time, with quality, and without drama. And when something unexpected arises, you flag it promptly and adjust expectations transparently.
Trust Signals:
You ship on time
You communicate blockers early
You reduce surprises for others
Action Items:
✅ Start every task with a “pre-commit check.”
Before you say, “I’ll get it done in 2 days,” pause. Ask yourself:
Have I done something similar before?
What could delay me (e.g., dependencies, access)?
Is the scope clear?
Then say:
"Tentatively 2 days, but let me confirm after a quick spike."
This makes you look thoughtful, not slow.
✅ Send structured weekly updates.
Format:
What I did
What I’m doing
Any blockers
Any risks I see early
Even if your team doesn’t ask for it, send it. It reduces overhead and builds reliability.
✅ When stuck, escalate early, not late.
Stuck for over 45 minutes? Share your debug notes and ask for help. Say:
"Tried A, B, C. Still blocked. Open to any suggestions, happy to pair if someone’s free."
This shows maturity, not weakness.
Over time, this pattern of making realistic estimates, communicating proactively, and unblocking quickly will make you “the safe pair of hands.”
Someone others can rely on
2. Build Trust Through Behavior
Be the engineer others want on every project