Repairing Broken Trust on Your Team: A Leader’s Guide to Rebuilding Collaboration

Because “let’s just move on” is not a collaboration strategy.

You can feel it even if no one’s saying it. There’s a weird tension in meetings. People stop making eye contact. Collaboration slows to a crawl. A few folks are “just swamped”—but that’s not the whole story. Repairing broken trust is your new MIT (most important thing).

Something happened. Someone dropped the ball. A decision went sideways. A conversation didn’t land right—or didn’t happen at all.

And now trust has cracked. Maybe even splintered. 

Repairing broken trust is vital and fast. So what do you do?

Let’s walk through how to repair trust with clarity and courage.

Get Clear on the Breakdown

You can’t rebuild trust if you don’t know what collapsed.

Ask yourself:

• Was this a one-time incident, or is there a pattern?
• Is trust broken between individuals, or is the whole team impacted?
• Was this about performance, miscommunication, power, or behavior?
• Did it involve you directly, or are you supporting others through it?

You don’t need perfect information. You need a working understanding of where things veered off track. That’s your starting point.

What to say:

“Let’s name what’s getting in the way of collaboration—so we can work through it together.”

Practical Tip for Repairing Broken Trust:

If you’re unsure what’s broken, ask each person a courageous question:

“What’s one thing making it harder to collaborate right now?”

You’ll learn more in those 1:1s than in ten status updates.

Invite “No Diaper Genie” Conversation 

First, if you’re new to Let’s Grow Leaders, here’s what we mean by diaper genie feedback.  It means not sugar coating the conversation or disguising the trusth in layers of self protection.

You can open that space using the 4 Cs: Connection, Clarity, Curiosity, and Commitment.

• Connection: “I care about this team and how we work together.”
• Clarity: “Here’s how I understand the breakdown—and I’d like to hear how you see it.”
• Curiosity: “What’s your take? What’s felt unspoken or unresolved?”
• Commitment: “Let’s choose one thing we’ll each do to start rebuilding trust.”

If the Trust Break Was With You

Maybe it was you who made the call that felt unfair

Or, you missed a desdline and idn’t follow through.

Whatever it was, own it. Quiet regret helps no one. Over-explaining helps even less.

Start by taking responsibility.

• “I see how that impacted you. And I want to make this right.”
• “I’m learning from this situation and here’s what I’m doing differently.”
• “I don’t expect instant trust—I just want to earn it back.”

And then…Makea visible, specific commitment.

“I’m working on listening more, especially when things are tense. Please hold me to that.”

That one sentence might do more to rebuild trust than a perfectly worded apology.

See Also: How to Increase Trust On Your New Team

Create Ongoing Space to Repair

Trust is not rebuilt in a single conversation. It is rebuilt through dozens of smaller ones—side chats, honest check-ins, shared wins, and mutual accountability.

Schedule time to revisit how the team works—not just what it produces.

What to ask:

• “What’s working better now?”
• “What’s still a little off?”
• “What’s one way we can show up better for each other this week?”

When the Energy’s Still Heavy…

Sometimes you’ll do all the right things… and it still feels stuck.

When that happens, name it.

“I know we’re not back to full trust yet—and I’m not rushing that. I’m here for the long haul.”

🛠 Quick Team Exercise: Repairing Broken Trust Together

A practical, habit-based reset—powered by Synergystack or sticky notes

💬 Purpose:

To reflect on what’s working, name what’s not, and co-create a small shared habit that helps rebuild trust and improve collaboration, without the awkwardness or overprocessing.

⏱️ Time:

25–35 minutes

👥 Group Size:

4–10 people
(For larger teams, break into small groups and reconvene with themes)

📋 What You’ll Need:

• Sticky notes or shared doc

• A whiteboard, wall, or shared screen

• Optional: Synergystack Card Deck and access to the Synergystack Resource Center

🧭 How It Works

Step 1: Set the Frame (2–3 minutes)

Start with clarity and care:

“I want to take a moment to talk about how we’re working together, not just what we’re working on. We’ve had some friction (or silence, or tension), and this isn’t about blame—it’s about figuring out what helps us collaborate better, starting with what’s already working.”

Step 2: Reflect on 3 Questions (5–7 minutes)

Ask everyone to write down answers to these on sticky notes or in a shared doc (one note per thought):

1. What’s working on our team that we can build on?

2. What’s made collaboration harder than it should be lately?

3. What’s one habit that would help rebuild trust here?

If You Have the SynergyStack® Deck:

Instead of sticky notes, invite each person to:

• Choose a card that reflects a team strength habit they’ve noticed (something team members do consistently)

• Choose a card that names a trust-building habit that would make the most significant difference if every team member did it consistently.

This makes the conversation easier to start and gives people words they might not find otherwise.

Step 3: Share and Spot the Patterns (10 minutes)

Invite sharing (out loud or anonymously), and as a group, cluster common themes:

Speak to patterns, not individuals.

“Sounds like we’re valuing connection (learning about people, pets, and projects),  but we’re struggling with assumptions (check for understanding) and unclear follow-up (commitment habits)”

Step 4: Align on One Habit to Try (10 minutes)

Ask:

“What’s one habit we can all try this week to strengthen trust?”

Aim for one simple, shared commitment. Some examples:

• “Follow through on action items within 48 hours—or say why not.”

• “Assume good intent—and ask before reacting.”

• “Speak directly, not about someone, when there’s tension.”

Step 5: Wrap With Encouragement (2 minutes)

“Thanks for doing this. Rebuilding trust isn’t a dramatic gesture—it’s these little agreements we show up for together. Let’s try this habit for a week and check back in.”

🔄 Ongoing Support

You can revisit this habit weekly using:

• A check-in: “How’s this showing up for us?”

• Team rotation: One person each week leads the habit reflection.

• Sharing resource via the Synergystack Resource Center (sample habits, check-in questions, how-to videos)