In this episode of The Power of Influence: Leadership in Action, Paulette J. Sterling breaks down the truth every leader must understand: trust is the real currency of influence. Titles don’t create commitment — trust does.

You’ll learn:

• Why trust matters more than authority
• The three pillars of the Trust Triangle: Competence, Care and Consistency
• How leaders accidentally break trust without realizing it
• The emotional intelligence behaviours that strengthen trust daily
• A simple, powerful trust-repair script you can use immediately

Whether you're leading a team, managing change or building a culture of psychological safety, this episode gives you the tools to influence with clarity, confidence and emotional intelligence.

This episode is perfect for:
Leaders, managers, executives, HR professionals, emerging leaders, and anyone committed to building stronger relationships and higher‑performing teams.

Key themes:
Leadership influence, trust in leadership, emotional intelligence, workplace culture, psychological safety, communication skills, Caribbean leadership, modern management.

Listen now and learn why your influence grows at the speed of trust. And...

1. Share this episode with a leader who needs to hear it.
2. Join my leadership community at https://www.sterlingbusinessmanagement.com/memberships for monthly tools, insights, and executive‑level resources.
3. Follow the show so you never miss an episode.

leadership, influence, emotional intelligence, trust in leadership, workplace culture, psychological safety, communication skills, leadership development, Caribbean leadership, management skills, team performance, organizational behaviour, leadership coaching, employee engagement, modern leadership

A powerful less-than- 2 minutes leadership reset: one question that reveals real commitment — and how to use it in your next one‑on‑one.

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👉 Share this Insight Drop with a leader who needs it

👉 Join the Leadership Accelerator or Legacy Impact Circle at: https://www.sterlingbusinessmanagement.com/memberships 👉 Follow Paulette on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulettejsterling5/ + Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/paulettejsterling5 👉 Visit Sterling Business Management website at https://www.sterlingbusinessmanagement.com/

Every leader is dancing — whether they realize it or not.

In this episode of The Power of Influence: Leadership in Action, we explore the manager–subordinate dance — the daily interactions between leaders and team members that quietly determine whether people lean in with commitment or step back into self‑protection.

Through two contrasting workplace stories, host Paulette J. Sterling reveals how small leadership behaviours shape trust, engagement, and performance. You’ll hear how one manager creates psychological safety and ownership, while another creates fear, distance, and disengagement — all through everyday interactions.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. Why the quality of the manager–team relationship predicts performance, trust, and retention
2. How small behaviours — tone, clarity, listening, feedback — shape commitment
3. The difference between high‑quality and low‑quality leader–member relationships
4. Why people “do enough to stay out of trouble” when trust is low
5. How leaders can shift from surveillance to partnership
6. Practical steps to strengthen trust and influence this week

Whether you lead a team, a department, or an entire organization, this episode will help you:

• Build stronger, more respectful relationships
• Communicate with clarity and fairness
• Create psychological safety
• Reduce resistance and increase ownership
• Lead with intention in everyday moments

🎧 Listen now to understand how your daily leadership behaviours shape commitment — and how to adjust your “steps” in the dance.

👉 Subscribe for new episodes every month
👉 Join the Leadership Accelerator or Legacy Impact Circle for deeper tools
👉 Follow Paulette on LinkedIn and Facebook for weekly leadership insights