By the end of this issue, you’ll have three practical ways to build trust at work, examples of what to say when priorities or deadlines change, and a clearer distinction between being dependable and becoming the person who absorbs everybody else’s work.

If you wanted someone to trust you with a bigger project, what would you point to?

Your experience? Your technical skills? The results you delivered last quarter?

All useful answers, but I’d also take a step back to think about what it’s like to work with you between the moment someone asks for something and the moment you deliver it.

Do they know whether you’ve understood the request? Can they confidently plan around the deadline you’ve agreed to? If something starts going wrong, will they hear about it while there’s still time to do something?

After 13 years in corporate, including managing multi-billion-dollar businesses, leading teams, and working in Big Tech, I’ve learned to pay attention to those questions.

Someone can be excellent at the technical part of their job and still leave everybody around them unsure where things stand.

The work might be nearly finished, they might have a perfectly reasonable explanation for the delay, or they might already be fixing the problem, but if none of that has been communicated, the person waiting has to start chasing you.

“Did you see my message?”, “Are we still on track?”, “What happened to the other three questions?”

One follow-up isn’t a crisis, but if chasing becomes a regular part of working with someone, it affects how confidently you can rely on them.

Now imagine you’re deciding who should lead a project with more visibility, more uncertainty, more impact, and several teams involved. You need someone who can do the work. You also need someone who will recognise a problem, make a sensible recommendation, and tell the right people before the options disappear.

That’s why these everyday habits matter beyond being polite or writing better emails. They give people evidence of your judgment.

If you flag competing priorities before agreeing to a deadline, you’re showing that you understand the commitments already in place.

If you distinguish a confirmed figure from an estimate, you’re helping someone make a better decision.

If you explain what approval you need and by when, you’re thinking beyond your own part of the task.

Those are useful signals when someone is considering whether you’re ready for more responsibility.

Of course, trust doesn’t guarantee a promotion. You still need the skills, results and opportunity, and unfortunately, some workplaces reward dependable people by giving them extra work while doing very little for their progression.

However, building trust gives you something concrete to demonstrate when you discuss your next step.

“I’m ready” becomes a stronger argument when you can explain how you’ve handled difficult decisions, managed competing commitments, and kept other people informed.

You don’t need to know everything or deliver every request immediately. You do need to make it clear what people can expect from you.

01  Make your answers dependable.

If someone asks five questions, answer all five. If you don’t have an answer yet, at least acknowledge the ones you’re still checking.

If they ask whether something will be ready on Friday, put that answer before the background explanation.

If you don’t know something, be clear about what you need to find out.

“The current estimate is $42,000. I’m waiting for the final supplier quote and will confirm by Thursday.”

That tells me what I can use now, what could change, and when I’ll know more.

Then comes the part that matters just as much: actually coming back on Thursday. If you’re still waiting, send the update anyway. Explain what’s outstanding and when you’ll follow up again.

02  Make your commitments realistic.

Your boss gives you another urgent project. You already have two.

Before saying yes, explain what the new request means for the work you’ve already agreed to do. “I’m working on A and B. This new project will take most of today. Which should I prioritise, and what can move?”

That gives your manager information they might not have. If everything is urgent, get specific about what’s possible with the timeframe and resources available to you.

“I can finish the analysis today or complete both pieces by Thursday. To deliver both today, I’d need someone to take over the data checks.”

You’re giving them a decision to make while there are still options.

A realistic commitment gives people something firmer to plan around than an immediate yes that you haven’t had time to think through.

03  Make problems visible early.

If you realise on Tuesday that Friday’s deadline is at risk, Tuesday is the time to say something. Explain what changed, what it affects, and what you’re doing about it.

“We’re still waiting for the supplier’s figures. If they don’t arrive tomorrow, the full report will move to Monday. I can send the completed sections on Friday, but it won’t be the full report. Would that work for the leadership meeting?”

Now someone can help escalate, agree to the partial report, or change the expectation.

The same principle applies when you need a decision.

“I recommend option A. I need approval by Wednesday at noon to keep Friday’s delivery. Otherwise, delivery moves to Monday.”

Put that near the top of the message or the beginning of the conversation. People can respond much more usefully when they understand what depends on them, and also how much time they have.

ONE IDEA TO KNOW Confidence Is Not The Same As Certainty.

You’re in a meeting. Someone asks a question. You feel you should know the answer.

So you give one.

Perhaps you’re mostly sure. Perhaps you’re remembering an older number. Perhaps you’re hoping nobody asks where it came from.

The problem is that your answer can travel. It gets copied into an email, put into a presentation to leadership, or used to make a decision.

By then, nobody remembers that you sounded a little unsure.

You can be confident in how you handle a question without pretending the answer is confirmed.

“The last verified figure was $80,000. I’d want to check the latest report before you use that.”

“I have a working estimate, but it hasn’t been validated yet.”

“I don’t know. I’ll check with Finance and come back by 3PM.”

Being clear about the limits of your information helps other people use it properly.

THE ADVANTAGE Make reliability part of your case for progression.

If you’ve become someone people rely on, keep track of what that has helped you achieve.

Did you spot a risk early enough to protect a launch? Coordinate several teams through a difficult deadline? Give leadership the information they needed to make a decision?

Those are examples worth bringing to your review.

Explain the situation, the judgment you used and, most importantly, the result. Then discuss what responsibility you’re ready for next, and what support, authority, and compensation would come with it.

Being trusted is valuable. Make sure you can explain the value you’re creating.

I think there’s a point where “people know they can rely on me” can quietly turn into “people assume I’ll absorb whatever’s left that others don’t do.”

You answer the late message, finish the task nobody planned for, take on one more thing because explaining why it won’t fit feels harder than doing it yourself.

Eventually, people start planning around capacity you never actually had during your working day.

That’s why I think honest limits belong in this conversation about trust.

“I can do this by Thursday.”

“I can take it on if we move the other deadline.”

“I’ll need support with this part.”

Those are useful things to say, and while it may be difficult at first, you’re ensuring you set yourself up for success down the road instead of burnout.

Personally, I want people to know they can rely on what I’ve agreed to do. I also want the agreement to be realistic. Otherwise, you can end up building a reputation that only works as long as you keep giving up your own time to maintain it.

Who would you rather work with: the person with the best ideas, or the person who always follows through?

Hit reply and tell me. I read every response.

Charlotte
Founder, The Redhead Advantage  ·  Build a life you’re proud of.