How Top Leaders and Organizations Drive Business Results through Trust
Trust is a fundamental, bottom-line issue. Without it, leaders lose teams, salespeople lose sales, and organizations lose reputation, retention of good people, relationships, and revenue.
But with trust, individuals and organizations enjoy greater creativity, productivity, freedom, and results. Through David’s industry leading research, The Trust Outlook®, and firsthand experience working with the world’s highest performing organizations, David reveals how top leaders and organizations drive business results to become the most trusted in their industry.
Without trust, leaders and organizations fail, but with trust leaders get followed, the trusted suppliers get bought from, and the trusted business outperforms the competition.
Through industry leading research, The Trust Outlooks®, and firsthand experience working with high-performing organizations around the world, David reveals how top leaders and organizations drive business results to become the most trusted in their industry.
Dr. David Horsager, PhD, CSP, CPAE, is the founder and CEO of the Trust Edge Leadership Institute and a Wall Street Journal bestselling author. He is globally recognized as a leading authority on trust, pioneering frameworks like the Enterprise Trust Index™ and directing the Trust Outlook® research.
Since 1999, Dr. Horsager has empowered leaders across industries, from Fortune 500s like Toyota, FedEx, McDonald’s, and Walmart to global governments and elite institutions like MIT and the New York Yankees. He brings a compelling combination of storytelling, actionable data, and research-validated strategies to every engagement.
David Horsager, MA, CSP, CPAE, is an internationally recognized authority on trust, CEO of Trust Edge Leadership Institute, and national bestselling author of The Trust Edge. He is the inventor of the Enterprise Trust Index™ and serves as the director of one of the nation’s foremost trust studies: The Trust Outlook™.
Horsager has dedicated his career to exploring the impact of trust in leadership and organizations, with his research and findings transforming the way leaders and teams interact. Whether delivering a keynote speech, leading workshops, or consulting with Fortune 500 companies, David’s expertise lies in helping individuals and organizations build a foundation of trust that fuels long-term success.
David Horsager’s journey into the world of leadership and trust began with his background in organizational development and leadership. With a Master’s degree and prestigious certifications including CSP (Certified Speaking Professional) and CPAE (Council of Peers Award for Excellence), David has a deep understanding of what makes organizations thrive. His work centers on the idea that trust is the most critical factor in the success of any organization. From productivity to collaboration, innovation to engagement, David asserts that when trust increases, every aspect of the organization improves.
David’s most notable contribution to the field is his bestselling book, The Trust Edge. The book explores the eight pillars of trust and outlines actionable strategies for building and maintaining trust within organizations. His book has become a cornerstone for leadership development programs globally. Additionally, David is the inventor of the Enterprise Trust Index™, a proprietary tool designed to measure trust within organizations and help leaders identify and address gaps that may hinder performance. His leadership at the Trust Edge Leadership Institute has driven significant results for his clients, from higher employee engagement to increased bottom-line profitability.
Through speaking, training, consulting, coaching, writing and other resources, Dave and his team at Trust Edge Leadership Institute make it their mission to develop trusted leaders and organizations. David customizes his speaking and expertise to tailor the message for your specific audience.
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A compelling keynote snippet revealing how trust not turnover, culture, or sales is the real root of organizational challenges and how clear leadership bridges that gap.
Dr. David Horsager opens with clarity: “Your biggest issue might not be what you think it is. At the core it’s always a trust issue.” He emphasizes that the primary question always being asked isn’t if people like you, it’s “Can I trust you?”
He spotlights frontline leaders—those who drive retention and lower attrition and stresses they need trust-building tools. Horsager insists that no matter the surface problem culture breakdowns, engagement dips, leadership transitions—the root cause is consistently trust. Elevating other programs won’t work until trust is the foundation.
To address the challenge, he introduces his signature solution: the 8-Pillars of Trust. He underscores that clarity, the simplest of communication wins trust, whereas ambiguity and overcomplexity erode it. He invites leaders to elevate their trust by embracing clarity and applying the full trust framework.
00:00 – 00:20 — Introduction: Most organizational challenges boil down to a lack of trust.
00:20 – 00:40 — The real leadership test: “Can I trust you?” is more critical than likability.
00:40 – 01:00 — Emphasis on frontline leaders as trust champions who shape retention and culture.
01:00 – 01:20 — Trust is the root problem, not surface-level issues like turnover or sales.
01:20 – 01:40 — Solution teaser: use the 8-Pillars of Trust framework, beginning with clarity.
01:40 – End — Call to clarity: simplicity and transparent communication foster trust; complexity undermines it.
A TEDxUMN talk that shows why trust is the root issue behind culture, retention, and results, and how to build it deliberately.
David Horsager opens with headline after headline to make a single point: the throughline is trust. The real question audiences ask of leaders is not “Do I like you?” but “Can I trust you?” He contrasts common myths with nuances. Trust can be built quickly in crisis as on 9/11. Transparency is valuable, yet confidentiality can also be trusted. He returns to his Minnesota farm roots and a roadside honor stand to illustrate how trust creates speed, lowers cost, and builds loyalty.
Horsager shares research and field experience that a lack of trust is the biggest expense in life and business. As trust rises, output, morale, retention, productivity, innovation, and loyalty rise, while cost and stress fall. He cites examples where breaches of trust create outsized loss, reinforcing that trust is measurable and material.
To answer how to build it, he introduces the 8 Pillars. Clarity is trusted while ambiguity and needless complexity erode trust. Competency matters, because character without capability still fails. Commitment builds confidence, illustrated by Harley-Davidson’s sustained focus. Consistency earns brand trust, as sameness signals reliability. He emphasizes that rebuilding trust is not an apology; it is making and keeping commitments over time.
He closes with a mutton busting story from a small-town rodeo to show trust as a choice. Individuals get better first, then families and communities. What does trust have to do with it Everything.
00:00–01:10 Headlines and the central theme. Trust underpins every question and issue.
01:10–02:20 Kids and everyday trust. Humor sets up practical lenses.
02:20–04:10 Myths and tensions. Fast trust in crisis. Transparency versus confidentiality.
04:10–05:30 Research focus. Trust as the unique advantage of top leaders and organizations. David Horsager
05:30–07:30 Farm honor stand story. Speed, cost savings, loyalty created by trust.
07:30–09:10 Data patterns. When trust increases, results and morale rise; costs and stress drop.
09:10–10:10 Everyday costs of breaches. Locked mailboxes and the tax of time.
10:10–10:50 The 8 Pillars overview. Trust is the leading indicator. David Horsager
10:50–11:50 Pillar 1: Clarity. People trust the clear, not the ambiguous. David Horsager
11:50–12:30 Pillar 2: Competency. Be fresh, relevant, capable. David Horsager
12:30–13:20 Pillar 3: Commitment. Leaders who stick in adversity earn trust. Harley case note. David Horsager
13:20–14:10 Pillar 4: Consistency. Sameness builds brand trust. David Horsager
14:10–15:00 Rebuilding trust. Not apology alone; make and keep commitments.
15:00–17:10 Mutton busting story. Courage, discernment, and choosing whom to trust.
17:10–18:00 Final takeaway. Individuals improve first. What’s trust got to do with it Everything.
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