Review: Lead With Trust by Bart Spence

An impactful guide to strengthening your business in an evolving modern landscape, Lead With Trust: A Relationship-Based Approach to Building Happier, More Connected Workplaces by Bart Spence is a unique business manual focused on relationships as the primary driver of success.

Distilling his experience as an HR professional into a set of workplace commandments, Spence’s guide presents his “9 Principles of Trust,” which are intended to withstand whatever chaos or challenges arise. Through anecdotal coaching stories that are transportive, entertaining, and believable, Spence carefully outlines each of the 9 principles, explicating lessons along the way and posing reflective questions for readers regarding their own past decisions, relevant behavior, and potential for a shifting mindset.

The list of principles includes some predictable entries for earning and keeping trust – reliability, respect, accountability, and open communication – but Spence spends just as much time exploring empathy, empowerment, and creative ways to move forward after trust is broken. Balancing time-worn wisdom with practical techniques to cultivate emotional intelligence and apply fresh practices as a leader, this book transcends the typical business primer, breaking new ground in terms of progressive workplace culture.

Acknowledging the shifted realities since the pandemic, and speaking from the cutting edge of today’s paradigm of leadership, Spence breaks down key obstacles and opportunities for building trust in an ever-changing world. The author continuously returns to the thesis that trust is not simply a noble goal of workplace culture, but an essential aspect for success, as it helps to satisfy the diverse needs of workers, customers, managers, and owners. Without establishing trust as a core tenet of an organization, companies struggle to retain high-quality workers or long-term clients, with the knock-on effects of breaking the trust and stability of managers, executives, and shareholders.

As a leadership coach, public speaker, and long-time human resources executive, the author has the pedigree to speak to this subject with authority, as well as the skill to convey these ideas clearly, fueled by a holistic perspective that can only come from real-world experience. He has watched the business world evolve into a more cutthroat realm, instructing numerous leaders to choose a different path through a multifaceted approach, and that hands-on knowledge is evident throughout the book, feeling both comprehensive and refined in its prescriptions.

Though the workplace is the book’s obvious focus, Spence’s advice is invaluable for all walks of life, as trust is a critical element of any interpersonal relationship; many of the specific pieces of advice are broadly applicable, from demonstrating accountability and setting respectful boundaries to following through on your word and communicating honestly. The book’s ultimate goal is to inspire a new calibre of leader who is prepared to face the looming challenges of the future, but doing so with a refreshing eye towards psychological safety, sustainable practices, and unwavering integrity.

On a technical level, the writing is conversational and comforting, delivered like a wise friend showing you the ropes, rather than a guru delivering guidance from an ivory tower. There are some repetitive elements, but this also helps to reinforce the more critical points of a broadly informative book. All told, this manual truly stands out for addressing the full gamut of workplace issues, exploring psychological, emotional, and philosophical factors that are too often brushed over in most biz dev or leadership guides.