{"id":149894,"date":"2026-06-04T08:00:04","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T12:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trainingindustry.com\/?post_type=articles&p=149894"},"modified":"2026-06-04T15:19:52","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T19:19:52","slug":"pathways-to-senior-level-ld-roles-building-trust-in-leadership","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/trainingindustry.com\/articles\/leadership\/pathways-to-senior-level-ld-roles-building-trust-in-leadership\/","title":{"rendered":"Pathways to Senior-Level L&D Roles: Building Trust in Leadership"},"author":27,"featured_media":149895,"template":"","tags":[36908,856,34774],"class_list":["post-149894","articles","type-articles","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-senior-ld-pathways","tag-soft-skills","tag-trust-in-leadership","global_topic_tax-leadership"],"acf":{"sponsored":false,"gated":false,"gated_content_type":"","file_attachment":null,"gated_content":"","form_instruction_header":"To access the full article, please fill out the form below:","pardot_html_embed":"","author_override":true,"author_name":"Heather Balcerek, CPTM","author_image":"","author_bio":"Heather Balcerek, CPTM, is a senior learning and development (L&D) leader at Maximus<\/a>. With nearly 20 years in the field, Heather\u2019s career path has taken her from frontline training to leading enterprise learning and leadership development programs that help people grow with confidence and clarity.","excerpt":"Throughout your career, as you build credibility, expand your influence and lead others, trust will enable your progress. Trust strengthens partnerships, speeds up development and creates the conditions for meaningful learning to take hold.","main_content":"Trust is one of the most influential drivers of growth in a learning and development (L&D)<\/a> career, yet it is often overlooked. Over the course of my 20-year journey in L&D, I\u2019ve seen how trust shapes opportunities, from the confidence leaders place in you to the environment you create for your teams to grow and perform. While I didn\u2019t initially recognize its role, reflection has made it clear that trust has been a consistent thread behind every key moment in my career.\r\n\r\nThroughout your career, as you build credibility<\/a>, expand your influence and lead others, trust will enable your progress. Trust strengthens partnerships, speeds up development and creates the conditions for meaningful learning to take hold.\r\n\r\nIn this article, I\u2019ll share firsthand experiences that illustrate how trust has shown up at different stages of my career, along with guidance on intentionally building and sustaining it. Rather than offering a formula to follow, my goal is to provide a perspective that reinforces the idea that \u2014 while every career path is different \u2014 trust can function as a powerful and consistent foundation, regardless of where your journey starts or where it leads.\r\n

What Is Trust?<\/h2>\r\nIn \u201cThe Thin Book of Trust,\u201d Charles Feltman defined trust as \u201cchoosing to risk making something you value vulnerable to another person\u2019s actions.\u201d What you choose to risk will change as your career grows.\r\n\r\nThrough his work on leadership and trust, Stephen M. R. Covey often poses the question: Is trust given or is trust earned? The answer is yes. It\u2019s essential that we willingly give our trust, along with an agreement on expectations, so the other person can show they're trustworthy. There will be times in your career when you are more in an earning mode and times when you are more in a giving mode.\r\n\r\nThese perspectives emphasize that trust is not static. It evolves as we move through different roles and relationships, requiring us to both extend trust and be trustworthy.\r\n

Receiving Trust<\/h2>\r\nEarly in my career, I was fortunate to have a mentor who trusted me. He was an incredible facilitator and took me under his wing to help build my facilitation skills<\/a>. He showed his trust by allowing me to facilitate parts of a three-day training course alongside him. After each session, he provided feedback. Even when the feedback was tough, I understood that his intention was to help me improve, so I trusted him in return. I earned his trust by actively implementing his feedback.\r\n\r\nBecause of this trust, my mentor spoke my name in rooms I wasn\u2019t even in, championing my growth and opportunities. This trust became the foundation for real development.\r\n

Giving Trust<\/h2>\r\nAs I matured professionally, I learned that trust is not accidental. I began seeking out mentors whose values aligned with mine and whose style, presence and leadership stood out from others.\r\n\r\nOne of my chosen mentors came through a chance conversation during a training course. Though I had known this person, it was through our dialogue that I realized their values aligned closely with mine. I asked them if we could meet after the training class to continue the conversation. This one intentional ask has made such a difference in my life.\r\n\r\nThis moment represented a shift from trust given to trust earned. By initiating the conversation, I gave trust to the relationship, inviting openness and vulnerability. In turn, I earned trust through steady engagement and shared values.\r\n\r\nThis intentional relationship-building showed me that trust is built on alignment with shared values, behaviors and integrity.\u00a0Choosing mentors thoughtfully is a critical leadership skill for career growth.\r\n

Leading With Trust<\/h2>\r\nNow, as a leader, I strive to intentionally build trust with my peers and within my teams by creating an environment where trust is the foundation. For example, I give trust by encouraging open dialogue and vulnerability, creating a safe space where my team feels comfortable giving and accepting tough feedback. This trust given invites team members to earn trust by taking risks, being innovative and even pushing back on my ideas or direction. The trust we build together allows these things to happen in ways that push us all forward.\r\n\r\nUltimately, trust is a leadership practice you must continually cultivate. I am intentional about this practice every day, supporting my team and myself as we grow together.\r\n

Building Trust Muscles<\/h2>\r\nBuilding on these stories, here are a few ways to build and sustain trust:\r\n