Burnout, Bottlenecks, & Bloat? Signs You Have a Low-Trust Team
- Joshua Rogers
- May 26
- 4 min read
That Low-Trust Team is Costing you!
We’ve all heard the stories—maybe even lived them ourselves—where a company looked like a success story on paper but turned out to be a paper tiger.
Revenue was climbing. Headcount was growing. The roadmap was bold and polished.
But inside? It was a different story.
The organization had plenty of motion—endless meetings, Slack threads, initiatives, and urgency. But very little movement where it mattered. People showed up for the spotlight but disappeared when it came to accountability. Ideas flowed easily—or worse, were hoarded like the One Ring in The Lord of the Rings: fiercely guarded, clouding judgment, and spiraling into delusions of self-importance. Ownership? That was harder to find. And when something went sideways, the default response wasn’t curiosity—it was silence.
That’s when it hit me: this wasn’t a structure problem. Or even a culture problem. It was a trust and leadership problem—a breakdown not in systems, but in mindset.
Low-Trust Cultures Don’t Just Feel Bad—They Cost You
You don’t need a culture assessment to know something’s wrong. You see it in the patterns:
Your best people are exhausted or disengaged.
Decisions bounce around like hot potatoes.
You keep adding layers—meetings, approvals, policies—to compensate for dysfunction.
Here’s what’s really happening behind the scenes:
1. Burnout: When People Stop Believing It’s Safe to Speak or Fail
According to SHRM, burned-out employees are 2.6 times more likely to actively seek a new job. But the real kicker? Only 28% of burned-out employees report high trust in leadership. Compare that to 60% among engaged employees.
Burnout isn’t just about volume—it’s about invisible emotional labor:
Not knowing where you stand.
Feeling like you can’t say “I don’t know.”
Spending more time managing perceptions than doing your best work.
2. Bottlenecks: When Everything Has to Run Through the Few
When trust is low, decision rights shrink. Leaders start hoarding control, not because they want to—but because they don’t believe others will carry the weight.
That leads to:
Slow execution.
Dependency on a few “hero” performers.
Constant rework from missed context.
Stephen Covey put it plainly: “Without trust, we don’t truly collaborate—we merely coordinate.”
3. Bloat: When You Add Layers Instead of Addressing Root Causes
Low-trust cultures don’t simplify—they add. Another approval step. Another meeting. Another person to “keep everyone aligned.”
It’s an expensive coping mechanism. One study found that organizational complexity can reduce productivity by up to 15% and increase costs by 20–30%.
The irony? The more you add, the more trust erodes. People start to believe they’re not trusted to think.
But Here’s the Real Truth: This Isn’t Just a Culture Problem
It’s a leadership mindset problem.
Low trust doesn’t begin with the team—it begins with the stories leaders believe:
“If I don’t control it, it’ll fall apart.”
“We don’t have time to slow down for this ‘soft stuff.’”
“Once we hit our goals, then we can focus on trust.”
But what if the very things you’re doing to survive are what’s preventing your team from thriving?
The Leadership Cost of Distrust
When leaders operate from fear—of losing control, of being exposed, of not being enough—they build what I call fortress cultures: well-guarded, tightly controlled, and ultimately fragile.
What’s needed instead is a garden mindset:
Let go of over-control.
Create space for ownership to grow.
Trust before it’s earned—and hold with wisdom when it’s broken.
How to Start Rebuilding Trust Now
If you're feeling the weight of burnout, bottlenecks, and bloat, start here:
Audit your controls - Where have you added rules or steps that signal distrust? Could one be removed?
Name the fear - Ask: What am I afraid will happen if I let go here? Most leadership bloat is fear in disguise.
Extend small trust experiments - Start small—delegate something meaningful. Watch how it’s handled. Debrief together.
Celebrate how, not just what - Highlight courage, candor, and initiative—not just results.
Own your part - Share how your own mindset may have contributed. When leaders go first, trust grows faster.
What’s at Stake
You can’t optimize your way out of a low-trust culture. You can only lead your way out. And leadership starts with how you see—not just what you do.
The longer you delay the shift, the deeper the costs: to your people, your performance, and your own peace of mind.
Which brings us to the next question: What kind of culture are you building—fortress or garden? And what would it take to make the shift?
In next week's post, we’ll break down how leaders accidentally build distrust—and how to course-correct without losing control. You don’t want to miss it. Check back soon or join the Renovant Partner Community to get it first.
You Don’t Need a Consultant. You Need a Clearer Lens.
If you’re staring down the symptoms—burnout, bottlenecks, complexity creep—but can’t get the altitude to fix it, you don’t need another playbook. You need a real-time sparring partner.
Someone who gets what it’s like to lead a business at this stage.
Someone who won’t pitch you a retainer.
Someone who can help you see what you’re not seeing—before it costs you more.
That’s why I’ve opened a handful of Leadership Check-In Sessions—short, strategic, no-fluff conversations to help you name what’s really going on and map the next best move.
Think of it as 45 minutes of clarity—without the sales pitch.
And if you’re not quite ready for a call, but want to keep learning?
Join the Renovant Partner Community—a space for insights, tools, and candid conversations that help leaders grow themselves as they grow their business.
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