After a 20-year career in the corporate world— 17 years with one company where he rose from analyst to VP—Adam left in 2024 to pursue his passion for helping high performers become great leaders of resilient teams. His mission is to help leadership teams and mid- level managers identify barriers to performance, enabling their teams to function cohesively and thrive even in high-pressure environments.
In this episode, Trust in leadership drives everything—and Adam Malone explains why it’s the linchpin of sustained high performance. In this episode, Adam breaks down a practical, three-part trust model—empathy, authenticity, and performance—and shows leaders how to inspire reciprocal trust so teams truly operate with autonomy, speed, and accountability. You’ll hear how “window-and-mirror” leadership creates superfans on your team, why trust is contextual (not universal), and how to design systems that separate inspection from curiosity to fuel long-term results. Adam also shares a real-world turnaround where empowering directors—supported by a trust-first performance cadence—transformed operations from fear to flow. If you lead people (or want them to become your loudest advocates), this conversation gives you the playbook to build trust that lasts beyond the next sprint.
[00:00] Introduction – Why trust sustains high performance
[01:24] Adam’s pivot: from ops exec to trust-focused consultant
[03:34] The Trust Triad: empathy, authenticity, performance
[04:48] Empathy over competence: what leaders really need
[10:27] Window & mirror leadership (recognition vs. accountability)
[12:15] Empowerment fails without reciprocal trust
[22:15] Case Study: “We still have to hit plan”—rebuilding culture & cadence
[32:26] Curiosity + inspection: systems that scale safely
[14:46] Recognition & Contractor Advocacy – Little things, big impact
[21:21] Micro-Messaging & Consistency – Communication that sticks
[26:00] Case Study: Automaker’s Harassment Training Wins Fans
[28:46] Case Study: 500 Sessions with Facilitator-Ready Assets
[35:36] The Cost of Turnover – Why empowerment saves $$$
[36:22] How to Connect with Sollah
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Adam’s trust framework maps directly to ecosystem performance: when leaders model empathy and authenticity, teams self-correct and execute at pace—no micromanaging required. I loved his “window in wins, mirror in losses” approach; it’s exactly how you convert employees into superfans who’ll “walk through glass” for the mission. We also dig into designing cadences where directors truly run the business, while leaders inspect outcomes without crushing curiosity. That balance creates the rowing-team rhythm—everyone in sync, moving fast, compounding momentum. This is precisely the kind of operating system I help clients build through my SUPERFANS Framework™ in Prosperity Pathway™ coaching within the Superfans Growth Hub—so your frontline turns customers into evangelists every day.
The Action: Hold a “Trust Retro” this week.
Who: Your leadership team + frontline reps.
Why: Surfaces fear points, clarifies autonomy, and aligns on empathy/authenticity behaviors that enable consistent delivery.
How:
Where stories ignite loyalty, insights spark growth, and connections create superfans.
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