Trust in institutions and leaders is on the decline. That's bad news for organizations navigating difficult times. How can companies build trust, and can you repair it once it's been broken? Professor Bill McEvily joins the season premiere of the Executive Summary podcast to explores those questions and more.

Show notes:

[0:00] Declining trust in institutions, businesses, and CEOs – Why public trust is at an all-time low.

[0:33] Meet Bill McEvily – University of Toronto professor and expert in organizational trust and leadership.

[1:42] Defining trust – What trust really means in the workplace and beyond.

[2:46] The three dimensions of trust – Understanding reliability, competence and integrity in people and organizations.

[4:02] The role of trust in the workplace – How trust drives productivity, collaboration and resilience during chaotic times.

[5:46] What breaks trust – Common behaviours, decisions and policies that erode trust in organizations.

[6:15] Examples of companies breaking trust – Real-world corporate missteps and lessons learned.

[7:39] Consequences of broken trust – Impact on employees, customers and overall organizational performance.

[8:24] Repairing trust – Why there is no magic formula, but consistently delivering on promises works.

[9:15] The importance of communication – How transparent, honest communication strengthens trust.

[11:21] Building trust remotely – Introducing Bill’s concept of “prismatic trust” for teams and stakeholders you don’t interact with directly.

[12:26] Lessons from EZ Trade – How companies can implement systems to build trust with people you’ve never met.

[13:14] Signals of trustworthiness – How organizations communicate who and what can be trusted.

[14:18] “It's important for people to understand that there are mechanisms for ascertaining trust, even when we don't have the ability to know people personally… Human beings are ingenious in figuring out how to trust strangers. But therein lies the paradox… it's just how human society functions.”

Season 4 launches September 9 — don’t miss it.

In today’s noisy world, finding clear, credible insight isn’t easy. That’s where the Rotman Executive Summary comes in. In less than 20 minutes, we bring you sharp, research-backed ideas from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management — Canada’s leading business school.

This season, we’re tackling the questions leaders are asking right now:

• How can organizations rebuild trust when uncertainty is the only constant?
• What lessons from history can guide Canada’s economy today?
• Why more healthcare workers alone won’t fix our healthcare system — and what will.
• How to reignite creativity in your team, with evidence (not clichés).
• What can innovative companies learn from the #MeToo movement?
• What does the science say about persuasive writing?

Perfect for curious leaders, lifelong learners and anyone who wants to understand what’s really driving change in business and society. Listen between meetings, on your commute or over coffee — follow now so you never miss an episode.

Subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

What can your employees' LinkedIn and Glassdoor activity tell you about a company's prospects? More than you might think. From competition for top talent to out-of-sync business prospects, these platforms offer valuable insights — but are leaders paying attention? Assistant professor Nan Li joins Executive Summary to unpack what employees are really signaling and why companies must start listening.

Show notes

[0:00] Are you listening to what your employees are and aren’t telling you about your company’s prospects?

[0:29] Meet Nan Li, an assistant professor of accounting at the Rotman School of Management who studies human capital – that is employees – and its impact on company performance.

[1:46] Big changes are coming to the reporting standards world. Starting in 2027, companies in the U.S. will have to disclose how much of their expense line items (think R&D, administration, marketing) is spent on compensation.

[3:22] This news makes Nan and other researchers excited, since it’s a goldmine of insights.

[4:00] The changes are long overdue. While once a company’s output and profits were driven by things like machinery and widgets – so that was a primary focus on reports; as we shift into a knowledge economy, employees are becoming the biggest asset.

[5:11] What are peer firms, and why does it matter when it comes to talent pools?

[5:30] LinkedIn is changing how we define peer firms.

[7:13] Why is it important to know that, says, a car company isn’t just competing against other car manufacturers for talent?

[8:29] Glassdoor reviews, specifically “employee business outlook,” is predictive of firm performance. A bad employee outlook will likely mean a bad earnings report down the line.

[9:46] So why aren’t company leaders and financial analysts paying attention to social media as a source of information?

[11:36] Certain types of labour costs are directly tied to future sales growth. More money into R&D translates into greater profit down the line, while fixed costs like administration can make it easy to grow in good times, but dampen growth in hard times, Nan’s research finds.

[13:34] Employees certainly pay attention to company earning calls, and adjust their own outlook on a company accordingly. So perhaps it’s time employers start doing the same.

[15:11] “All the information there is public. So as a manager or analyst, you can just sign on to Glassdoor, write your own review about your company. And there are some academics and also practitioners already noticed or recognize that we are kind of falling behind.” That’s because employees aren’t just workers; they’re insiders. They are on the ground seeing how your company is really performing. So maybe it’s time leaders start treating employees not just as assets, but as one of their most valuable sources of insight.