Building Trust Course | Executive Education

How do effective leaders build trust?

Trust is the foundation of effective leadership. When trust is strong, people are more likely to share ideas, collaborate openly, and work toward a common goal.

Kelley’s Building Trust course takes an experiential approach to understanding what strengthens or erodes trust in the workplace. Through self-assessment, discussion, and realistic workplace scenarios, you’ll learn to diagnose trust along three dimensions that decades of research have identified as distinct: ability, benevolence, and integrity. Knowing which one is weak tells you what to do about it. You'll use this framework to determine what to change in relationships you're managing right now, what to do when trust has already been damaged, and how to apply the same diagnosis with your own team.

Upcoming dates

In-person workshop
March 23, 2027
Time: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET
Location: 16 Tech | Indianapolis, Indiana
Registration fee: $995

Live online program
July 13 to August 3, 2027
Time: Tuesdays, noon to 1:30 p.m. ET
Registration fee: $995

Choose your learning experience

We offer this experiential program in two formats to accommodate our learners. Sign up for a one-day, in-person workshop or a multi-week online learning experience. In both, you’ll explore practical strategies to strengthen relationships, navigate conflict, build trust across teams, and create a culture where people feel safe to communicate, collaborate, and contribute.

In-person workshop

Spend one day collaborating with fellow professionals through self-assessment, facilitated discussion, storytelling, hands-on exercises, and realistic leadership scenarios.

Date: March 23, 2027
Location: 16 Tech | Indianapolis, Indiana
Time: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET
Registration fee: $995

Live online program

Experience the same practical curriculum through a multi-week, live online course that provides additional opportunities for project development, peer collaboration, instructor feedback, and continued application between sessions.

Date: July 13 to August 3, 2027
Format: Four live, instructor-led sessions via Zoom
Time: Tuesdays, noon to 1:30 p.m. ET
Registration fee: $995

Learning objectives

Assess trust in your leadership and teams: Identify behaviors that build or erode trust and assess how your actions, communication, and leadership style influence others.
Build trust through authentic leadership: Apply vulnerability, credibility, consistency, and transparency to strengthen relationships and team cohesion.
Communicate to strengthen trust: Use clear, audience-centered communication to build credibility, demonstrate authenticity, and create connections.
Navigate conflict and repair trust: Recognize the dynamics that can erode trust and use practical approaches to address conflict, rebuild confidence, and restore productive relationships.
Strengthen collaboration across boundaries: Build relationships across teams and organizations by aligning expectations, interests, and goals, even when you don’t have formal authority.
Create a culture of trust: Develop strategies that help people feel respected, heard, accountable, and empowered to contribute.

Interested in bringing this program to your company or organization? Email kelleypd@iu.edu to discuss our custom program options.

Want to learn more?

Fill out the form below to request more information.

Who should attend?

This program is designed for current and emerging leaders, managers, and professionals who rely on strong relationships to get work done.

It is particularly relevant for professionals who:

Lead teams or cross-functional initiatives
Are transitioning into a leadership or management role
Need to strengthen relationships and influence across an organization
Navigate conflict or challenging interpersonal dynamics
Want to build greater credibility and confidence as a leader
Are responsible for creating collaborative, high-performing team environments

Showcase your new skills

Put your new professional skills on display with a digital badge from the Kelley School of Business. This verifiable credential showcases the skills you developed through the Building Trust course and can be shared on LinkedIn and other professional platforms.

Course outline

Explore why trust matters to leadership, performance, and organizational culture. Examine the business impact of high- and low-trust environments, identify behaviors that build or undermine trust, and complete a personal trust assessment.

Explore credibility, consistency, competence, and character as foundations of trust. Examine authenticity, vulnerability, psychological safety, and team cohesion. Then translate self-awareness into more effective leadership behaviors.

Develop communication approaches that strengthen trust, including listening to understand, strategically communicating challenges and mistakes with accountability, and giving and receiving feedback without damaging trust.

Recognize warning signs of eroding trust and explore the dynamics behind interpersonal conflict. Practice addressing difficult conversations, taking accountability, rebuilding credibility, and creating a path toward repair through realistic leadership scenarios.

Learn how to develop strategic alliances and relationships beyond your immediate team, align expectations and interests, build trust without formal authority, and navigate competing priorities and perspectives.

Identify your personal trust-building strengths and opportunities; select behaviors to start, stop, or strengthen; and create an individual Trust-Building Action Plan. Apply the concept to a real leadership challenge and establish commitments for sustaining trust beyond the program.

Access a customizable supervisor request letter to support your case for attending a Kelley professional development program.

Frequently asked questions

Trust building in business involves developing behaviors and relationships that help people communicate openly, collaborate effectively, navigate conflict, and work toward shared goals. In Building Trust, participants explore the leadership behaviors that build or erode trust and develop practical strategies for strengthening workplace relationships.

Kelley’s course takes an experiential approach to building trust in the workplace. Rather than focusing only on concepts, you’ll examine your own trust-building behaviors and practice strategies for communication, conflict resolution, relationship building, and creating psychological safety through realistic situations and hands-on activities.

Yes. Building Trust is offered as both an in-person workshop and a live online program. The online option consists of four live, instructor-led sessions delivered through Zoom.

Strong relationships are essential to getting work done. Leaders who can build credibility, communicate authentically, navigate conflict, and create an environment where people feel respected and heard can strengthen team cohesion and collaboration.

In this building trust course, you’ll examine your own trust-building tendencies and explore how vulnerability, authenticity, communication, and emotional intelligence influence relationships. You’ll also learn practical approaches for addressing moments when trust has been damaged and rebuilding productive relationships.

By applying what you learn to realistic leadership situations, you’ll develop strategies to build trust as a leader, strengthen relationships across teams and organizations, and create a culture where people feel safe to communicate, collaborate, and contribute.

Meet the instructor

Sheryl (Sheri) Walter

Sheryl (Sheri) Walter, PhD, is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship in the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University Bloomington. She joined the Kelley faculty in 2017 after receiving her PhD in Organizational Behavior from the University of Iowa. Her undergraduate degree was in mechanical engineering, so she is a numbers and people person. Sheri worked in technical sales and sales management for 15 years prior to graduate school. She has won numerous teaching and service awards during her time at Kelley and IU, including the Trustees’ Teaching Award, the Panschar Undergraduate Teaching Award, the Innovative Teaching Award, and the Inclusive Excellence Award.

Sheri co-designed the leading diverse and inclusive organizations co-major within the Kelley School of Business Undergraduate Program. She teaches in multiple programs within Kelley including the Undergraduate Program, the Physician’s MBA Program, and the Kelley Direct Program.

Her teaching focuses primarily on leadership and change management. Her research on work identification, extra-role behavior, and counterproductive work behaviors has been published in leading academic journals. Sheri is passionate about teaching, learning, and the students who take her classes.

Questions? We're here to help.

Email Kelley Executive Education at kelleypd@iu.edu, and a member of our team will be happy to assist you.

How do effective leaders build trust?

Upcoming dates

Choose your learning experience

In-person workshop

Live online program

Learning objectives

Want to learn more?

Who should attend?

Showcase your new skills

Course outline

Module 1: The Trust Advantage

Module 2: The Leader’s Role in Building Trust

Module 3: Communication, Credibility, and Connection

Module 4: When Trust Breaks Down

Module 5: Building Trust Across Boundaries

Module 6: From Insight to Action

Frequently asked questions

What is trust building in business?

How does Kelley’s Building Trust course help with building trust in the workplace?

Is the Building Trust course available online?

Why invest in building trust in the workplace?

Meet the instructor

Sheryl (Sheri) Walter

Bio

Questions? We're here to help.

Social media