Mistakes Suck.
They bring up all the emotions. Embarrassment. Frustration. Anger. Part of you wants to fight, to defend your pride, to prove you weren’t wrong. That’s an option. But the cost is your peace, your credibility, your trust. The harder choice is forgiving yourself for the mess-up, owning it, and making it right.
That’s leadership.
Maybe you’ve been there.
You pour your heart into something you believe in.
You do the work. You take the risk.
And just when it starts to take off…
Something unexpected pulls the rug out from under you.
That’s what happened to me.
And… it’s embarrassing.
I spent two years writing a book I deeply believed in. The stories, the tools, the frameworks — all designed to help managers lead with more trust.
It took off.
Won awards.
Landed in companies.
Helped real people and real teams.
Then, I got the legal letter:
Cease and desist.
Turns out, someone else owned the trademark to the title — and I had no idea.
I was shocked.
Frustrated.
Embarrassed is an understatement.
But mostly? I didn’t want this setback to steal the momentum.
So I made a choice:
Don’t fight it. Fix it.
And make it even better.
We pulled the old title.
Reimagined the experience.
Published a full-color edition with better visuals, deeper insights, and a brand-new Trust Audit™ assessment to go with it.
Today, I’m proud to introduce:
Managers Who Build Trust: Your Playbook for Bringing Out the Best in Others.
If you’re leading a team and want to lead with more clarity, connection, and credibility — this book is for you.
Your team deserves a leader who’s present, honest, and willing to have the real conversations. This book is your playbook to get there: practical, powerful, and no fluff.
Managers Who Build Trust: Your Playbook for Bringing Out the Best in Others
→ Grab your copy on Amazon
Already read it? Leave a review to help another leader.
→ Leave a review on Amazon
Check out this TikTok video on key parts of the book!
Thanks for believing in this work and for being a leader who’s willing to do it differently.
Let’s keep building trust, together.
TRUST TAKEAWAY
Trust isn’t about never messing up. It’s how you respond to the mess ups.
One of my favorite leadership books comes from Colin Powell — It Worked For Me: In Life and Leadership. He offers some rules for leadership and there’s one in particular I try to apply in life: “Get mad then get over it.” Not everything is going to go our way. Some people won’t take our recommendations. Some people will disappoint us. And there will be times when we drop the ball and disappoint others. It’s okay to get angry, embarrassed, and upset. Then we have to pick ourselves up and ask, “What choice would I make if I was focused on building trust?” Then move toward that answer – especially when it’s hard.
YOUR TRUST CHALLENGE
Ask this question: “What’s one thing I can do to make this right?”
People trust leaders not because they’re perfect, but because they model how to recover. This one question shifts you from defending the mess to repairing the moment and that’s what keeps trust intact.
WATCH JUSTIN: KEYNOTE SPEAKER ON TRUST
Justin Patton is a trust keynote speaker, leadership coach, and founder of The Trust Architect Group. Through his trademark motto Trust Starts Here™, Justin helps leaders build trust in themselves, with others, and across their culture — so they keep people coming back for more. Learn more at www.justinpatton.com.
