How do you build trust when joining a new team or organization?
Why This Is Asked
Interviewers want to see that you have a deliberate approach to earning trust as a new leader. They're assessing whether you listen first, avoid making sweeping changes too quickly, and build credibility through consistency, transparency, and follow-through—rather than assuming trust comes with the title.
Key Points to Cover
- Listening and learning before making big changes
- Being transparent about your intentions, priorities, and limitations
- Following through on commitments to build credibility
- Respecting existing relationships and not forcing immediate loyalty
STAR Method Answer Template
Describe the context - what was happening, what team/company, what was at stake
What was your specific responsibility or challenge?
What specific steps did you take? Be detailed about YOUR actions
What was the outcome? Use metrics where possible. What did you learn?
💡 Tips
- Emphasize that trust is earned over time—you don't expect it on day one
- Give a concrete example of joining a new team and how you built trust
- Show that you prioritize 1:1s and understanding individuals before imposing your vision
✍️ Example Response
STAR formatSituation: I joined a 12-person team as a new manager. They'd had two managers in 18 months and were skeptical. "Another one," I overheard. The team was capable but disengaged—they'd stopped believing leadership would listen.
Task: I needed to earn trust before I could lead effectively.
Action: I spent my first month listening. I had 1:1s with everyone—not to share my vision, but to understand theirs. I asked: "What's working? What's not? What would you change if you could?" I took notes and didn't promise anything yet. I was transparent: "I'm new. I don't have all the answers. I'm here to learn." I followed through on small things—if someone asked for something, I did it. I didn't make big changes in the first 90 days. I shared what I was learning with the team and asked for their input before proposing changes. When I did make a change, I explained the rationale and tied it to what they'd told me. I also admitted when I was wrong—early on I made a call that didn't work; I owned it in the team meeting.
Result: By month four, the team was engaging differently—they started bringing ideas to me. Our eNPS went from 28 to 52 in six months. I learned that trust is earned through listening, follow-through, and humility. The title doesn't grant it.
🏢 Companies Known to Ask This
| Company | Variation / Focus |
|---|---|
| Amazon | Earn Trust — "How do you build trust with a new team?" |
| Googleyness, collaboration | |
| Meta | Scale, cross-functional alignment |
| Microsoft | Growth mindset, collaboration |
| Netflix | Culture fit, candor |
| Professional growth, learning agility |