Empower Insight
High performing teams start with trust, not control
What creates high performing teams? Kate Richardson-Walsh shared a clear message through our Empower women in business programme:
Trust, not control, is what drives performance.
Kate Richardson-Walsh has led at the highest level of elite sport, captaining Team GB hockey to Olympic success and building environments where teams consistently perform under pressure.
She recently delivered a session as part of our Empower women in business programme, working with leaders on how to build trust, create accountability and develop high performing teams.
One point stood out. High performance is not built on control, it is built on trust.
Many organisations still rely on control to drive performance, setting direction, monitoring activity and managing outcomes closely, but this often limits ownership, reduces engagement and holds teams back from performing at their best.
“Trust creates the conditions for people to perform.”
Trust drives performance in teams
When trust is present, individuals feel able to contribute, take responsibility and challenge when needed. This creates stronger decision making, better collaboration and more consistent performance.
Without trust, people hold back, avoid risk and focus on protecting themselves rather than delivering results.
Building trust is not a one-off activity, it is created through consistent behaviour, clarity and accountability over time.
Psychological safety enables contribution
High performing teams are environments where people feel safe to speak up, share ideas and challenge thinking. This does not mean lowering standards, it means creating conditions where people can perform at their best.
Leaders play a critical role in shaping this, through how they respond to challenge, how they handle mistakes and how they encourage contribution.
When psychological safety is present, teams move faster, make better decisions and perform more consistently.
What this means for you
- Create environments where people feel able to contribute
- Build trust through consistent behaviour
- Encourage challenge and different perspectives
- Focus on accountability, not control
Why this matters now
Organisations are asking more of their teams than ever before. Performance, collaboration and adaptability are all critical, and these cannot be driven through control alone.
Leaders need to build environments where people can perform, contribute and take ownership, and that starts with trust.
That is exactly what we focus on through Empower, a women in business programme designed to build confidence, capability and leadership impact.
Empower: Women in Business Programme
Empower is designed to help women build confidence, strengthen their voice and step into leadership with clarity and impact.
About The Speaker
Kate Richardson-Walsh
Kate Richardson-Walsh is a former Olympic gold medal-winning captain who now works with organisations to build high performing teams, strengthen leadership and develop trust-based cultures.