The Mike Horne Blog

Trust is the invisible thread that holds organizations together. When it is strong, teams innovate, collaborate, and succeed. When it weakens, productivity drops, engagement falls, and top talent leaves. Now, in October 2025, leaders are facing a trust deficit that has never felt more potent due to ongoing hybrid work models, rapid technological changes, and persistent social and economic uncertainty. Rebuilding and maintaining trust is no longer just a soft skill; it has become the most crucial leadership competency of our time.

Growing up in western Pennsylvania, in Dormont, a borough adjacent to Pittsburgh, a city legendary for big steel and heavy industry, I relished the fall evenings my then-bachelor uncle would chariot my Mom, Grandma, and me to a gravel lot in Connellsville that was hastily arranged each season for sales of farm-fresh produce. There were Seckel pears, squashes of every variety, rutabagas, and apples. My special feelings for those moments are evident in what I learned from my Grandma at those farm-stand fall apple markets.

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