Why Good Ideas Get Blocked: The Trust Equation for Change Leaders with Charlie Green
Why Good Ideas Get Blocked: The Trust Equation for Change Leaders with Charlie Green  
Podcast: The Trusted Guide Podcast with Mark Slatin
Published On: Thu Aug 13 2026
Description: Why Good Ideas Get Blocked: The Trust Equation for Change Leaders with Charlie GreenIt pairs naturally with the thumbnail, names the recognizable framework, and makes the change-leadership application explicit.WHY GOOD IDEAS GET BLOCKED: THE TRUST EQUATION FOR CHANGE LEADERS WITH CHARLIE GREENWhy do strong ideas—with solid evidence and a compelling business case—still get blocked?Because leading change takes more than credibility, data, and ROI. It requires trust.In this episode, I’m joined by Charlie Green, founder of Trusted Advisor Associates and co-author of the landmark book The Trusted Advisor, to explore how the Trust Equation applies to change leadership.Charlie explains why the framework should really be called the “Trustworthiness Equation” and breaks down its four components: credibility, reliability, intimacy, and self-orientation. We discuss why leaders often overestimate the rational elements of trust and underestimate the power of emotional safety, genuine attention, and making people feel heard.I also share a costly leadership mistake from my banking career: I failed to fully explore one stakeholder’s reservations about a major initiative, and the resulting resistance sent our work sideways for three years.If you lead change without direct authority—or struggle to secure support for ideas you know can make a difference—this conversation will help you approach resistance, influence, and stakeholder relationships differently.IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:• Why trustworthiness matters more than simply asking others to trust you• How the four components of the Trust Equation work• Why intimacy and self-orientation can matter more than credentials and reliability• How fear prevents leaders from asking the necessary follow-up question• Why “Tell me more” can transform resistance into collaboration• How to prepare thoroughly while remaining open to other perspectives• What it means to “detach from the outcome”• Why people need to feel heard before they will support change• How an overlooked stakeholder concern can derail an initiative• Why ROI and other rational measures rarely tell the whole storySHOW NOTES :ABOUT CHARLIE GREEN:Charlie Green is the founder of Trusted Advisor Associates and co-author of The Trusted Advisor. He is also the author of Trust-Based Selling and co-author of The Trusted Advisor Fieldbook. His work has helped leaders and professionals around the world build stronger relationships through trust.RESOURCES:Charlie Green and Trusted Advisor Associates:https://trustedadvisor.com/Explore the Trust Equation:https://trustedadvisor.com/build-trust/trust-equationLearn more about The Trusted Guide Roadmap™:https://www.empoweredcx.com/tgrIf this conversation helped you think differently about leading change, subscribe to The Trusted Guide Podcast and share this episode with someone trying to move an important idea forward.Leading change starts with trust.