When it comes to managing people (and by association, the success of your team), your most valuable currency is trust. You get a little “starter money” at the beginning, but from that point on it’s a full time job to earn more of it. It takes time and a concerted effort, but it’s one of the most important assets you can develop as a leader. If people trust you, you can get through some seriously hard times together.
But as hard as it is to earn, hoo boy is it easy to lose. Sometimes once it’s gone, it’s gone for good. But if you’re lucky and you get a chance to rebuild it, you’ll have to work twice as hard to earn it back.
All that to say, if you’ve lost the trust of your people and you’re either unaware of it or not working extra hard to rebuild it, it’s pretty much game over.