Parnell: People Before Profit: How Safety and Trust Unlock Clarity and Direction

“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” You’ve likely heard that phrase before, and when leading people, it’s our North Star.

Competence matters, but without care, our expertise rarely lands. Care is the doorway to influence. It’s what makes our guidance welcome instead of resented. The practical question is: How do we show care in a way that consistently elevates our team’s performance?

A simple leadership framework helps in understanding that leaders get to create two things so that they can provide two things. We create safety and trust so that we can provide clarity and direction. Safety and trust are the conditions, and clarity and direction are the deliverables. But we can’t get to the deliverables without safety and trust.

Why Clarity and Direction Matter More Than we Think

Every person on your team needs, and quite frankly deserves, clarity and direction. If you think about it … any job that you’ve either left or lost … it’s likely that you didn’t have both clarity and direction.

Here’s an unfortunate reality … we often assume that clarity and direction have been delivered simply because we shared them once. We can’t get upset when team members don’t meet or exceed expectations that we didn’t clearly communicate.

Communication isn’t transmission; it’s shared understanding. If the receiver didn’t truly get it, it didn’t happen. That’s why our first responsibility isn’t to talk more; it’s to build the conditions where understanding can take root: safety and trust.

Safety and Trust: The Ground Your Leadership Stands on

Psychological safety means people have a safe space, place, and platform to speak candidly and ask for help without fear of embarrassment or retaliation. Trust means they believe our words and our motives. They count on us to say what we mean, mean what we say, and do what we said we would do.

Communication’s Sneaky Trap

When there’s a breakdown in communication, voids get created, and oftentimes negativity fills those voids. Assumptions, rumors, and worst-case stories rush in to fill the space. Part of the problem is that there are usually multiple conversations inside the one that seems to be happening:

• The conversation I’m having.
• The conversation you’re having.
• The conversation I think we’re having.
• The conversation you think we’re having.

This gap explains why the greatest misconception about communication is that it’s actually happening.

But the most alarming stat of all is that poor communication costs shop owners 18% of total salaries paid out on an annual basis. Which means that if you’re paying $1 million in salaries across an entire year, poor communication could be creating sunken costs in the amount of $180,000, every single year.

Connection → Engagement → Performance

If safety and trust are the soil, connection is the water. When people feel seen and valued, they lean in. That connection fuels engagement, and engaged people bring effort, creativity, and resilience. Over time, engagement translates into performance: better quality, more throughput, stronger guest experiences.

Connection creates engagement and engagement increases performance. Why is this important? Because 70% of team members are disengaged at work. Conversely speaking, 80% of people say they’re fully engaged when receiving meaningful feedback at least once per week.

The Workhorse Tool: 1-on-1’s

The most reliable place to build safety, trust, and connection is via 1-on-1’s. Done well, 1-on-1’s transform scattered conversations into a steady drumbeat of clarity and direction. 
Here are some pro tips to lead effective 1-on-1s:

• Schedule them and keep them. Put recurring 1-on-1’s on the calendar. Ensure that the recipient of the scheduled 1-on-1 has it on their calendar as well. Reliability communicates respect.
• Share a template in advance. Send each team member a simple doc (I use Google Docs) and invite them to add topics. This ensures the meeting serves their priorities, too. Ultimately, the 1-on-1’s are NOT for us. They’re for our team members to ensure that their voice is heard, their opinions matter, and their ideas are considered.
• Always end with a CTA. Before you wrap, confirm a clear call to action: who will do what by when. Write it down. While this is the third bullet point amongst these pro tips, this one is arguably the most important. Meetings are a waste of time. There, I said it. Yes, I’m a leadership coach and I think meetings are a waste of time—IF, action doesn’t take place beyond the words that were spoken. If we’re gonna talk the talk, let’s walk the walk. 
• Follow up on the follow-through. For at least the first three 1-on-1’s, circle back to last time’s CTAs. Consistent follow-up builds trust faster than any speech. For example, you had a 1-on-1 on Tuesday. Now it’s Thursday, and you go to your team member and say “Hey (insert name), your CTA from Tuesday’s 1-on-1 was to do X, Y, and Z. What can I do to help you?” Notice that I’m not suggesting asking, “Do you need any help?” The answer will always be “no.” Ask an open-ended question that warrants some dialogue. Now, is following up on the follow-through a form of micromanagement? Yes, it is. Do I advocate or encourage micromanagement? Absolutely not. But when we’re attempting to create a culture of accountability, we’re going to have to buck the system a bit before we establish habits, behaviors, and a standard that becomes the new norm in our shop.  
• How often do I have 1-on-1’s? This is subjective, so you'll have to find what works best for you and your team, but the suggested cadence is to meet every 2 to 3 weeks as you establish rhythm; your culture and workload can refine the pace later.
• How long should they last? Again, subjective, but plan one full hour for the first 1-on-1 to set expectations and understand goals. One of two things is going to happen: You’re going to have some team members use the entire hour, and then some, if you make the time for it because they already trust you and now have an opportunity to share what’s been on their mind for, in some cases, months, perhaps even years. Emotions will be flowing, and word vomit galore will set in, and they’ll be singing like a song bird. And guess what? That’s a good thing. You’re showing up for them, and they feel seen, heard, and valued. 
  The other possibility is that some team members aren’t quite sure what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. They’ll wonder what the purpose of a 1-on-1 is and won’t say much as they size you up and try to understand what’s really going on. That’s okay too. Safety and trust takes time. Be consistent, trust the process, and always make yourself available for your team. The best availability for a leader is availability. Beyond the initial one-hour time slot, 30 to 45 minutes usually suffices.

Bringing it all Together

Our people are our greatest assets. If your team members are going to give you 100+ hours every two weeks, can you make time to meet with them even if it feels like you don’t have the time?

Care is not a mood; it’s a set of behaviors that make work safer, clearer, and more directed. When we repeatedly create safety and trust, we earn the right, and the ability, to deliver clarity and direction.

If you want a practical next step, pick two team members and schedule their first 1-on-1 today. Use the template, end with clear CTAs, and follow up next time. Do this consistently for three months and watch the tone of your conversations change. People won’t just hear how much you know; they’ll feel how much you care, and their performance will reflect it.

Want a downloadable version of the 1-on-1 template Limitless Leadership uses? Email [email protected] today to request a free copy.