The Leadership Cycle: Building Trust, Relationships, and Influence for Effective Leadership

03/20/25 • 11 min

The Leadership Cycle: Building Trust, Relationships, and Influence for Effective Leadership

Episode Summary
Discover how trust, relationships, and influence form a powerful cycle that drives leadership success. In this episode, Colby Morris unpacks John Maxwell’s quote, “Leadership is influence,” and introduces the leadership cycle: trust builds relationships, and relationships earn influence. With actionable tools and real-world examples, you’ll learn how to motivate your team and lead effectively.

What You’ll Learn

Proven leadership strategies to spark team motivation.
How to build trust and earn influence with team motivation techniques.
Why generic leadership fails—and how to use custom leadership approaches.
The leadership cycle: trust → relationships → influence.

Key Takeaways

Motivation is Personal: Use leadership tools like asking great questions to unlock your team’s drive.
Influence is Earned: Adapt to your team’s needs and explain the ‘why’ to gain trust.
Customize Your Leadership: Tailor your style for maximum impact on each team member.

Real Stories, Real Impact

Jordan’s Turnaround: A drifting employee becomes a leader when Colby taps into his need for mastery.
Sarah’s Data Win: A skeptical analyst buys into a system after a numbers-based pitch.
Mike’s Comeback: A top performer rebounds when given room to own his process.

Leadership Moves (Try One This Week!)

Tool #1: Ask a team member, “What drives you?”
Tool #2: Tweak your approach to match someone’s style.
Tool #3: Ask, “Does my leadership work for you?”

Why It Matters
Leadership isn’t a title—it’s action. This episode gives you practical leadership strategies to build trust, strengthen relationships, and earn influence for real results.

FAQ: Leadership Cycle Explained

What is the leadership cycle?
It’s the process where trust builds relationships, and relationships earn influence—the core of effective leadership.
How does trust impact leadership?
Trust is the foundation. Without it, relationships weaken, and influence disappears.

Connect with Colby

LinkedIn: Colby Morris
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/colbymorris/
Website: nxtstepadvisors.com (N-X-T, no E)
Want Colby to speak or coach? Hit him up on LinkedIn or the website.

Challenge
Try one tool this week. Did it build trust or boost influence? Share your story in the comments or on LinkedIn with Colby.

Subscribe & Share
Loved this? Subscribe and share it with a leader who needs it. Let’s move leadership forward!

The Leadership Cycle: Building Trust, Relationships, and Influence for Effective Leadership

What You’ll Learn

Proven leadership strategies to spark team motivation.
How to build trust and earn influence with team motivation techniques.
Why generic leadership fails—and how to use custom leadership approaches.
The leadership cycle: trust → relationships → influence.

Key Takeaways

Motivation is Personal: Use leadership tools like asking great questions to unlock your team’s drive.
Influence is Earned: Adapt to your team’s needs and explain the ‘why’ to gain trust.
Customize Your Leadership: Tailor your style for maximum impact on each team member.

Real Stories, Real Impact

Jordan’s Turnaround: A drifting employee becomes a leader when Colby taps into his need for mastery.
Sarah’s Data Win: A skeptical analyst buys into a system after a numbers-based pitch.
Mike’s Comeback: A top performer rebounds when given room to own his process.

Leadership Moves (Try One This Week!)

Tool #1: Ask a team member, “What drives you?”
Tool #2: Tweak your approach to match someone’s style.
Tool #3: Ask, “Does my leadership work for you?”

FAQ: Leadership Cycle Explained

What is the leadership cycle?
It’s the process where trust builds relationships, and relationships earn influence—the core of effective leadership.
How does trust impact leadership?
Trust is the foundation. Without it, relationships weaken, and influence disappears.

Connect with Colby

LinkedIn: Colby Morris
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/colbymorris/
Website: nxtstepadvisors.com (N-X-T, no E)
Want Colby to speak or coach? Hit him up on LinkedIn or the website.

Challenge
Try one tool this week. Did it build trust or boost influence? Share your story in the comments or on LinkedIn with Colby.

Subscribe & Share
Loved this? Subscribe and share it with a leader who needs it. Let’s move leadership forward!

Previous Episode

Beat Burnout: Strong Teams in 2025

Episode Title: Beat Burnout: Strong Teams in 2025
Host: Colby Morris
Published: March 10, 2025
Available on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Other Platforms

Episode Overview

Burnout’s not just lurking—it’s eating your team’s lunch and tanking your productivity. In this episode of the TLD Podcast, host Colby Morris breaks down why employee well-being and retention are your leadership superpowers in 2025. With 73% of leaders reporting change fatigue (Forbes, Oct 2024), it’s time to ditch the corporate wellness clichés and fight back. Colby delivers three actionable strategies to beat burnout, boost morale, and build strong teams—no fluff, just stuff you can use right now.

Perfect for leaders wrestling with hybrid teams, workplace stress, or high turnover, this 30-minute episode blends practical tips, real stories, and a kick to act today. Ready to lead stronger in 2025? Let’s roll.

What You’ll Learn

Why well-being isn’t a perk—it’s a business strategy for retention and productivity.
How to build psychological safety that beats burnout (hint: it starts with you).
A framework to redefine workloads and kill the 40-hour myth.
Tips to lead for energy, not just output, with energy audits and recharge culture.

Show Segments

Introduction – Colby sets the stage: Burnout’s real, and well-being’s your secret weapon.
Why Well-Being Matters – The peanut butter and jelly of retention and health—plus a wake-up call on change fatigue.
Strategy 1: Psychological Safety – Model vulnerability, reward honesty, and ask better questions (with a story that’ll hit home).
Strategy 2: Redefine Workloads – Quarterly resets, empowering “no,” and a tale of clarity gone wild.
Strategy 3: Lead for Energy – Energy audits, flexible schedules, and how banning meetings saved a team.
Wrap-Up & CTA – Pick one strategy, start this week, and connect with Colby for more.

Show Highlights

Quote of the Episode: “Burnout’s not waiting for the perfect moment—why should you?”
Story Spotlight: Colby shares how axing pointless meetings cut stress and boosted output by 20%.
Actionable Challenge: Try an energy audit this week—ask your team what drains them and what fires them up.

Resources Mentioned

Forbes Article (Oct 2024): 73% of Leaders See Change Fatigue
Connect with Colby: LinkedIn | NxtStepAdvisors.com
Workshops & Speaking: Email [email protected]

Subscribe & Share

Loved this episode? Don’t miss the next one—subscribe and share it with a leader fighting burnout—tag @ColbyMorrisTLD on LinkedIn and let’s keep the conversation going.

Drop a review —tell us how you’re beating burnout in 2025. Colby reads every one (and might shout you out!).

Keywords

employee well-being, leadership strategies 2025, burnout prevention, team retention, psychological safety, workplace energy, hybrid team leadership, productivity tips, change fatigue

Next Episode

Leading Through Bad News: How to Lead with Clarity, Compassion, and Trust

Leading Through Bad News: How to Lead with Clarity, Compassion, and Trust

Episode Description:
How do you lead when the news is bad—layoffs, downsizing, even tragedy in the workplace?

In this episode of Things Leaders Do, Colby Morris shares three essential tools to help leaders navigate the toughest moments with clarity, compassion, and trust. Grounded in the wisdom of Brené Brown—“Clear is kind. Unclear is unkind.”—this episode is a blueprint for delivering hard news without damaging your culture or credibility.

Whether you’re preparing for difficult conversations or leading your team through uncertainty, this episode delivers practical leadership moves you can use immediately.

What You’ll Learn:

How to communicate bad news with honesty and empathy
What to do when you don’t have all the answers
How to build trust and stability when your team needs it most
Why silence and corporate spin erode leadership credibility
Leadership habits that preserve culture during crisis

About the Host:
Colby Morris is a leadership strategist, executive coach, and host of Things Leaders Do. He helps leaders build trust, drive performance, and lead with clarity—especially in high-stakes environments.

Connect on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/colbymorris
Learn more at: nxtstepadvisors.com (That’s N-X-T, no E)

Things Leaders Do - The Leadership Cycle: Building Trust, Relationships, and Influence for Effective Leadership

Transcript

Speaker 100:00:01.842

Welcome to Things Leaders Do , the podcast that uncovers the secrets of becoming an extraordinary leader . If you're a leader who's constantly seeking growth , inspiration and tangible ways to level up your leadership , then you've come to the right place . Remember , the world needs exceptional leaders , and that leader is you . Now here's your host , colby Morris is

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