The Manager–Subordinate Dance: How Everyday Leadership Behaviors Build Trust or Break Commitment

Every leader is dancing — whether they realize it or not.

In this episode of The Power of Influence: Leadership in Action, we explore the manager–subordinate dance — the daily interactions between leaders and team members that quietly determine whether people lean in with commitment or step back into self‑protection.

Through two contrasting workplace stories, host Paulette J. Sterling reveals how small leadership behaviours shape trust, engagement, and performance. You’ll hear how one manager creates psychological safety and ownership, while another creates fear, distance, and disengagement — all through everyday interactions.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. Why the quality of the manager–team relationship predicts performance, trust, and retention
2. How small behaviours — tone, clarity, listening, feedback — shape commitment
3. The difference between high‑quality and low‑quality leader–member relationships
4. Why people “do enough to stay out of trouble” when trust is low
5. How leaders can shift from surveillance to partnership
6. Practical steps to strengthen trust and influence this week

Whether you lead a team, a department, or an entire organization, this episode will help you:

• Build stronger, more respectful relationships
• Communicate with clarity and fairness
• Create psychological safety
• Reduce resistance and increase ownership
• Lead with intention in everyday moments

🎧 Listen now to understand how your daily leadership behaviours shape commitment — and how to adjust your “steps” in the dance.

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