How Leading with Trust Fosters Innovation and Inclusion - in conversation with Jason Harvey
A healthy workplace where innovation flourishes is one that exhibits honesty and trust. By sharing information openly, treating all team members fairly and with understanding, maintaining consistent policies, and keeping commitments, workplace leaders can develop a foundation of trust that builds a stronger, more advanced organization.
An impactful value creator, Jason Harvey has years of experience fostering innovation and sparking lasting business growth. As a C-Suite leader with an entrepreneurial foundation, Jason leads with grace, trust, and collaboration — while constantly pushing the envelope.
How does leading with trust and celebrating differences within your team increase the level of innovation? How do you ensure that these diverse perspectives are integrated effectively to drive organizational success? Can you provide examples of how this approach has led to breakthrough ideas or solutions?
“Trust is key in driving innovation because it creates an environment where people feel comfortable experimenting and taking risks. When team members trust that their team values their perspective, they feel confident proposing creative ideas and putting their efforts toward unique solutions. If an individual’s relationship with their leader and team isn’t based on mutual respect and trust, they don’t feel encouraged to think outside the box and identify new opportunities.
“Team members’ ability to communicate their innovative ideas freely without fearing judgment relies on trust. I’ve joined teams where some people were quite reticent in meetings — once we built mutual trust, they became way more eager to provide their input and discuss. As a result of open communication based on trust, team members can confidently ask questions, collaborate and leverage each other’s strengths, and share their honest insights.
“Having diverse perspectives strengthens a team’s ability to make creative, inclusive decisions, but only when those voices have the opportunity to be heard. To effectively involve diverse opinions, it’s as simple as asking everyone what they think. I tell my team, ‘Don’t leave things unsaid… I want to hear what every person thinks.’
“Not only do trust and open communication allow teams to hear from all of their unique voices — they encourage those voices to stay. Retaining talent is so important, and team members are more likely to stay in a work environment that encourages collaboration and honesty. If you feel like your perspective and insights are valued and respected in your role, you’re less likely to leave for a different one.
“Consider the issue of bias in machine learning — if the data fed to an AI is biased, then the AI’s output will reflect that bias. At BET+, I’ve been working with a data science team to develop a procedure and build guidelines to eliminate bias in our own machine learning. I was able to identify the opportunity to address this issue and worked with an amazing team to solve create impartial AI because of the trust we built into our organization.
“Earlier while working at an early-stage startup, I had the opportunity to see how trust and communication can produce transformative growth. When I joined Eventure, it was just an event invitation platform; over time, it grew into a seamless event engagement platform of invites, calendar management, and photo sharing. This defining innovation was only possible from the communication and trust shared across the business.”
Thanks for sharing, Jason.
Jason Harvey is a C-level business leader with over 20 years of experience growing both small and multinational companies. He specializes in developing innovative strategies that transform businesses, optimize operations, and create lasting value. Passionate about community empowerment, Jason focuses on fostering inclusive teams and driving positive impact.
Connect with Jason on LinkedIn.
