Trust is what turns chaos into clarity, conflict into collaboration and leaders into humans people willingly follow. In the corporate world, trust is often spoken about, occasionally measured, but rarely prioritised. Yet for executive assistants and administrative professionals, trust is not a concept. It is your day. It is your work. It is the air you breathe. Humanitarian lawyer, leadership consultant and author Rabia Siddique tells us more.
I have spent over 30 years working in the pursuit of justice, truth and leadership in some of the most challenging environments on earth. From war zones in the Middle East to courtrooms, boardrooms and frontline crisis work, I have witnessed trust being built, tested, broken and rebuilt. As an international criminal and human rights lawyer, army officer, hostage survivor, corporate advisor and keynote speaker, I know this: trust is not a soft skill. It is a survival skill.
Executive assistants sit at the intersection of leadership, influence and impact. You hold confidential information, manage competing priorities, mediate tensions and often act as the moral compass when decisions are made under pressure. You are the quiet force that ensures leaders lead well. But trust is not given because of a title. It is earned through behaviour.
So how do you build and protect trust in a world of rapid change, digital disconnection and rising workplace anxiety?
- Say what needs to be said
Trust does not grow in silence. It grows in brave conversations. Too many leaders are surrounded by people who keep the peace rather than tell the truth. Executive assistants are uniquely placed to offer honest counsel with loyalty and discretion. The magic lies in speaking truth with kindness. Not to shame or blame, but to illuminate what needs to be seen. - Do what you say you will do
Reliability is the heartbeat of trust. When people know they can depend on you, trust becomes instinctive. Meeting deadlines, protecting confidentiality and following through on promises are not administrative duties. They are acts of leadership. The most trusted assistants are those whose words and actions align consistently. - Choose people over process
Policies matter, but people matter more. In high-performing organisations, it is often the executive assistant who notices when a colleague is burning out, when conflict is simmering or when someone feels unseen. Trust is built when we respond with humanity before we respond with procedure. Compassion is not weakness. It is responsibility. - Be the keeper of values
Every organisation has values printed on walls and websites. Fewer have values lived in corridors and conversations. Trust is built when people see that their leaders and their assistants act in alignment with those values, especially when it is inconvenient. Ask yourself: what do I stand for? What am I willing to protect, even when no one is watching? - Create psychological safety
In my global work helping organisations rebuild trust, one pattern is clear. Teams only innovate, collaborate and excel when they feel safe. That safety does not come from permission. It comes from permission to ask questions, admit mistakes, challenge ideas respectfully and still belong. Executive assistants can create this safety by modelling vulnerability and grace.
The most powerful kind of trust
Years ago, while serving as a British Army officer and human rights lawyer, I survived a hostage crisis in Iraq. I was held at gunpoint for hours. Afterwards, I was asked if I was afraid of dying. My answer was this: I was more afraid that no one would tell the truth about what happened. That experience taught me that trust is built not in easy moments, but in defining ones.
Today, I work with leaders across industries to build cultures of trust, ethics and accountability. And I see executive assistants as critical to this mission. You are not just managing calendars. You are managing culture. You are not just supporting leaders. You are shaping legacies.
A final thought
Trust is not a destination. It is a daily decision. It is the small moments done well, again and again. It is a courageous whisper in a loud room. It is standing for what is right when it would be easier to stay silent.
In a world hungry for certainty, you have the power to be the steady hand, the clear voice and the trusted presence that leadership needs now more than ever.
Rabia Siddique is an International Humanitarian Lawyer, Leadership Consultant, Best Selling Author, Advocate. For more, visit https://rabiasiddique.com/
