On August 12th, Glassdoor released its 2026 Best CEOs list which is built entirely from anonymous employee reviews. Consistent with declining trust scores across society, the average senior leadership ratings fell to the worst reading since 2017 with mentions of “misalignment” and “disconnect” quite common within the reviews. “Trust in leadership is fraying at exactly the moment employees need it most,” said Glassdoor’s Chief Economist, Daniel Zhao. I've seen enough data and surveys to say that this does not surprise me at all.
Yet, there are leaders that are building trust across their organizations. Let’s look at two:
Jensen Huang is the CEO of NVIDIA and topped the list with 99% employee approval. Yes, the score was 99%. That’s a remarkable number for any company, let alone a company of NVIDIA's size. Employees describe him as a visionary, but building trust may be his greatest strength. He emphasizes operational transparency and aligns his employees on first principles thinking which focuses on the why and not the what. While many leaders may soften, filter, or go off topic in their communications, Huang is rigidly authentic, delivering a consistent message in the same way regardless of the stakes or the audience.
Jason Johnson, CEO of Quick Quack Car Wash, was second on the list, and embraces a different leadership approach. Whereas Huang's trust comes from consistency of message at scale, Johnson ensures trust by focusing on its drivers including organizational health, extreme empathy, and practical accountability. Employees describe him less in terms of vision and more in terms of his presence. Johnson is personally attached to every detail, having weekly 1-on-1 check-ins across the organization, and being authentic to the company's stated mission rather than just posting it on a wall.
I saw the advantage of this approach myself, years ago, leading a diabetes product launch in big pharma. One of the most important trips I made wasn't to the boardroom, it was to our manufacturing site, to meet the workers who'd actually produce and package the product. People were surprised that I made the time for such a trip. Yet, it made possible an aligned understanding and commitment that would eventually help establish a billion-dollar brand.
Source: Glassdoor, “50 Best CEOs 2026,” August 12, 2026
THE BOTTOM LINE
Leaders, like Huang and Johnson, can have very different approaches and still build trust. Successful leaders know the importance of authenticity in message and action, regardless of the audience and stakes involved.
Authenticity is a key theme in my book, Win Via Trust: trust requires a discipline of showing up the same way, over and over, especially when no one's grading you.
WINNING MOVES
Communicate consistently and authentically. Before your next team or org update, check your last one. If your framing shifted to fit the room instead of the message, remember Huang's disciplined approach.
Be visible and present across levels. Pick one workflow this week you'd normally delegate entirely and sit in on it. Don’t micromanage, simply be visibly, personally present in the work like Johnson.
If you want to dig deeper into the trust side of leadership, please read Win Via Trust or subscribe below for future Trust Lens newsletters.