Building Trust in the First 90 Days
- Marcy Stoudt
- Oct 13
- 3 min read
The Trust Factor in Onboarding: See How the Same Leader Can Face Very Different Outcomes
Why do so many great leaders stumble in their first 90 days?
It’s rarely about skill or experience. It’s about trust. Without it, even the smartest change agents can look like they’re pushing too hard, second-guessing themselves, or missing the mark with their new team.
The good news:
Research shows that teams with high trust are 50% more productive (Harvard Business Review, 2023). And companies with a structured onboarding process see an 82% improvement in new hire retention (Click OnBoarding, 2025).
The bad news:
Two-thirds of workers feel disconnected from colleagues, and employees who lack connection with co-workers are far more likely to quit (SHRM, 2023). Even more sobering…70% of new hires decide within the first month whether a job is the right fit (Insight Global, 2024).
I’ve seen this play out firsthand, and it’s one of the reasons I’m so passionate about how we built REVEL SEARCH®. We don’t just recruit. We support leaders in those critical first 90 days. Because that window sets the tone for everything that follows.
Let me show you through Alison’s story.
The Same Leader Can Face Very Different Outcomes
Scenario One: Alison With Trust (Old Company)
At her previous company, Alison built a strong reputation for guiding teams through complex change. She walked into a cross-functional meeting and, like so many leaders, pushed her change plan forward. The team resisted: they wanted proof, but when shown data, they still poked holes in it. Arms crossed, questions flying, energy draining.
Afterward, a colleague she trusted pulled her aside: “This team needs more time to digest before they can get on board.” Because she had credibility, she listened. In the follow-up, Alison slowed down, shared data early, and invited discussion. The team leaned in, and Alison’s ABOVE CENTER® strengths—collaboration, harmony, and structured alignment—won them over.
Scenario Two: Alison Without Trust (New Company)
Fast forward. Alison joins a new company. She walks into a similar cross-functional meeting with the same style, the same strengths, and the same resistance from the team. But this time, there’s no colleague she trusts to pull her aside.
She leaves the room doubting herself. Instead of focusing on building long-term change plans, she spends mental energy second-guessing: Did I make the right move joining this company?
In reaction to her self-doubt, she overcompensates. Over the next few days she works extra hours, pulling more data, more analysis, a stronger delivery. But when she comes back with force, the team shuts down even more.
Now, instead of establishing her reputation as the collaborative leader who builds alignment and harmony, Alison is unintentionally building a reputation for reactionary behaviors: over-preparing, pushing too hard, and relying on data instead of trust. Her Below Center spiral begins, not because of lack of skill, but because of lack of trust.
The Takeaway
Same leader. Same situation. Two outcomes.
The difference isn’t skill, it’s trust. And when trust is missing, even proven leaders like Alison can spiral Below Center and risk building the wrong reputation in a new role.
That’s why I believe so strongly in supporting leaders during the first 90 days. REVEL SEARCH® has invested in tools that give leaders and teams a shortcut—surfacing insights about what motivates each person, how they handle stress, and how they like to collaborate. With that knowledge, trust builds faster. And when trust builds faster, results follow.
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Marcy Stoudt is a seasoned sales leader dedicated to shaping the future of talent acquisition and executive coaching. As the founder of Revel Search and Revel Coach, Marcy collaborates with corporate clients to develop innovative strategies for attracting, advancing, and retaining top-tier talent.
During her 22 years at Allegis Group, Marcy was TEKsystems's first female Vice President. She led a team of 300 producers and delivered four consecutive years of revenue results at 18% CAGR, averaging $320 million annually. While at MarketSource, she established the Customer Experience Strategy for the Target Mobile outsourced sales team at 1,540 Target locations, fostering executive-level relationships with Target and Apple.
The Revel Coach™ Blog is provided for educational and informational purposes only and is not mental health, financial, business or legal advice. The information presented here is not intended to diagnose, treat, heal, cure or prevent any medical, mental or emotional condition. The information presented here is not a guarantee that you will obtain any results or earn any money using our content.
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