What Is Your CEO Trust Score?
Does your CEO trust you? Maybe that’s the most important question?
Most executives don’t get fired for incompetence. They get fired for lack of trust.
Gaining “Trust” and Credibility is a large part of an executive’s “Work”.
Trust can and will erode silently, gradually, then suddenly if you don’t work at it.
There’s no trust dashboard. No KPI. No red alert. Trust is the stuff of relationships.
Don’t pay attention to those relationships and one day… you’re out. Fired.
Those of you who know me or read a lot of my stuff, you know I love scorecards… so of course it’s time to create one. I’ve never seen it before so I just built it.
The CEO Trust Scorecard (1–10)
1–4: Low Trust (“You’re Replaceable”)
This is what I call fragile trust.
You’re in the role. But you’re not trusted in the role to make the calls or to help guide the team through a crisis.
What it looks like:
You’re brought in late to key decisions
Your data is questioned or re-checked
The CEO goes around you to others
You’re executing… not influencing
You play it safe and avoid hard direct conversations and play the political soft line
What the CEO is thinking (but not saying):
“I’m not sure I can rely on them.”
“I need to double-check everything.”
“They’re not scaling or creating influence in the org.”
Why you might be fired:
Not because you failed…
But because someone else feels like an upgrade/safer bet
At this level, you’re likely not seen as a strategic thinker (looking around corners) or someone willing to make the hard calls or take some good size bets (i.e. risk).
5–7: “Vanilla Trust” (You’re Doing the Job)
This is where I think most start up executives live. If I’m honest and now scoring myself with a scorecard I never built for myself, this was likely my own score for several years of my career.
I was competent. Reliable. Solid. But I was not indispensable.
What it looks like:
I delivered what was asked
I ran my finance and other functions well
I was included in most but not all discussions
I occasionally pushed back… but only when it felt safe
I managed risk, but I rarely thought about shaping the company’s strategic direction
What my CEOs were likely thinking:
“Jim is good.”
“Jim does what he says he’ll do.”
“I can count on Jim… for anything finance and ops related.”
Why I was fired:
I wasn’t replaced for doing something wrong
I was replaced for someone who could perceptively do more
I don’t believe my CEOs were ever worried about me.
But they were also not betting the company on me and many times in my early career they were double checking even my “strong recommendations” with others.
8–10: Required Trust (“I Can’t Run This Without You”)
This is where my role truly changed. I was no longer just an operator, maintainer, optimizer.
I was my CEO’s true thought partner, force multiplier, consigliere, and risk manager.
What it looked like:
I was one of the CEO’s first calls and pulled into decisions early and many times in the CEO’s own “working sessions” before the CEO has a clearly formed view
We pressure-tested each other
We brought hard truths to each other before they become problems
We connected strategy, structure, and execution in our decision making
We simplified complexity into clear decisions
We helped each other see around corners
Your CEO needs to be thinking:
“I trust their judgment.”
“They make me better.”
“I don’t want to make big decisions without them.”
Why you might be fired:
Almost never for performance
Only if trust is broken (integrity, transparency, alignment)
At this level, you’re not just trusted. You are required.
TRUST REQUIREMENTS
Trust is not built on:
Being liked
Being agreeable
Being busy
Trust is built on:
Judgment under pressure
Consistency over time
Saying the hard thing early
Being right… when it matters most
The CEO Question You Should Be Asking
If you want to calibrate your real score, ask yourself:
“What would my CEO say is the #1 reason I might get fired?”
If you don’t know the answer, it’s time to find out and build that courageous question/line of thinking into your CEO relationship over time.
How to Move Up the Curve
Moving from 5–7 to 8+ isn’t about working harder.
It’s about shifting how you think about your role and your influence:
It’s about full ownership of your role
It’s about approaching your executive relationship from a “Partner First” mentality
It’s about taking on more and more of the business architect vision
And most importantly:
From protecting yourself → protecting the company
Final Thought:
Every CEO’s score isn’t objective. It’s more subjective and how they “feel”.
1. Close the Reliability Gap (No Misses)
Hit every commitment - deadlines, numbers, follow-ups
If something slips, communicate early (never late)
“No Surprises”
2. Clean Up Your Data + Narrative
Ensure your numbers are accurate, reconciled, and defensible
Create key insights with clear, simple narratives
Anticipate the first 3 questions the CEO, Board, Investors will ask
3. Answer the Question Asked
Many low-trust operators:
Overcomplicate with details
Go off-topic and down irrelevant rabbit holes
Or avoid direct answers
Instead:
Be confident and credible with your POV (Point of View)
Lead with the answer
Then support it and be willing to change it
4. Eliminate “Shadow Doubt”
If your CEO is going to someone else for validation…
Fix it by:
Pre-aligning before meetings
Sharing your POV and various options early and often
Bring the benchmarked data the “other person” will likely have
5. Show You Understand the Business (Not Just Your Function)
Constantly try to connect the business strategy to the organizational structure to the people executing the work
Are we structured correctly to achieve our results?
Are we performing at a high level?
What could we invest in or de-invest in to make our strategy hum?
6. Say the Hard Thing Early
This is the fastest way to gain trust.
Call out risks before they are obvious
Challenge assumptions respectfully
Don’t wait for “perfect data”
7. Reduce your CEO’s Decision Load
Your job is not to add information or more issues.
It’s to create clarity and remove issue.
Simplify complex decisions into 2–3 clear choices
Frame trade-offs explicitly
Make decisions easier, not heavier
A Simple Weekly Practice
If you want to actively manage your trust score:
Keep a journal note (weekly?)
Where did I increase trust this week?
Where did I create doubt?
What hard thing did I say early?
What decision did I help simplify?
What is my CEO struggling with where I can help?
I promised an actual CEO-CFO Trust Scorecard. If you really want it, trust me! Just kidding. But c’mon, seriously become a paid subscriber. You’ve already read enough value here over the last dozen or so posts. I’m betting this will be the best paid content you see this month?
Below are the 10 CEO Trust Attributes and Scoring System with actual action items.
