85. What Leaders Miss About Communication and Trust (Eric Ries)

A founder builds something people trust. Customers love it. Employees believe in it. Investors are happy.Then, slowly, something changes.The targets shift. The incentives change. The message stays the same – but the behaviour doesn’t.And trust starts to fade.In this episode, I sit down with Eric Ries @theericriesshow – author of Incorruptible and The Lean Startup – and one of the most influential thinkers in modern entrepreneurship. We talked about why so many companies start with strong values and drift over time – even when leaders care about doing the right thing.Eric shares powerful stories – from Cloudflare’s “unspoken mission” to Sol Price, the father of modern retail, and the paradox of success that can make great companies vulnerable.One idea keeps coming back:Communication isn’t just what you say.It’s what people see repeated in decisions, incentives and trade-offs.We explore why mission statements often fail, why jargon weakens clarity, and why trust – not strategy, not growth, not even innovation – shapes long-term success.We also talk about what happens under pressure.Because that’s where leadership communication is tested.What You’ll Learn:* Why people believe what you reinforce, not just what you say * How to align your message with incentives and decisions* Why inconsistent signals weaken trust inside teams* How to communicate purpose so it holds under pressure* What leaders do differently when they build lasting trustIn This Episode:03:45 – The story behind Incorruptible08:21 – Why business jargon weakens communication09:17 – Cloudflare’s unspoken mission17:47 – External pressure and “financial gravity”24:55 – When people stop believing your message25:30 – You can’t command an organisation28:46 – Sol Price and the power of ethos34:29 – The paradox of success47:01 – Trust as the most underrated assetIf you lead a team, build a business or communicate ideas for a living, this episode will change how you think about communication.We hope you enjoy it! ———————Eric Ries:* Book website: https://www.incorruptible.co/ * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eries/ * X: https://x.com/ericries * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericriesactual/ * Newsletter: https://news.theleanstartup.com/ * Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@theericriesshow ———————IDEAS ON STAGE RESOURCES * Timeless Presenter & Confident Presenter (books) – free copy: https://bit.ly/claimyourbooks   * Business Presentation Revolution (book): https://www.ideasonstage.com/resources/books/business-presentation-revolution-book/ * The Confident Presenter Scorecard: https://ideasonstage.com/score * Free Web Class: https://www.ideasonstage.com/uk/events/   #IdeasOnStagePodcast #LeadershipCommunication #BusinessCommunication #OrganizationalCulture