5-ways to become more trustworthy at work (and elsewhere with others)

Your brain and body are constantly sending subtle signals that influence trust. Here’s how to send them more intentionally.

Excerpt: Believe it or not, first impressions are biological. When meeting someone for the first time, well before your résumé or title is considered, your brain and body are sending and receiving subtle signals that influence trust. In today’s workplaces, where hybrid teams and digital interactions dominate, those signals matter more than ever.

The good news is that you can learn to send them more intentionally. In my work developing Leadership Biodynamics, a biology of behavior approach to executive presence, I help leaders become more aware of how trust and connection are built at the behavioral level.

The signals that trigger trust are not abstract: they’re cues the human brain is wired to read quickly and deeply, because in evolutionary terms, deciding whether someone was safe to approach was once a matter of survival.

That’s still true in the modern workplace. Whether you’re onboarding to a new team, pitching an idea to executives, or building rapport with clients, the signals you send, especially those of warmth, create the foundation for influence.

Here are five warmth signals, rooted in behavioral science, that can make you instantly more trustworthy at work.