Episode 180: The Generational Trust Myth—Why Behavior Beats Age Every Time

Published: January 21, 2026

Details

Trust in leadership is often framed as a generational issue—older leaders are assumed to be more credible because of experience, while younger leaders are expected to “prove themselves” before earning trust. But Zenger Folkman research challenges these assumptions. In this episode of The 90th Percentile: An Unconventional Leadership Podcast, BreAnne Okoren sits down with renowned psychometrician Joe Folkman to unpack data from 80,336 leaders and 360-degree trust ratings that reveal a surprising reality: trust does not rise steadily with age. Instead, trust follows a U-shaped pattern across career decades and is most strongly driven by observable leadership behaviors, not generational identity. Together, BreAnne and Joe break down the myths, explain what truly drives trust across generations, and introduce the Trifecta of Trust framework—Relationships, Expertise, and Consistency—highlighting how leaders and teams can intentionally build trust at any stage of their career.

Learn more about Zenger Folkman’s Trifecta of Trust Development Experiences for leaders and teams.

Key Points

1. Trust is not a generational trait—it’s a behavioral outcome.
   Age-based assumptions about trust distract from what actually builds credibility: consistent leadership behavior.

2. Trust doesn’t increase steadily with experience.
   Zenger Folkman’s analysis shows a U-shaped trust curve—high trust early career, declining in mid-career, and rising again later, proving that tenure alone does not create trust.

3. Younger leaders are not “less trustworthy” by default.
   When trust ratings are analyzed by generation, Gen Z and Millennials score higher on trust than Boomers, challenging common stereotypes in both directions.

4. Three competencies explain trust across every age group.
   Trust is most strongly predicted by:

• Relationships (approachability, collaboration, inclusion)
• Expertise (sound judgment, helpful insight, competence)
• Consistency (follow-through, reliability, keeping commitments)

5. Collaboration is one of the largest leadership gaps—across all generations.
   Even though collaboration is ranked as highly important, it consistently ranks much lower in actual effectiveness, meaning it must be intentionally developed, not assumed.

Webinar

Zenger Folkman hosts an exclusive live webinar every month, where you can meet Jack Zenger and Joe Folkman and join in a conversation about their latest research in leadership development. Find out more information and register here.

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