Podcast

Building Trust & Credibility with Jeff Smith - Episode 1

Carlo Nizeti

Carlo Nizeti

— 3 min read
Building Trust & Credibility with Jeff Smith - Episode 1

Stepping into leadership for the first time is both exciting and unnerving. You’ve finally been recognised. You’ve probably been promoted. And now, you might find yourself managing people who were your peers just last week. Somewhere in the back of your mind, there’s that creeping question: “Do I actually know what I’m doing?”

That’s where this podcast begins. Episode 1 of Mistakes Were Made is a conversation about trust — how to earn it, how to hold onto it, and how to rebuild it when you inevitably mess up.

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To help unpack all of this, I sat down with Jeff Smith. Jeff has led technical and pre-sales teams across APJ, lived and worked all over the US, Asia and New Zealand, helped grow several startups, and somehow still finds time to brew beer and grow olives on a farm. He is a wealth of knowledge, so having him as the first guest just made sense.

Key Lessons & Takeaways

  • Start by being useful: Show up, pitch in, learn fast — credibility comes from contribution, not job titles.
  • Make space for others: Don’t always have the answer — let your team lead, and coach them through it.
  • Hire A+ people: Surround yourself with talent. Confident leaders aren’t afraid to hire people smarter than them.
  • Stay curious: Especially across regions and cultures, curiosity builds bridges where ego builds walls.
  • Perception matters: Be intentional about how you show up, and make sure no one feels left out.
  • Model what good looks like: Your actions — even small ones — set the tone far more than policies or process.
  • Split your one-on-ones: Make time to talk about the person, not just the work.
  • Call it early when someone’s not a fit: If you’re spending more energy around someone than with them, it’s time to act.
  • Stay calm in the chaos: Leadership is often about how you react when things go wrong.
  • Find a mentor: Leadership is a journey — you don’t have to figure it out alone.

Practical Steps You Can Take This Week

  1. Be Useful First – Drop the ego and offer help. Do the grunt work, even if it’s “beneath” your role. It builds credibility faster than any title.
  2. Reply Fast, Follow Through – Build trust through momentum. Show people that you do what you say and that their work matters.
  3. Hire People Smarter Than You – Then give them space. Real leadership is creating room for others to shine.
  4. Run a ‘Skip Level’ Chat – Schedule a casual check-in with someone a layer below your direct reports. Listen more than you talk.
  5. Go for a Walking 1:1 – Break the routine. People tend to open up more when they’re not sitting across a desk or staring at a screen.
  6. Build Your Own Support System – Mentors matter. Having someone outside your direct team or company can shift your perspective when things feel stuck.
  7. Stay Calm When It Goes Sideways – Don’t lash out. Pause. Think. And remind yourself that how you respond isyour leadership.

Favourite Lines from the Episode

  • “The fastest way to build trust is to be useful.”
  • “If you’re spending all your energy working around someone, not with them — it might be time to move them on.”
  • “A one-on-one is not a forecast call.”
  • “The only thing you can control is how you react.”
  • “Every startup is a sausage factory. If it were perfect, they wouldn’t need us.”

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