Start with the norms of the community: are you showing up and contributing to the way in which that community acts together? Evaluate your words: are you telling a story that matches the vision of that community? Do you inspire others to work together? Are you trusting the process? I see a lot of passionate people enter communities, trying to make change, but not working through the consensus making process normal for that community. Are your goals the community's goals? Community distrust might come from you trying to do something not in line with the community's priorities.

A vacuum will always be filled by rumour and misinformation, so the first step needs to be open and honest communication. It also helps to put a human face to your problem. It’s very easy to mistrust an anonymous organisation, but an individual can be related to much more easily. Trust is always slow to build (and quick to lose), so trust has to be earned, and the best way to earn it is through an open and honest assessment of the situation. Trust needs to work both ways, and you have to listen genuinely to your community’s concerns and try to understand them in good faith.

Trust is based on transparency and accountability. The first step to building trust is to be vulnerable and be responsible for one's behavior. Without transparacy, honesty, and accountability, broken trust is very hard to repair.

One thing I have found very helpful in order to rebuild trust is to turn up- being consistent in your service to your community. Up and down showing up will not work. People are looking for people who are available who are prepared to offer a helping hand in and out of season

To get start on rebuilding the trust: First, approach the journey by avoiding “potholes” it is not easy to go forward on rebuilding without eliminating the frictious process that made you there. On rebuilding, potholes may appear as same temptations which linger to try them or face them. Avoid ego at all costs, embrace inclusiveness and know the new scope of gaining what was valuable and worth rebuiliding. Be sure to be open on the suggestion but bolster on the strength of balancing trust and optimism as a leader. Trust sometimes is a mischevious guy. Stretch to the limits that open new scope of truat, offer new opportunities that create diversification and inclusiveness.

Participate in restorative justice efforts to repair harm. Allow those impacted to decide what that looks like for each member. Encourage accountability and develop reparations to support progress. Create transparency and thorough communication and provide the time and space to heal prior to moving forward immediately. Your team must feel value, seen, heard and respected as professionals. Your team also deserves time to allow healing. As leaders it is vital to not repeat the behavior nor encourage it to continue. Provide support, vulnerability, and compassion. Remember "nothing about us, without us" and see that to fruition. Apologies are necessary and must demonstrate a change in behavior. Performative efforts are disingenuous.