A Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award-winning professor with the Anderson University Center for Leadership and Organizations has launched a video podcast to help business leaders optimize trust within the organizations they serve.
Dr. Anthony T. Caito, associate professor of leadership and organizations at Anderson University, launched the Trust is the Difference vodcast in late 2024. His partner in the venture is Amy Stratbucker, a leadership consultant, executive coach and founder of AJS Consulting. In addition to her consulting and training work, she leads AWE (Advancing Women Executives) and facilitates a Lean In Circle. Episodes of Trust is the Difference are released every two weeks.
“Mutual trust is the fuel that powers everything social, from community formation, commercial exchange, business performance and international relations,” Dr. Caito said.
Dr. Caito met Stratbucker in 2023. Stratbucker’s daughter, Zella Stratbucker, was a student-athlete for the Anderson University Trojans women’s lacrosse team. AU offered Amy Stratbucker temporary office space at the Center for Leadership and Organizations so she could watch Zella Stratbucker compete during her first season.
Dr. Caito previously developed an international trust research plan for his work as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar. Because his office was two doors’ down from Stratbucker, the two struck up a friendship based on their shared interest in organizational leadership and the role trust plays in healthy work environments.
Trust is the Difference is dedicated to enhancing business leaders’ ability to harness and optimize trust as a strategic asset. A study published by the Harvard Business Review about the neuroscience of trust showed employees of high-trust companies experience higher levels of job satisfaction and workplace engagement.
That’s among the reasons Dr. Caito and Stratbucker launched Trust is the Difference. This series is directed at leaders in the nonprofit, business and government sectors. Trust is the Difference is available as a YouTube channel and provides content on LinkedIn. Episodes produced thus far include discussions on distrust, influences, performance vulnerability, psychological states and mission alignment, among others.
“Trust isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s the foundation that allows change to take root, innovation to emerge and people to thrive,” Stratbucker said.