EP 206: Executive Team Trust and Hard Conversations with Ann Dunkin

Senior executives rarely struggle because their teams lack talent. They struggle because trust erodes, hard conversations get delayed, and misalignment quietly turns into politics, leaving the CEO to manage conflict instead of strategy.

In this episode of The Executive Appeal, Alex D. Tremble sits down with Ann Dunkin, CEO of Dunkin Global Advisors Inc. and Distinguished Professor of the Practice & Distinguished External Fellow at Georgia Institute of Technology. With experience leading across government, the private sector, and academia, Ann breaks down what actually restores trust inside complex executive teams.

This conversation explores:

- Why capable leaders avoid difficult conversations and the cost of that avoidance

- How misalignment shows up before performance drops

- The role shared norms and behavioral agreements play in rebuilding trust

- Why trust must be intentionally stewarded, not assumed

- How executives can reduce politics without becoming passive or combative

This episode is for C-suite leaders and senior executives who feel stuck mediating personalities, resolving tension, or absorbing decisions that should be owned by their team.

Listen now to learn how trust, not structure, is the lever that unlocks ownership, alignment, and faster execution. Subscribe and share this episode with another senior leader navigating executive team friction.