204. How Do You Deal with Trust in a Crisis Situation?

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In this episode, Julia speaks with Maria in the final conversation of the Trust series — turning attention to what happens to trust in a crisis, when plans fall away and decisions must be made quickly. Maria reflects on trust not as something that can be trained or demanded, but as something that is created over time through communication, shared values, and relationships. A crisis, she explains, does not create trust — it reveals it. In moments of pressure, leaders rely instinctively on the systems, cultures, and people they have already built. The conversation explores the nightmare scenario of crisis leadership: being trapped in a system you do not trust, surrounded by people you do not trust, guided by values you do not trust. Without psychological safety, transparency, and shared responsibility, stress rises, communication collapses, and people look for exits rather than solutions. Maria and Julia discuss what sustains trust under pressure: presence, consistency, honesty, and the courage to listen. They talk about trust as a two-way practice — trusting others to speak up, and being trustworthy enough to genuinely hear what is said, especially when it is uncomfortable. This episode is a reminder that trust is the greatest asset in a crisis — and that it can only be drawn on if it has been built, carefully and deliberately, long before the crisis begins.

About the Guest:

Maria Georgaki

Maria is a Master Certified Coach (MCC), accredited by the International Coach Federation (ICF) with more than 4,000 coaching hours. She brings over 25 years of corporate and consulting experience, having held senior regional an d global leadership roles in international organizations. Her career includes positions such as Managing Partner at ecap; Group Head of Organizational, Learning & Talent, Development at J&P; Global HR Director at Vision; and EEMEA Training & Development Manager at Nielsen. She has also led Talent Acquisition for NCR across the MEA region and served as an Executive Leadership Trainer and Mentor at PwC. Maria holds a Bachelor’s degree in Statistics and Insurance Studies from the University of Piraeus, a Postgraduate Diploma in Management from MIM, and a Master’s degree in Human Resource Management from Middlesex University.

About the Host

Julia Middleton

Julia Middleton is the host of the Women Emerging podcast and a best-selling author of “If that’s leading, I’m in” as well as two previous books: “Leading beyond Authority” and “Cultural Intelligence”. She is deeply committed to helping people from all backgrounds to find their own approach to leading. In 2020, Julia launched Women Emerging and in 2022 she lead an expedition of 24 women to find ‘an approach to leading that resonates with women’. She now leads expeditions with women all over the world based on 4Es methodology, discovered in the first expedition.

Prior to that, Julia was founder and, for over thirty years, Chief Executive of Common Purpose, which grew to become one of the biggest leadership development organisations in the world.
Julia is also an Ambassador for the Aurora Prize based in Armenia, on the boards of Alfanar Venture Philanthropy in the Arab World and Equality Now, which operates globally, and on the Advisory Councils of Fundacao Dom Cabral in Brazil and Synapse in Pakistan. Born in London and brought up in New York, Julia was educated at French Lycées and graduated from the London School of Economics. She is married, with five children and lots of grandchildren.