How do leaders preserve executive trust and credibility? Dora Boussias, executive advisor and former data executive returns to the podcast to unpack this question. Her answer: protect your judgement. 

In this episode, Dora presents the trust equation that most leaders grew up with: expertise + track record + judgment. Dora’s point is that the equation still holds, but each part now means something different. Nobody will out-know AI, so expertise is less about what you know and more about asking the right questions and challenging assumptions. A track record is harder to read when you can’t tell whether a good result came from you or from the model. Judgment carries the most weight now, and it’s the part leaders are most likely to hand off without noticing. Topics discussed: 

• Trust equation under AI
• Expertise is changing
• Track record is harder to read
• Judgment carries the most weight
• Decision fog
• Speed isn’t everything
• Ford’s rehiring of experienced engineers
• Business fundamentals matter more
• Alignment and accountability are cross-functional
• Real value is “so what”