We Go Fast on Trust (2023): A Deep Review of a Philosophy That Redefined Collaboration
Trust is not a new concept, but We Go Fast on Trust (2023) turned it into a movement. Released as a forward-thinking framework that blends leadership psychology, agile team design, and human-first culture, this work quickly became a reference point for modern organizations trying to move quicker without burning out their people.
Whether you encountered it as a white paper, corporate manifesto, or leadership model, We Go Fast on Trust hit a nerve by proposing a simple but radical idea: speed is a by-product of trust, not efficiency hacks.
What We Go Fast on Trust Means in Practice
At its core, We Go Fast on Trust argues that traditional productivity systems place efficiency first and trust second. In contrast, the 2023 framework flips the order: invest deeply in psychological and operational trust, and speed naturally accelerates—sustainably.
Here’s how it breaks down:
1. Trust Reduces Friction
Teams waste enormous amounts of time double-checking work, requesting approvals, and tiptoeing around fragile egos. Trust eliminates second-guessing and creates an environment where decisions move quickly.
2. Trust Enables Bold Decision-Making
People move faster when they aren’t protecting themselves. When trust is built into the culture—through transparency, shared accountability, and open communication—teams can take smart risks without fear.
3. Trust Creates Distributed Ownership
Instead of relying on a single bottleneck leader, teams coordinate through shared purpose and expectations. This decentralization allows multiple streams of work to progress simultaneously.
Why the 2023 Framework Stood Out
In 2023, remote-first workforces were still wrestling with disconnection, surveillance-style management, and burnout. We Go Fast on Trust arrived like a countercultural manifesto.
It Rejected Micromanagement Entirely
Rather than disciplining teams into performance, the framework encouraged leaders to remove roadblocks, not create them.
It Reintroduced “Human Speed”
Not everything needs to be instantaneous or automated. Human trust accelerates what tools cannot.
It Was Rooted in Behavioral Science, Not Buzzwords
The paper used research from cognitive load theory, group identity formation, and organizational psychology to make the case that trust increases cognitive bandwidth and reduces decision latency.
Deep Review: Strengths and Unique Contributions
A. It Provided a Clear, Actionable Model
One of the strengths of We Go Fast on Trust (2023) was how practical it felt. It wasn’t just philosophical. It broke trust into:
-
Relational Trust — empathy, respect, reliability
-
Strategic Trust — clarity of goals, roles, and priorities
-
Operational Trust — systems that support autonomy, not surveillance
This triad gave leaders a scalable, measurable way to build trust deliberately rather than relying on “good vibes.”
B. It Challenged Toxic Productivity Norms
2023 was a peak year for burnout discussions. The framework directly pushed back on the “move fast and break things” philosophy. Instead, it offered a more humane alternative: move fast and protect people.
C. It Integrated Trust Into Speed Metrics
A standout feature was its insight that speed itself is not inherently meaningful. Speed is only valuable when aligned with outcomes, health, and sustainability.
This reframing alone helped many organizations rethink their performance dashboards.
Criticisms: Where the Framework Fell Short
No influential model is without critique, and We Go Fast on Trust had a few:
1. Culture Change Isn’t Actually Fast
Ironically, building the level of trust required for rapid movement can take months or years. Some teams expected immediate results.
2. It Assumed Leadership Buy-In
Without top-level commitment, trust-based systems can collapse—sometimes even faster than traditional systems.
3. It Overlooked Power Imbalances
While the framework acknowledged hierarchy, critics argued it didn’t fully address how trust is harder to achieve in inequitable environments.
Why We Go Fast on Trust Still Matters Today
Two years later, the framework remains influential because it predicted the shift happening now: organizations are moving away from command-and-control leadership and embracing relational leadership models.
You see its fingerprints in:
-
modern remote-team management
-
agile product development
-
cross-functional innovation squads
-
psychological safety programs
-
next-gen leadership training
As workplaces become more complex and distributed, the core idea still resonates:
Trust isn’t soft. It’s infrastructure.
Final Thoughts: A Framework Worth Revisiting
We Go Fast on Trust (2023) didn’t just offer a new leadership model; it redefined what speed in a modern organization means.
It showed that trust isn’t something “nice to have”—it’s the very fuel that allows teams to operate with precision, creativity, and agility.
If you’re building a team, leading an organization, or simply trying to improve collaborative work, revisiting this framework is still worth your time.