Trusted leaders can say “I can’t fix that, but I’ll walk you to the person who can.”

Trust does not require being able to solve things. What people need to know is that bringing you a problem will not waste their time, and somebody who says honestly that this is beyond them and then walks them to the right person has done the thing that mattered. Pretending you can help is what breaks trust, not the limit itself.

Say plainly when something is outside what you can do, then go with them to whoever can. Do not just hand over a name. Admitting a limit out loud tends to make people trust the rest of what you say.