Brian Williams has been in the news recently. Not on, in. The scandal surrounding his “misremembering” of past events has made him material for the tabloids. It’s also forced him off the air.

A news anchor that bends the truth is seen as distrustful at worst, inauthentic at best. Mr. Williams lost his credibility and along with it his audience’s confidence. People tune out someone they don’t believe in.

Now think about trust and legitimacy in the context of your company’s culture. Is your internal brand authentic? Is it perceived as real or do managers say one thing and do another? Is your employee audience confident in your leadership or have they tuned them out as well?

Trust is a fragile thing. It builds up in increments. It takes time to earn and can crumble quickly. When employees feel that you are not who you say you are they will change jobs, not channels.

That’s why employee recognition is so important. It keeps everyone inside your company focused on what the brand stands for. It helps managers reinforce what’s important, to the business and to the people who work for it. It keeps employees tuned in to a message that resonates as real and authentic.

Brian Williams took his audiences’ trust for granted. Don’t make that mistake with your employees.