Empowering for purpose, profit, and positive impact
We wish we could say we coined the phrase "Trust and Track” ourselves. It was actually Bo Burlingham, editor of Inc. Magazine and author of the book Small Giants, who came up with the phrase during a visit to one of Nick Sarillo’s restaurants.
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Bo was writing a story on the unique culture Nick and his team had built and the buzz it was creating in the small business community. As he observed daily operations, something stood out; the leaders in the business took the time to share the “why” behind what they needed individual team members to do, and then (with training in place to support them) stepped back and gave them space to execute.
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“That just requires a ton of trust”, Burlingham said. “But you’re also tracking your employees’ performance, improving their skillsets when they make mistakes. Trust AND track – that's what you’re doing”. The phrase stuck, and it perfectly captured what we had been doing all along.
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Trust and Track is more than a framework or theory. It’s a holistic approach to leadership and organizational culture that challenges the traditional command-and-control mindset. It calls on leaders to become coaches. To lead with clarity and compassion. To trust their teams without sacrificing accountability. And to create a workplace where people feel connected to a deeper purpose. One where they’re trusted to do their best work and supported to get better every day.
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We’ve seen this model transform businesses from the inside out. It unlocks potential, fuels performance, and builds the kind of cultures where people actually want to work.
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Contact us to learn more about how we can support you.
Our Purpose
We inspire leaders to influence transformation in their organizations by putting their people first.
Our values
We believe a clear sense of purpose and values are essential to a healthy organizational culture.
Here are ours:
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We are dedicated to the learning, teaching, and ongoing development of ourselves and our community.
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We treat everyone with dignity and respect.
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We honor the individual passions and creativity of our team.
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We consistently model our work through open and honest communication.
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We support the balance between home and work.
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We take pride in our commitment to high performance and cultivating human potential.
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We encourage and facilitate each voice in the organization to be heard equally.
Meet the team
Nick Sarillo
FOUNDER
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Nick Sarillo is the founder of the Trust and Track Institute and Nick’s Pizza & Pub—among the top independent pizza companies in the U.S. and named one of the top 25 best small businesses in the country by Forbes Magazine. With first-hand experience of founding and running his own business for 30 years, he developed his successful process and tools for thriving organizational health directly from that experience.
Nick is passionate about working directly with his clients on organizational health to unlock high-performance in their teams. His own company experienced less than 25% turnover rate in an industry with an average of 150%, a direct result of the meaningful workplace culture he diligently developed and now helps clients replicate.
Nick is also the author of, A Slice of the Pie: How to Build a Big Little Business and a regular speaker at entrepreneurship and HR conferences. A leading expert in leadership, organizational culture, employee engagement, and executive development, his insights have been featured in numerous publications including The New York Times, The Economist, Inc., Fast Company, and Investor’s Business Daily.
Certified Practitioner of The Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team® Intelligent Leadership International Coach®
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30+ years of entrepreneurship experience
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Founded one of the top independent pizza companies in the U.S.
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Less than 25% employee turnover rate in an industry averaging 150%
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Named top 25 best small businesses in the country by Forbes Magazine
FEATURED IN:
Meet the team
Nick Sarillo Jr., M.A.
PARTNER, ENGAGEMENT LEAD​
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As an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist, Nick Jr. has built his career on a simple belief: work doesn’t have to suck. Growing up in his Dad’s business, he learned early on what it means to lead with purpose and put people first. That foundation sparked a passion for building organizations and cultures where people feel valued, engaged, and excited to show up every day.
Over the past decade, Nick Jr. has worked across internal and external consulting roles, helping companies transform culture, elevate the employee experience, and strengthen leadership effectiveness. His experience spans a variety of industries, from fast-paced tech startups to global consulting firms, giving him a deep understanding of organizational dynamics and the levers that drive meaningful change.
Whether guiding teams through large-scale transformation or coaching leaders one-on-one, Nick Jr. brings curiosity, clarity, and heart to everything he does. His mission is to help organizations tap into the full potential of their people and transform the way we think about the world of work.
Meet the team
Marie Genevieve Pawlak
LEAD CONSULTANT
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Marie is a game master of organizational transformation, blending critical thinking, leadership strategy, and game design to create epic wins for teams and leaders. As a facilitator of play with purpose, Marie leverages game-based experiential learning to tackle real-world challenges, helping organizations level up their decision-making, collaboration, and problem-solving skills. With a knack for turning complexity into clear pathways, she equips teams with tools to navigate change, innovate boldly, and thrive in dynamic landscapes.
Whether building critical thinking frameworks or designing bespoke game experiences, Marie ensures the journey is just as rewarding as the destination—one thoughtful move at a time.
