The complicating factor and essential difference for worker / manager / owner relationships is the power differential. It's one thing to be in a relationship of

The complicating factor and essential difference for worker / manager / owner relationships is the power differential. It's one thing to be in a relationship of equals where neither party can "pull rank". In my experience, there are many managers who when confronted with their own performance shortcomings will tend to pull rank and resort to authority. Once this happens, there's no trust from the employee. I.e. as a manager, you can be arbitrarily bad at your job and my only recourse is to find a new manager or to leave the company. I accept that that's the way the world works, but it shows that true trust is difficult to maintain when one party has more power than the other, and a tendency to use it without consequences.