Building trust when you are the manager and the coach

In a coaching relationship, a focus or goal is identified, and the coach and coachee work together to overcome the challenge or problem. Trust is crucial — without it, the coachee may be unwilling to be challenged by the coach. The coach may not be prepared to provoke or challenge the mindsets and views held by the coachee. Communication could be impacted if either person holds back from being open and expressive.

Trust in a coaching relationship is ‘… a belief in the reliability, competence, honesty, integrity, and positive intentions of your coach or coachee and the freedom to be real and vulnerable with your coach or coachee without being judged.’[i]

How to build trust when you are the manager and the coach

If you are a leader wondering whether your team trusts you, the research says you may well need to be concerned. In a 2023 global survey of more than 15,000 respondents, only 46% said they trust their manager to do what is right and only 32% trust senior leaders to do what is right. [ii]

These statistics are highly disconcerting given that trust forms the basis of any relationship, including the employment relationship, and we know that employees perform better when they trust their leaders.

?

The trust triangle

In 2020, Frances Frei and Anne Morriss developed the Trust Triangle as they worked with Uber to get the company back on track. [iii] Frei and Morriss say trust is built on three key components: logic, authenticity and empathy. They believe that any time trust is lost or impacted, it can be traced back to one of three components.

Logic- this is logical to me, but is it to you?

Authenticity- is the version of you that I am experiencing genuine?

Empathy- how aligned are we in what empathy looks like?

Next time you feel trust is impacted with a team member, can you trace it back to logic, authenticity or empathy? The slightest dint in trust makes it challenging to work with someone and communicate freely and openly with that person. If this occurs, it must be addressed.

?

?[i] Core Strengths, Building Trust In A Coaching Relationship. https://www.corestrengths.com/building-trust-coaching-relationship

[ii] Development Dimensions Data (2023) Global Leadership Forecast.

[iii] Frei, F. & Morriss, A. (2020, May-June) Begin with Trust. Harvard Business Review.

?

This is an adaptation of an excerpt of Rita’s new book, “You Are How You Lead”

Rita Cincotta writes, mentors, and speaks on individual and team performance, leadership development and new ways of working. She works with organisations to develop deliberate leaders that help people and businesses to thrive.

?

?