Coaching Part 6 – Trust

One of the key factors in coaching relationship is trust.  This is a very intangible commodity but so very important.  I think trust is difficult thing to develop between a person and his boss because usually there are other agendas.  However I believe the trust can be earned and we all desire to trust other people.

How do we develop a relationship of trust?  One of the keys is to be honest with the other person about yourself and your personal issues.  Being upfront about who you are and your concerns and weaknesses really can nurture a trust relationship.  I think treating the other person with respect also encourages trust. 

Often sharing things will engender trust.  Once you have gained a person’s trust, you must treasure it and not abuse it for any reason.  In a relationship of trust both parties expose themselves and thus are vulnerable.

I find it most interesting that trust is such an important factor but one that is very difficult to pin down.  I guess the main reason is that it is not an intellectual thing but something that exists at the feeling level.

Another thought is that we all have agendas in any relationship so to develop an atmosphere of trust we both need to be upfront about our agendas.  Sometimes that can be difficult but to be as clear as possible will help.  I think sometimes our agendas are not clear to ourselves so revealing something we are not aware of is difficult.

A dictionary definition is "assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone."  Thus trust is a many faceted aspect of a relationship.  Trust I believe is earned.  However to be an effective coach, the relationship must be one of mutual trust.

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