Establishing Trust

Why do some relationships work and others don’t? There are many things at play including discovering that we care about the same things, connecting through circumstance, experience or age. And, there is a lot of mystery involved. Like art: we may not know if it’s good, but we know if we like it.

Malcolm Gladwell, author of Blink, might counsel us that our initial impression, within the first few seconds of meeting, is a true and constant one, one that we should trust as real. While this may be so, we must give coaching relationships time to develop, understanding that the client might feel fearful, exposed or otherwise uncomfortable at first meeting. Or perhaps she is considered a leader by her colleagues and friends – confident and evolved – and might feel embarrassed to need a coach. It might be difficult to admit she’s stuck. Or she might be unfamiliar with what coaching is and feels worried.

One way to build trust is to help people tell their story so that they feel listened to by asking probing nonjudgmental questions that move the person forward. Ultimately, trust is established in any relationship through respect, compassion, and being consistent in our values, commitment and actions.

Next Post: Preparing for the first Coaching session