“When the trust account is high, communication is easy, instant, and effective.” -Stephen R. Covey

Teaching is a vulnerable act. The willingness to go into a classroom each day with a prepared lesson and engage with children is a very real definition of courage. This vulnerability is heightened when a teacher is trying to get better at his/her/their craft.

Enter the instructional coach.

As a former coach of teachers and a current consultant to school and system leaders, I have learned about the risks of collaborating with adults to get better at the craft of teaching. It is hard by itself, but is impossible without trust.

I think perhaps what is both equitable and challenging about teachers learning to improve their practice is that when they are being coached, they enter into a similar power imbalance experienced by their own students. It can feel disconcerting. This is one of the reasons why trust is even more important in the coach-teacher relationship.

Trust is the foundation for any significant improvement between people. When it is broken, progress is stalled. When it is strengthened, unbelievable gains can happen. Here are at least three tips to build a culture of trust within a coaching relationship:

1. Make sure that you are clear with your intentions in coaching, what your biases may be and the directives you have been given. In a school environment, there always may be a level of confidentiality that exists due to pending personnel decisions, but being as honest as possible with people you are supporting is vital. It is always up to your discretion as to what you choose to share, however, just know that the level of your honesty will almost always be connected to the degree of the trust you have with the person you are coaching. Low honesty; low trust account. Low trust account; low progress. Low progress; low outcomes (for students and adults).
2. Radical Candor. If you see bad instruction, how willing are you to communicate it? How clearly can you communicate it? Candor is complex and is hardly discussed, but it is perhaps an approach that can lead to even greater levels of trust. If I can trust you to be candid – not harsh – then I can start to believe that you have my best interests at heart and will not lie to me about something I am doing that is harmful (which again goes back to tip number one).
3. One of my core values is clarity. You may have heard the expression that clear is kind. I think it is also true that being clear helps to build credibility. It can help the teacher better understand the changes that he/she/they need to make and the rationale for the particular suggestions. I have heard it said that what people often interpret as resistance is in actuality a response to a lack of clarity.

When I was pursuing my undergraduate degree at Towson University, I had a powerful teacher my sophomore year. In fact, he was a (football) coach. Coach Phil Albert taught me content, but also about life. He had so many sayings. I still remember him saying “keep your shoulder pad down,” as we left his class. I trusted him because he seemed to connect his content and his message with who he believed we could be if we applied both the content of the course and his beliefs about life into our daily habits. I trusted him because he was consistently clear about the greatness he saw inside of us.

I recently learned of his passing. When a great coach passes, his teachings forever live on. In fact, the words of a great coach become the life messages you grow to trust more and more as time goes on. And so, I leave you with a quote from Coach Albert that I have come to trust in that can also help build a culture of deep trust between a coach and a teacher:

“What you compromise to keep, you eventually lose anyway.”

Do not compromise your commitment to building trust with those you support.