Trust falls are out. Trust calls are in.
In a recent coaching skills workshop for a group of Singapore leaders and managers, I had an experiential activity lined up-one that required participants to step outside their comfort zones to surface real insight. I explained what we were going to do and lay down expectations.
Before launching in, I did a check in and asked the whole group:
๐ฌ โWho feels safe and willing to take a personal risk and participate in this learning activity?โ
Half the group privately said no.
So, we didnโt do the activity. No pressure. No forced vulnerability.
Not because it wouldnโt have worked. But because trust wasnโt fully in the room yet.
And in coaching, thatโs the work.
Because trust isnโt built on slides or frameworks.
Itโs built on the felt experience of safety.
And sometimes, the most transformational coaching happens when we donโt push through.
Itโs easy to talk about trust.
Itโs harder to notice when itโs missing.
And Iโm glad I stopped, acknowledged the choices, and shifted course accordingly.
The moment reminded me.
Trust isnโt a slide on the deck. Itโs the factor that decides whether the learning actually lands.
Trust is not a soft skill. Itโs a core leadership capability.
Without it, coaching is surface-level.
Without it, learning doesnโt land.
Without it, even the best strategies stall.
If youโre serious about building stronger leaders and healthier teams, trust isnโt the thing you skip to get to the โreal work.โ
Trust is the real work.
