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A Professional Approach

Stacy Pollack is a talent development professional with an MA in educational technology. Her experience in recruitment and organizational learning gives her a unique approach to professional and career development. She is passionate about building leadership programs that engage and contribute to the success of her teams. Reach out and connect with her over LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/in/stacypollack/) or Twitter (@StacyPollack).

Stacy Pollack

Have you ever wondered what truly lies at the heart of a successful coaching relationship? While methods and techniques are important, mutual respect and trust serve as the fundamental components of any successful coaching relationship. Coaching agreements, even the best ones, often fall short without these essential components. So, how can you, as a coach, create an environment where your clients feel valued, respected, and empowered to grow?1. Active Listening: The Gateway to UnderstandingActive listening is one of the most crucial skills in establishing trust and safety. Clients are more willing to open up and participate in the coaching process when they feel heard and understood. Active listening includes observing the client’s tone, body language, and underlying emotions in addition to hearing what they are saying. Often it involves hearing what the client is not saying. Coaching research highlights that active listening creates a safe space where clients can express themselves without worrying about being judged.Maintaining eye contact, nodding to indicate understanding, and briefly summarizing the client’s words to guarantee clarity are all important components of active listening. By doing this, you show them that you value their input, which in turn establishes trust and safety.2. Empathy: Connecting on a Human LevelOne’s ability to understand and connect with another person’s emotions is known as empathy. Empathy is crucial for developing solid rapport with clients in coaching sessions. Research suggests that clients are more likely to fully participate in the coaching process when they perceive their coach to be truly interested in their experiences and feelings.Empathy involves putting yourself in the client’s shoes and acknowledging their emotions without trying to fix or change them. It’s about being present and offering support in a non-judgmental way. Empathetic coaching, according to research, improves client outcomes by making clients feel understood and supported.3. Establishing Clear Boundaries: Defining the Coaching RelationshipIn a coaching partnership, mutual respect starts with clearly defined boundaries. By defining boundaries, you can make sure that the client and the coach are aware of the parameters of the relationship and what is expected of them. Establishing limits clearly helps to avoid misunderstandings and fosters a professional atmosphere where trust can grow.At the start of the coaching session, talk about expectations in order to set boundaries. Clearly define the roles and responsibilities of the coach and the client, and be open and honest about the boundaries of the coaching relationship. In addition to promoting respect, this clarity gives clients the confidence to take charge of their own journey.4. Consistency: Building Trust Through ReliabilityTrust in any relationship, including coaching, is based on consistency. Clients feel safe and confident in the coaching process when coaches exhibit consistency in their conduct, communication style, and approach. Consistency demonstrates reliability, which is crucial for building and maintaining trust.To guarantee consistency, be punctual, honor your word, and maintain a steady approach in your coaching sessions. Clients are more inclined to put their trust in a coach who is consistent and fosters a solution and growth-oriented atmosphere.5. Authenticity: Being Genuine in Your Coaching ApproachIn the coaching context, authenticity refers to being genuine to oneself and completely present with your clients. When a coach is sincere, it is apparent to their clients, and this authenticity builds greater connection and trust. Authenticity involves being honest about your thoughts, feelings, and experiences while maintaining professionalism.By being authentic, you show your clients that you are not just a coach but a real person who cares about their growth and success. This honesty encourages clients to be authentic in return, creating a coaching environment where mutual respect and trust can thrive.The Foundation of Successful Coaching RelationshipsCreating a culture of trust and respect in coaching is a continuous process rather than a one-time endeavor. You can establish a coaching relationship that enables your clients to realize their greatest potential by cultivating skills like active listening, empathy, boundary-setting, consistency, and authenticity. Never forget that developing a relationship of trust and respect with clients is the foundation of any successful coaching session. As you continue on your coaching journey, consider how you can further develop these essential skills. What steps will you take today to build stronger, more trusting relationships with your clients? 

5 Essential Skills to Strengthen Trust and Respect in Coaching Sessions

Certification through the ATD has changed how I approach work every day. The knowledge and confidence I gained by embarking on my certification journey changed who I am as a professional.

My Certification Journey from APTD to CPTD

As the Learning & Development Leader for Enterprise Strategic Initiatives at WM, Dimple oversees process development, project management, and change implementation. Her passion for human-centered approach extends beyond product design into areas such as talent acquisition, upskilling, customer service, and internal workflow enhancement. This approach empowers her business partners to maintain a workforce that is adaptable, resilient, and motivated in the face of evolving challenges. Dimple recently co-authored an ATD article called "Mindset, Skill Set, Toolset-The WM Approach." Beyond her professional role, Dimple is a dedicated fitness enthusiast and advocate for a healthy lifestyle, hosting evening group kickboxing sessions at the YMCA.

Dimple Arora

Emmy Monticelli is a certified leadership and mindfulness coach, facilitator, and consultant with more than 20 years of experience developing leaders, trainers, and employees in talent management. Her upbringing amidst a family-owned business combined with her field leadership and corporate experience help her to understand the different needs and challenges among various organizational structures and cultures.

After spending more than 15 years in the corporate sector, Emmy started Momentum Leadership Solutions, a leadership coaching and development company, where she develops leaders and managers at all levels across a variety of industries. This includes finance, banking, insurance, manufacturing, healthcare, sales, service, higher education, and technology. She works with for-profit and nonprofit organizations to find solutions that fit their leadership and learning needs. 

As an experienced leader herself, Emmy understands the challenges of today’s managers and leaders. This understanding, combined with her authentic, practical approach, allows her to connect and engage with various audiences effortlessly. Known for her transformational learning events and engaging delivery style, Emmy creates awareness and delivers a powerful message that inspires others to take positive, productive action, leading to more effective relationships and results. She is passionate about providing leaders with relevant tools and strategies that are easily applied to enhance communication, relationships, and performance while minimizing stress and burnout. In addition to designing and facilitating her own programs, she also facilitates several courses for the Association of Talent Development (ATD).

Emmy is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) through ICF, a Certified Professional Coach (CPC) through iPEC, and a Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD®) through ATD. She is also certified in several other assessment and development tools, including DiSC, EQ-i 2.0 + 360 (Emotional Intelligence) and CORE Energy Leadership to name a few. She holds a master’s degree in business administration and a bachelor’s degree in marketing and communications from Assumption University.

Emmy Monticelli, CPTD

John Zorbini has spent his career helping organizations understand the strategic link between effectively managed human capital and successful business results. John’s unique background and experiences as a senior executive, professional speaker, and certified leadership coach, combined with his collaborative and results-focused approach, makes him ideal to consult, coach and facilitate all levels of leadership. For Stewart Leadership, John specializes in working with clients in such areas as succession planning, full-cycle strategy planning (business & talent review, succession review, leadership development review), human resources consulting, and executive leadership coaching.For 30 years, John held various leadership roles for three of Wisconsin’s largest employers, spending 25 of those years in the chief human resources officer position. Having an intimate understanding of the complexities and daily challenges of boards, executives, and other leaders, has enhanced his ability to quickly relate to and assist those with whom he works.As a professional speaker, John has delivered hundreds of workshops and presentations and continues to be a much-in-demand facilitator and speaker. Additionally, John has over 20 years of university-level teaching experience (undergraduate and MBA) as an assistant and adjunct professor at Marquette, Concordia, Cardinal Stritch, and Mount Mary Universities.John received his bachelor’s degree from West Liberty University in West Virginia and his master’s degree from Marquette University in Milwaukee. He completed his fellowship for executives at the Advisory Board in Washington, D.C.He has served as a board president or board member for governmental agencies, civic groups, and not-for-profit organizations, including former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s Council for College & Workforce Readiness (where he represented all businesses in Wisconsin); current Governor Tony Evers’ Career Development Committee; the Wisconsin Hospital Association’s Workforce Development Council; the Mount Mary University Board of Trustees; and others. He currently serves as Chairman of the Washington County Ethics Board.John has always been an active member of his community. He has been the recipient of his community’s Citizen of the Year Award, and two school district’s Friend of Education Award. He and his wife, Pam, reside in Erin, Wisconsin.

John Zorbini

Rich brings a diverse background in learning and organization development (including leadership and management development), to the Oxygen team. But he can also relate knowledgeably to many aspects of client business based on his experience in sales, marketing, brand engagement, and customer experience strategies. In previous roles at American Airlines, US Airways, Sprint Nextel/Boost Mobile and Clearwire Inc., Rich led training design and delivery for worldwide audiences in the areas of leadership development, consultative selling skills, end-to-end customer experience design strategies, culture change initiatives, and building teams of brand ambassadors. An architect of change and challenger of the status-quo Rich takes a very holistic approach to his work. He has a passion for nutrition and wellness and is currently working on a professional certification in Nutrition, and plans to develop corporate wellness education and training. This very “right-brained” thinker holds Bachelor’s degree in Humanities, and a Master’s degree in Organization Development.

Rich McLafferty

Jake Miller is Allego’s senior product marketing manager. He is responsible for telling the story of Allego customers and products, which has helped fuel Allego's rapid growth to become the 5th fastest-growing software company in America on the Inc. 500. Jake is passionate about sales performance, and incorporates years of experience as a top producer in the high ticket retail space into his approach for running the product marketing function at Allego. Jake received his MBA from Babson College. Prior to entering the business world, he was a professional jazz drummer – having performed at Carnegie Hall – and received a bachelor's degree in Drum Set Performance from Berklee College of Music.

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