ABSTRACT
Melbourne Business School has been working with a major Federal Government Department in Australia delivering leadership development programs to Executive Level participants since 2006. One constant has been the one-on-one coaching sessions with an accredited Executive Coach. The highly individualised approach enables the coach to cater for the unique development needs of each participant. Much of the early discussion with the team focuses on roles and task clarity, but there is a tension for many wanting to ‘just get on with the task’. The cognitive basis of trust is formed based on evidence, while affective trust is related to human emotions. In order for the team to place trust in the team coach, there are some common requirements on the team coach in whom trust is being placed that feature repeatedly in the research literature. Critical to the success of the team coach is their ability to determine whether they need to challenge, support, or sit back.
