Title: Building Trust Within Your Team - Sport Coaching & Leadership Blog - College of Education – Michigan State University
Headings: Sport Coaching & Leadership Blog
Sport Coaching & Leadership Blog
Building Trust Within Your Team
The Importance of Trust
Four Levels of Trust on Teams
Coach’s Role in Building Trust
A soccer coach talks to one of his athletes during practice. Taking the time to communicate openly can build trust with the players.
How to Build Trust On Your Team
Establish a Vision
Define clear Roles and Responsibilities
Reward & Sanction
Build Confidence
Communicate openly

Content: The coach must have extensive knowledge of the sport, substantial experience in the sport, and have the ability to give effective feedback to the athlete. Athletes are able to trust that their coach can develop their physical skills and help them reach their potential when the coach has expertise in techniques, tactics, and strategies of the sport. Coaches also need to make the psychological development of their athlete’s a priority. Athletes should feel that they are valued as both an athlete as well as an individual. They should feel confident that the coach values them as a person and not just by their performance in sport. How to Build Trust On Your Team
Establish a Vision
A clear vision for the teams future lets athletes know the direction in which the team is heading. When coaches create measurable goals for the team, athletes can understand what is expected of them. Ultimately then the vision provides players with a yardstick against which they can assess the actions of the coach, their teammates and themselves. Trust is built when individuals display behavior, which is consistent or aligned with this vision and team goals. Define clear Roles and Responsibilities
A coach that has defined roles and responsibilities for his players creates accountability on their team.