How trust can be misunderstood

We’ve all heard about team building retreats and exercises where team members learn to trust each other by catching a member falling or having to decide who to believe, etc. My experience in working with teams, particularly in dental practices, is that trust is a many faceted concept and pops up where you least expect it, or perhaps haven’t thought about it. Here are a couple:
Unspoken assumptions: When we drive onto a ferry or board a jet, we assume (trust) that the captain or pilot is capable, knowledgeable and knows how to do their job. Dentists, who receive little or no education in business or leadership in dental school, open their practices and hire staff, who make a silent assumption and trust that the person at the helm knows how to be a boss. This couldn’t be farther from the truth in so many cases and is the source of much consternation and frustration. Part of my work as a coach is to shed light on this assumption and build trust and empathy between staff and their bosses.
Ability to give and receive feedback: I spend a lot of time with my dentist clients helping them to have what are sometimes fierce and difficult conversations with employees. I learned the hard way that most of my clients make a silent assumption and trust that their employees will appreciate how much courage and intestinal fortitude it took for them to step up as a leader and that the feedback will be received well. Sadly, this isn’t always the case. Harvard Business Review states that the #2 reason that new hires fail is the inability to receive feedback. (#1 is lack of faith in the leadership ability of the boss, BTW!). Coaching my clients around the “what ifs” of response to feedback is now part of the planning. I see this invisible trust issue would also be an important aspect of team coaching when it comes to the TPI of TRUST!