The Trust Triangle: The 3 C's of Building Trust for Coaches

Hi Coach,

Before you dive in, two quick notes:

Best,

Luke Gromer

Earning and maintaining trust is at the heart of coaching and leading.

Few things are more dangerous for a coach than losing trust.

My friend Zach Brandon shared a clip of Los Angeles Rams’ Head Coach Sean McVay sharing the “Trust Triangle” that they use as a coaching staff.

McVay’s “Trust Triangle” includes 3 C’s:

Let’s dive into each.

“Are you about the right stuff?” - Sean McVay

Nothing destroys trust faster than a flaw or lapse in a coach’s character.

As coaches and leaders, we must know our values and live in alignment with them in word and deed.

We won’t be perfect, we all make mistakes, and when we do fall short, we should be quick to own our mistakes and make amends.

We need a strong moral compass, and we need to have the moral courage to make the right choice even when it’s the hard choice.

In short, we must be leaders worth following.

“There does need to be a competence in whatever space you’re in.” - Sean McVay

Coaches must master their craft.

To maintain trust with players and teams, coaches must be competent in the systems and strategies of their sport, as well as practice design, teaching, communication, culture building, mental performance, etc.

The list above could go on and on. As coaches, we do a lot more than just coach the sport.

The key to competence is that we must genuinely possess the knowledge and skills to help our players and teams grow.

If players and teams don’t believe in our ability to help them get better, they won’t trust us.

“Are you connecting?” - Sean McVay

We all want our leaders to care about us as people, not just as pawns in their game.

We must seek to connect with our players and teams with pure intentions that are about serving them on their journey, not just about extracting what we can from them to serve our own goals or aspirations.

This requires coaches to take a genuine interest in the individuals they’re leading and develop habits and systems that foster connection with players amidst the busyness of coaching.

It can be simple things like welcoming every player by name when they arrive to practice or talking with each player individually during warm ups and stretching.

It can also be longer, more intentional time like consistent 1-on-1 meetings or a leadership council meeting.

All of it should be wrapped in a genuine desire to know the person you’re leading, build a strong relationship with them, and help them grow.

—

You can watch the podcast with Sean McVay below (it will start at the part where he discusses the Trust Triangle)👇

A few thoughts on how to apply this…

Below is the latest episode we released on the podcast!

🎧 Listen Now 👉 Spotify | Apple | YouTube

Thanks for reading, I hope this serves you on your journey.

To your growth,

Luke Gromer, RYG Athletics | A NIKE Sports Camp Provider

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