What is Trust? - Essay Sample

Introduction

Trust can be perceived as both a logical and an emotional phenomenon. In terms of logic, it is where an individual logically assesses another and concludes that he or she can behave in a predictable manner. In terms of emotion, it is when a person exposes his or her vulnerabilities to others but believes that they will not take advantage of the openness. In real life, trust is all about a bit of both. One person trusts another because he or she has experienced the latter's trustworthiness and has faith in human nature. People tend to feel trust, with several emotions being associated with it, such as friendship, companionship, and love. There are several different ways of defining trust. To constantly focus ahead is a normal part of human nature. People come up with internal models of the world they live in based on what others tell them and on their own experiences, and then use them to predict what is likely to happen next. This strategy enables them to figure out possible threats and brace themselves, and also plan how to achieve their longer-term goals. Trust can thus be defined as the ability to predict what situations will occur and what others will do. If an individual surrounds himself with people he trusts, then he can create a desirable present and hopefully an even better future.

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When an individual trusts others, he or she may not just be giving them something while hoping to get something in return in the future. The person may also be exposing themselves in a manner that others can take advantage of his or her weaknesses. Projected feelings of guilt and the threat of retribution can deter others from taking advantage of the person exposed vulnerabilities. However, if others go ahead and take advantage, the person gets hurt and may end up getting a raw deal. For any transaction to be successfully completed, the individual should be able to trust that such exploitation will not happen. With this in mind, trust can be defined as allowing others to capitalize on one's vulnerabilities but expecting that they will not go through with it.

Trust in a Coaching Environment

A coach in charge of a sports team like football can easily underestimate the importance of trust within the team. It is crucial that the team trusts the coach so that players can react appropriately to the instructions given and make use of their full athletic potential. A trusting atmosphere begins even before players get onto a team. Coaches who are considered truly great usually establish a reputation of trustworthiness; something that can take years. It is achieved by offering wise guidance to younger players while also assisting older players navigate the complex issue of balancing life on and off the field. Once a coach develops a reputation of being trustworthy, he or she will attract a higher caliber of players to the team and lead to overall improvement.

A coach needs to evaluate his or her position and analyze what it means. Some coaches, particularly the ones who have just been appointed to a new role, may fail to understand that their duties involve much more than just selecting team lineups, overseeing game play, and running drills. When managing at an exceptionally competitive level, a coach tends to spend a lot of time interacting with players during team meetings, practices, and actual games. Players will often look up to the coach as a kind of a parent figure. This is particularly the case if the team regularly travels to different locations to compete in games, championships, and tournaments. Due to this trust, the coach needs to bear in mind that he or she has significant control over players that must be utilized wisely. A coach may be tempted to use this trust to push players harder and try to make them deliver more than they are capable of. However, such a strategy can ultimately backfire as players may end up burned out in a way that weakens the team. Thus, it is important for the coach to balance the players' needs and those of the team.

The other thing that should not be underestimated is the importance of trust between members of a team; something that a coach can help build. Players have to perceive each other as being of equal value to the team as whole while acknowledging the strengths and weaknesses of each player. Once the players gain the trust of each other, they can work as a team more cohesively in a way that result in more victories. Players will have better and more accurate coordination, and this can help the team dominate the field more than the coach can imagine. Given that players in a team often spend huge amounts of time together, it is of great importance that that they are able to trust and confide in each other. Those who are not in the team often do not understand what players go through, how they feel, and the challenges they encounter on a daily basis. An atmosphere of trust can make players feel as if they have a safe, constructive, and comforting place to go whenever the pressures start to build up. A team made up of mentally strong players is the real secret to victory.

Elements Needed to Become an Effective Coach

An important element for a coach when it comes to forming a positive relationship with players has to do with the concept of behavioral predictability. Simply put, this is all about players behaving in a consistent manner. For instance, whether a team wins or loses a match, players should never be concerned about the coach's likely behavior. Rather, they should have a good idea of how the coach responds to either scenario. If a coach behaves in a predictable manner, players will get the impression that they have a better understanding of him or her. Such a situation will go a long way in helping players know where they stand and the best way to approach the coach. The same case applies to building a well performing team. Successful coaches are always interested to know how each individual player is likely to behave in various sporting situations. Knowing this will assist the coach get an idea of how to help players adopt self-awareness and improve their performance.

Behavioral predictability is a crucial factor when it comes to the concept of trust in football. In sports, trust is largely based on the ability to predict a certain known outcome. For instance, a coach can trust a player to follow a set of instructions as they have consistently followed them in the past when instructed. In sports, trust happens to be the building block of a cordial relationship. In the absence of trust, a coach is unlikely to place high levels of responsibility in his or her players. As soon as trust is broken, restoring or repairing it becomes virtually impossible. Adopting and demonstrating predictable behavior usually takes a significant amount of time.

An excellent way of explaining the concept of trust in sports is by comparing it with a bank account. A trust account can be described as having both potential deposits and withdrawals. If a coach wishes to form a trusting relationship with players, then consider what makes up a deposit or a withdrawal. From a player's perspective, a deposit is when the coach strives to go about his or her coaching duties in a patient, professional, and respectful manner. Such an attitude enables the players feel valued. If this is done on a regular basis, then a higher amount of trust will be developed. All in all, a notable problem with such a trust account is the ratio needed to keep it active and valid. For instance, it may take several deposits to balance a single withdrawal. From the coach's point of view, what makes him or her trust a player could be that the latter follows all the instructions given. If the player fails to follow a certain instruction, the coach may feel that trust has been compromised and there are now doubts as to whether the player will follow future commands.

Highly successful teams are known to rely on healthy and strong trust among players and other members. There has to be trust among all the players for the team to perform well. In football for instance, a player may not trust a teammate to mark an opponent. This player may be forced to abandon the team's defensive pattern in order to cover the teammate he does not trust. Such a situation can reduce the chances of their team winning the game. A coach should think about what he or she rates from a coaching perspective as behaviors that can be considered as deposits into a trust account for a player or entire team. For example, if players turn up for practice in time without having to be reminded, it would be considered a deposit. By doing so, they are sending a message that they care about and take responsibility for their performance. Unless the players adopt trusting behavior during practice and other preparations, it is unlikely that they will feel confident on the match day.

The other important element for coaches has something to do with how to treat the best player who has fallen into poor form and is not performing well at the moment. Pulling such a player from the team until he or she improves performance may be a reasonable coaching technique that makes sense. However, the coach should take some measures to avoid sending the wrong mess behavioral and psychological message. The benched player may feel as if the coach has lost confidence in him or her, and that the trust between them has been lost. A top player who feels that he or she is not good enough is a ticking time bomb both for the player and the team in general. No player performs well psychologically under the emotional pressure of fear. Such an individual is not relaxed, the body may tighten up, the breath may end up tightened, and he or she may lose confidence, focus, and intensity. Fear somewhat acts as a performance killer. A coach can further damage the player's shaken confidence as the latter can feel as if the trust between the two depends on good performance on the field.

When good performance and winning becomes the objective in sports, things tend to change. There is a kind of a change from performance excellence that is influenced by the love and passion of the game to the pressure associated with expectations and outcome. It becomes quite difficult for a player to perform well while under such pressure. Offering that top player a chance a chance to get back into fitness and form is an excellent way to deal with such an issue. The coach needs to allow such a player to be creative and play without fear. As a matter of fact, it is the core principle behind a dip in form and can be likened to the proverbial phoenix rising up from the ashes. It can be perceived as a necessary step in the evolution of a successful player. Putting in place such kind of trust is one of the best strategies that a coach can make. It does away with the cycle of fear, shaken confidence, poor performance, and error-prone play, and instead brings about re-creation, passion, and encouragement.

The Importance of a Strong Athlete/Coach Relationship

The success of a team is often measured by the number of victories and its record for that particular season. However, it is worth bearing in mind that winning is just a small part of success. Mere success does not create a great team unless it is combined with effective coaching. Good coaching involves much more than victories and losses as it also includes reaching out to players on an individual level. Coaches who strive to create positive personal relationships with their players tend to ensure success beyond the team's respective record on the field. Relationships form the foundation of coaching. While a relationship may be considered a two-way street, it is the responsibility of a coach to pursue one with players. Coaches hold a position of authority and respect but are still accessi...