#Values Archives - McGinty Coaching

Building Trust as a Leader

Posted on April 18, 2025April 23, 2025 by Tina-Schuricht

Building trust as a leader is the cornerstone of any successful organization. Have you worked in organizations where there is a lack of it? Did you have to follow (or create) a lot of governance and process documentation? Did you feel as if you spent more time justifying your existence through status reporting than actually doing the work you want to do? Well, unfortunately, you’re not alone. Not only is not having a trusting environment no fun, but it is expensive. In my experience, the more governing, micro-managing, and documenting needed the more inefficient the organization is and the more waste is created.

As a leader, fostering trust isn’t just a “nice-to-have”—it’s essential for driving team cohesion, increasing productivity, and ensuring long-term organizational success. In a workplace where trust flourishes, employees are more engaged, innovative, and willing to go above and beyond.

Why Trust Matters in Leadership

Fosters Collaboration: Teams with a foundation of trust are more likely to share ideas, cooperate effectively, and collaborate toward common goals. When employees trust their leader, they feel safe to voice opinions and work together without fear of judgment or failure.
Enhances Employee Engagement: Employees who trust their leaders are more committed to their work and the organization’s mission. They feel valued and understood, which motivates them to invest their energy and creativity wholeheartedly.
Drives Organizational Success: Trust reduces the friction often caused by micromanagement or miscommunication. With trust, decision-making becomes faster, teams operate more autonomously, and the organization becomes more agile and competitive.
Builds Resilience During Challenges: Organizations inevitably face setbacks or periods of uncertainty. A leader who has cultivated trust can guide their team through difficult times with transparency and confidence, ensuring stability and commitment even under pressure.

Tips for Building Trust as a Leader

While the importance of trust is clear, earning it requires consistent effort and deliberate actions.

Be Transparent and Authentic: Communication is the backbone of trust. Share information openly, even when the news isn’t positive, and make an effort to explain your decisions. Authenticity is key—employees trust leaders who are genuine and relatable.
Follow Through on Commitments: Consistency is crucial in building trust. When you make a promise, stick to it. If unforeseen circumstances prevent you from delivering, address the issue honestly and proactively.
Listen Actively: Show your team that their thoughts, concerns, and ideas matter. Practice active listening by giving your undivided attention, asking clarifying questions, and reflecting on what’s shared. Listening builds a sense of respect and mutual understanding.
Empower Your Team: Micromanaging erodes trust. Instead, delegate tasks, provide clear expectations, and trust your team to execute. Empowering employees with autonomy shows that you have confidence in their abilities.
Demonstrate Empathy: Take time to understand the challenges and emotions your team members may be experiencing. Express empathy and provide support when needed, reinforcing your role as a compassionate and dependable leader.
Model Integrity: Lead by example and demonstrate ethical behavior in every interaction. Your actions set the tone for the organization—by showing integrity, you create a culture where trust thrives.

Building trust as a leader is the cornerstone of any successful organization. Building it is not a one-time task but an ongoing process that requires transparency, empathy, and integrity. By prioritizing trust, leaders can create an environment where employees feel valued, inspired, and united—a recipe for organizational excellence. The good news is that coaches can help leaders improve in their abilities to build trust with their teams. They can help unlock various strategies to be more authentic and empower their team members consistently so that trust can be built. Reach out if you want to learn more about how coaches can help leaders build an organization based on trust.

Coaching Helps Leaders Allocate Investment in People

Posted on March 27, 2025April 23, 2025 by Tina-Schuricht

Coaching helps leaders allocate investment in people. Leaders face myriad decisions daily, but few are as impactful as determining where to invest their time, energy, and resources. Knowing whom to invest in can be crucial to an organization’s success. Have you ever had a leader who invested in you? Or didn’t? Did you wonder if they knew that their investment in various team members was inequitable? Were they transparent where they were making their investment? If so, what impact did that have on you and the rest of the team? The reality is that leaders must strategically decide whom to invest in and whom not to, to ensure they create the optimal mix of resources for both the short and longer term.

Assessing Potential

Coaches can help leaders create or process their frameworks for deciding who to invest in. This framework should involve evaluating skills, performance history, and potential future capabilities. Leaders should invest in individuals who demonstrate a high level of competence, a strong work ethic, and a growth mindset. This assessment should be both qualitative and quantitative, incorporating feedback from peers, supervisors, and measurable performance metrics.

Key Indicators of Potential:

Skill Set: Does the individual possess the technical and soft skills required for their role and potential future roles?
Performance: Has the employee consistently met or exceeded expectations in their current position?
Growth Mindset: Is the individual open to learning and adapting to new challenges?

Alignment of Goals & Values

Leaders should prioritize investing in employees whose goals align with the organization’s objectives. This alignment ensures that the investment will not only benefit the individual but also contribute to the company’s success. Employees who are passionate about the company’s mission and values are more likely to be motivated and committed to their roles.

Key Indicators of Alignment:

Career Goals: Do the individual’s career goals align with the organization’s strategic objectives?
Alignment with Values: Does the employee demonstrate an alignment of their personal values to the company’s mission and values?

Cultural Fit

Cultural fit is another critical factor in deciding who to invest in. Employees who align with the company culture are more likely to thrive and contribute positively to the work environment. Leaders should invest in individuals who embody the company’s culture and work well with their colleagues.

Characteristics of Cultural Fit:

Collaboration: Is the employee a team player who contributes positively to group dynamics?
Engagement: Is the employee actively engaged and enthusiastic about their work?
Embodies the Culture: Does the employee add to (or take away from) the culture?

Impact and Influence

Leaders should also consider the potential impact and influence of their investment. Employees who have the ability to influence others and drive change are valuable assets to the organization. Investing in such individuals can amplify the benefits of the investment, leading to broader organizational improvements.

Questions to Assess Impact:

Influencing without Authority: Can the employee influence and inspire their peers?
Creating Impact: Does the individual have a track record of driving positive change within the organization?

Deciding Who Not to Invest In

While it’s essential to identify who to invest in, it’s equally important to recognize when not to invest in an employee. Leaders should consider not investing in individuals who consistently underperform, resist change, or exhibit behaviors that conflict with the company culture. These employees may require different forms of support, such as performance improvement plans or alternative roles, rather than investment in development.

Indicators for Minimal Investment:

Consistent Underperformance: Does the employee consistently fail to meet performance expectations despite support and feedback?
Resistance to Change: Is the individual resistant to new ideas and reluctant to adapt?
Cultural Misalignment: Does the employee’s behavior conflict with the company’s values and culture?

To Invest or Not to Invest

Deciding whom to invest in is a strategic process that requires careful consideration of potential, alignment with organizational goals, cultural fit, and impact. By making informed decisions about where to invest resources, leaders can foster a motivated and high-performing workforce that drives the organization’s success. Conversely, recognizing when not to invest allows leaders to allocate resources more effectively and support employees in ways that align with their capabilities and the company’s needs. Reach out if you want to learn more about how coaching helps leaders allocate investment in people.

Knowing Yourself

Posted on April 17, 2024February 6, 2025 by Tina-Schuricht

Knowing yourself includes being aware of your values, who influences you, past patterns of behavior, and what inspires you. When you think about your future, how often do you think about your past or your present? Paying attention to where you are now and where you came from can help guide you on your path forward.

Knowing yourself and what you value

Have you ever wondered… What do I truly value? Why do I value this and not that? How am I making decisions? What influences me? What bores or excites me? Who am I when I’m performing at my best? If you have, congratulations on being a thoughtful and introspective human being! If you have not, read on…

When I was working in corporate America, my head was down, grinding, running on the never-ending hamster wheel. I never prioritized myself. My time was promised to others – my boss, my family, my household obligations. Maybe I liked not having to think about me. Maybe I appreciated the distraction of daily life and not having to truly think about who I am and how I was spending my time and ultimately my life. That all changed when I didn’t have that corporate job anymore…it forced me to get real about myself, who I am, and what I value, and I started dreaming about how to get more of THAT in my life.

I think many of us in our daily hustle and bustle don’t take the time to think about what we value, yet it can unlock so much of who we truly are and catapult us to where we truly want to be.

Who influences you?

When you do start to contemplate who you are and what you value, you may start to think about the people who are important in your life, especially those from your past. You might identify a few of your relatives and family members with whom you have characteristics in common. You might start to recognize behaviors and quirks from a parent or other relative and celebrate “That’s where I got that!” and there may be others that you’d rather not admit to. But it all helps tell the story of you!

It doesn’t have to be only relatives that you see in yourself. It can be a coach, a friend, a boss, a colleague, or all of the above. What was it about them and your relationship that shaped you? How has their influence shown up in your life? What elements of those individuals do you strive to bring to others? What characteristics do you see that you actively avoid?

I have been fortunate to have been surrounded by a pretty awesome family, amazing and supportive colleagues, brilliant coaches, and wonderfully patient friends. When I think about those individuals and their influences on me and my life I feel gratitude. Have the people in my life all been wonderful? No, and I don’t think that is possible. Is it important to think about those less favorable characteristics? Yes! How else will you be able to recognize unsavory behaviors and characteristics in yourself so that you can continue to grow and evolve into the person you were meant to be?

Knowing yourself and how you were influenced and by whom can be a tremendous gift you give yourself and others. Simply put, knowing yourself can provide the clarity you need to move forward.

What are your patterns?

When you think about your life, what are the patterns that you notice? How often do you change jobs or move house? Who are the types of people that you get along with best that you gravitate toward? What types of environments are you in when you are performing at your best or at your worst? What time of day, week or year do you feel the most or the least productive or happy?

Once you have reflected and discovered these patterns, you can dig deeper to discover the “Why” behind the pattern. Ask yourself, “Why do I change jobs every 2 years?” “Why do I surround myself with these type A people and avoid the type Bs?” “What is it about this environment that causes me to feel so great while another makes me feel crappy?” Why is it that I produce more results or feel more joy in the winter than in the summer?”

You likely have patterns that are very helpful in making the right decisions while others are not. Knowing your patterns can help you stay ahead of decisions and avoid those that aren’t leading you in the right direction.

What inspires you?

When it comes down to it, life is short. Am I right? In the blink of an eye, your career has passed its peak and you begin to take steps to settle into the kind of work you love versus the kind that may bring you the biggest paycheck. Your kids are grown, and you have more time for yourself. Many of your dreams have become reality and it’s time for new dreams.

If this resonates with you, it might be time to take stock in what inspires you! Who do you need in your life right now? How do you want to spend your time? What type of support do you need to make your dreams into reality? What kind of environment do you wish to be in?

There is no “perfect time” to make a change toward inspiration. There will always be patterns, habits, excuses, inertia, or all of the above that make it difficult for us to move forward. Sometimes life happens to us and we have to deal with it in the moment, but many times (and I would argue more often than not) we have more control than we realize. Are you being realistic about the risks of continuing your path versus making change toward a more inspired one? How it might feel to jump out of bed looking forward to each day versus doing what you’ve always done? What is the worst thing that can happen if you make a change….or the worst thing that can happen if you don’t? What might it feel like to truly be inspired by your life?

Knowing yourself and how to live the life you desire

That sounds pretty good, right? But how do you make that happen for yourself? Here are a few steps you could take:

Breathe. Be in the moment. Put your brain on pause for a few deep breaths.
Find gratitude. Your gratitude does not have to be something big. Are you grateful for the air in your lungs? The sun in the sky? Food on your table? Love in your life?
Identify where you are right now. What does it feel like? What does it sound like? What does it look like?
Name what you truly value. How often are you living those values? Could you make a change that helps you live them more? What is getting in your way?
Identify where you want to be. What does it feel like? What does it sound like? What does it look like?

Once you have taken these steps, decide how far away you are from where you want to be. Do you already have some of it? How much? What is missing? What would need to change to get closer? Do you believe it’s possible to get to that life? What would make it possible?

If knowing yourself feels like a path you want to be on, but it is too daunting to do on your own, a coach can help. Reach out for a 30-minute consultation and see if a professional coach can help you live the life you desire!