The Courage to Trust: Owning Your Strengths and Weaknesses
The other day, someone told me that the best coaches have coaches. And I'm gonna be honest, I do have a coach.
During a recent session, I was rattling through my laundry list of things, essentially dumping all my insecurities onto this person. They paused me - which isn't typical in coaching, but I appreciated it because they gave me homework. And if you know me, I love homework. Especially personal development homework.
The assignment? List all strength areas that are easy to own. And three that are not easy to own.
I've been turning this over in my mind all week because it is really hard to name what you're good at and what you're not. There's something vulnerable about claiming your strengths that feels almost as exposing as admitting your weaknesses.
Trust as a Risk Assessment
This week, I was listening to the podcast "How to Be a Better Human." The topic? How hard it is to trust in times of uncertainty.
What resonated with me was the idea that consistency acts as a trust builder. Having consistent touchpoints builds trust, while gaps can lead to breakdowns. You need context to trust, and there are different levels of trust.
The podcast gave this example: telling a stranger in public "I've read that book" or "I like your shoes" builds a certain level of trust, but it's not like you would let that person watch your children.
They described trust as an "elusive concept" - it's a risk assessment that empowers us to connect.
Trusting Ourselves
This got me thinking about my coach's exercise. I'm still trying to figure out how to trust myself to be honest about what my strengths are versus what are things I can't own as easily.
Recently, I completed a 360 assessment with feedback from peers, superiors, and subordinates. What fascinated me was how, on things I was actually proud of but didn't feel came easily to me, I rated myself so much lower than the people who see me in those roles.
Why is that? Where are you ranking yourself lower in life that would help people see you? Have you done the work but don't trust yourself?
There's something powerful about the gap between how we see ourselves and how others see us. Perhaps the most difficult trust to build isn't with others, but with ourselves - trusting that we are indeed as capable, as strong, as worthy as others perceive us to be.
Building Trust Through Professional Coaching
At Hourglass Coaching Baltimore, I've seen firsthand how trust-building is central to personal and professional growth. This isn't just something I write about – it's the foundation of my coaching practice.
Our coaching methodology recognizes that trust must first be established within yourself before it can flourish in your professional relationships. Whether you're an entry-level professional seeking targeted outcomes through our Short-Term Coaching approach, a mid-career professional navigating complex transitions with our Long-Term Coaching strategy, or an executive facing critical challenges through our Crisis Coaching framework, building self-trust is essential to your success.
The trust gap I experienced in my own 360 assessment is something I see regularly with clients. They come to me undervaluing their strengths, overlooking their capabilities, and failing to trust the potential that others clearly see in them.
Our Approach to Building Trust
At Hourglass Coaching Baltimore, we help clients build trust through several intentional practices:
Creating a Dynamic Business Charter - We collaborate to develop a personalized roadmap that captures your aspirations and establishes concrete, measurable goals. This living document serves as a trust-building tool, allowing you to see your progress and build confidence in your abilities.
Navigating Complex Workplace Relationships - Using methodologies from Crucial Conversations, Crucial Accountability, and Workplace Mediation, we help you develop the interpersonal skills needed to build trust with colleagues and transform challenging workplace dynamics.
Finding Your Next Career Step - For experienced professionals at crossroads, we help you trust your accumulated expertise while crafting a meaningful next chapter. Our deep exploration of your values and skills builds the confidence needed to make significant career transitions.
Is This Coaching Approach Right for You?
Our coaching at Hourglass Coaching Baltimore is especially effective if you:
Find yourself underrating your own abilities
Need support in navigating significant life or career changes
Want to develop a structured plan for achieving specific goals
Seek accountability and regular check-ins to maintain focus
Are eager to embrace personal development and expand your perspectives
What would change if you trusted yourself as much as others trust you? This question remains at the heart of the transformative work we do.
Maybe the homework isn't just listing our strengths and weaknesses, but practicing the courage to trust the strengths others see in us, especially when we struggle to see them ourselves.
Through intentional, structured coaching relationships, we can build the consistency that fosters trust – both with ourselves and with others – creating the foundation for authentic personal and professional growth.
