It seems that trust, or at least a certain level of trust, is required for Kaizen or Lean to get started or have a fighting chance.

As the slides say, trust must be earned.

What can leaders do to build trust and demonstrate that they are trustworthy? What specific steps other demonstrating it over time by 1) not blaming people 2) not laying off people when we improve productivity 3) being fair...

I guess it sometimes just takes time?

Thanks LEI for hosting the Coaching Summit and for fostering deeper learning about the discipline of coaching. I've written about my top take aways from the Summit: http://kbjanderson.com/lean-coaching-summit-2015-notes-and-reflections/

Trust and opennes is absolutely foundational to any coaching relationship. Authenticity can help contribute to a sense of trust. Be authentic to who you are. And as a coach or leader, it is okay to say "I need more time to think about that" or "I don't know the answer."

When coaching other coaches (usually internal staff with the role of "Lean consultant" or "Lean coach"), I've found sharing Slide 18 (from Shook's presentation above) helpful to illustrate that there is a range of approaches for coaches to take, depending on the situation. There is an appropriate time and place to be more directive in coaching (by demonstrating or giving instruction), and there is an appropriate time and place to be more open (by asking questions of humble inquiry). It's the coach's role to assess where the learner is at and to modify his or her approach to fit the situation - in service of the other person's development. This understanding has halped internal coaches I've worked with to better understand their role in supporting leaders as the leaders develop greater skills in lean thinking.

We had some good dialogue on this topic in the commonts from a previous Lean Post I wrote:

 http://www.lean.org/LeanPost/Posting.cfm?LeanPostId=301