Trust is the foundation of every high-performing team, and it starts with how you lead. This course equips you to lead with credibility, consistency, and empathy so people choose to trust and follow you.

How to Build Credibility and Trust
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How to Build Credibility and Trust
This course is part of Management Excellence for Supervisors and Leaders Specialization


Instructors: Benjamin Flower
Included with
Recommended experience
What you'll learn
Describe the manager qualities of transparency, honesty, and integrity and how adopting these behaviors helps establish credibility and trust.
Apply empathy and understanding to strengthen people management and everyday leadership practice.
Explain how consistent, reliable behavior and essential management skills reduce ambiguity and support a healthy team environment.
Design a leadership approach that builds trust, credibility, and consistent, empathetic management.
Skills you'll gain
- Team Performance Management
- Constructive Feedback
- Accountability
- Honesty
- Professional Development
- Lifelong Learning
- Trustworthiness
- Reliability
- Team Building
- Leadership and Management
- Personal Integrity
- Growth Mindedness
- Team Leadership
- Team Motivation
- Emotional Intelligence
- Coaching
- Empathy
- Team Management
- Communication
- Business Leadership
Details to know

Add to your LinkedIn profile
March 2026
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There are 5 modules in this course
In this module, you will learn how managers build credibility and trust through deliberate transparency, honesty, and integrity in everyday leadership. You will examine how clear communication, feedback, and explained decisions help teams feel informed and respected. You will explore how honesty requires acknowledging mistakes, communicating thoughtfully, and providing authentic feedback. You will also understand how integrity is demonstrated through reliability, honoring commitments, and consistently doing what you say you will do. Through examples and reflection, you will recognize how these visible behaviors shape workplace culture and create a stable, trustworthy environment for teams.
What's included
7 videos6 readings3 assignments2 plugins
In this module, you will learn how managers balance business performance with the responsibility of managing people. You will examine why strong manager–employee relationships influence engagement, morale, and performance. You will explore practical ways to build these relationships through regular communication, thoughtful feedback, fair conflict resolution, and support for individual growth. You will also understand why empathy is a critical management skill and how active listening, flexibility, and perspective-taking help employees feel understood and valued. Through examples and reflection, you will recognize how empathetic people management strengthens trust, improves workplace culture, and contributes to overall team effectiveness and organizational success.
What's included
4 videos4 readings4 assignments1 discussion prompt
In this module, you will learn how managers create stability by leading with consistency, reliability, and predictability in everyday practices. You will examine how clear communication, defined expectations, and aligned words and actions reduce ambiguity and help employees understand what success looks like. You will explore how regular check-ins, visible priorities, timely feedback, and fair treatment build trust and cooperation across the team. You will also understand how predictable leadership behaviors create a sense of security that improves morale, satisfaction, and performance. Through examples and reflection, you will recognize how consistent routines and measurable expectations establish a dependable work environment where employees can focus on their responsibilities with clarity and confidence.
What's included
2 videos4 readings3 assignments1 plugin
In this module, you will learn why effective managers must develop both soft skills and hard skills to lead with credibility and competence. You will examine how communication, empathy, conflict resolution, and adaptability strengthen daily leadership and team trust. You will explore how technical knowledge, analytics, goal setting, and financial awareness support sound decisions and professional reputation. You will also understand how a growth mindset drives continuous improvement across these skills. Through examples and reflection, you will recognize how balancing people-focused abilities with field expertise enables confident, capable, and effective management.
What's included
3 videos5 readings3 assignments1 plugin
In this final module, you will bring together all the knowledge and insights gained throughout the course. As part of the final project, you will create a personalized Readiness Plan based on a given scenario. This plan will outline how you intend to lay the foundation for team success by adapting your leadership style, providing effective team coaching, and creating a vision for team success. This practical exercise will help you apply course concepts to create a real-world strategy. You’ll also review a peer’s readiness plan, gaining new perspectives and insights. The module concludes with a course summary, a glossary of key terms, and a final exam.
What's included
1 video4 readings1 assignment1 peer review1 discussion prompt
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Frequently asked questions
This course is ideal for anyone aspiring to strengthen their management skills, enhance leadership credibility, and build trust with teams.
You’ll develop key skills in management excellence, leadership, credibility, trust, and reliability that apply across industries and roles.
It focuses on the practical behaviors and strategies managers use to build trust, lead effectively, and influence their teams successfully.
More questions
Financial aid available,
¹ Some assignments in this course are AI-graded. For these assignments, your data will be used in accordance with Coursera's Privacy Notice.



