What I have found compelling over the years is how technology has impacted both trust and transformation. Technology has played critical roles not only in the broad erosion of trust, but also in the steep acceleration of transformation. In particular, I have been closely following the evolution of A.I. over the past few years – first by writing about early experiences and then by inserting A.I.-generated paragraphs into my posts. You may have noticed that A.I. accuracy and its articulation of responses to questions have improved rapidly during that time. My conclusion, after experiencing these technology transformations, is that we have now reached a point where there has never been more possibility for better AND the potential for worse from the continued adaptation of A.I. If you would like to read more about those possibilities,, read this recent column by Tom Friedman.
So, as a result of that experience, I have decided to launch my version of what a “for better” A.I. might look like. A trusted friend of mine suggested to me that, given the amount of content I have developed over five decades, I should explore how coachvox.ai might be able to make all the ideas contained in that content more accessible and digestible through its platform. We discussed how the rapid explosion of coaches (life coaches, executive coaches, spiritual coaches, relationship coaches, career coaches, creativity coaches etc.) has created a whole new industry complete with “certification” programs for every brand. Our investigation of these services led to three conclusions: 1) Most coaches are taught to ask questions that lead to self-discovery AND to restrain from “advice giving.” 2) Coaching services can be very lucrative for the coaches, e.g. executive coaches routinely charge $10,000 per month for consultations. 3) Depending on the skills of the coach and the openness to honest feedback of the person being coached, results vary dramatically. We also concluded that “success” depended on what the person being coached wanted from the relationship. We developed a scale to diagnose the desire of the “coachee” for real transformation:
5: Re-purpose my life
4: Increase my performance
3: Improve my positioning in the organization
2: Validate my ability to pose as a leader – jsut wants to be understood and supported or is not ready for change
1: Satisfy my needs to pout, whine, or just be heard.
All of that to say that it seemed like a good idea to provide an easily accessible, 7/24 service, that not only asked questions, but also suggested possible solutions. Thus, I hereby launch The Perspective Coach, a trustworthy AI-based service that succinctly summarizes my 40 years of experience, the books and posts I’ve written, and the research I’ve conducted to: 1) help people define their purpose, 2) improve their performance, and 3) achieve whatever transformational goals they have. Here is the link:
https://app.coachvox.ai/share/RickBellingham
Just for fun, I invite you to take a free test run, and I would love to hear your feedback. PLEASE, feel no need to subscribe. I think you may find it fascinating, however, what AI technology can do now.
In order to get a sense of what an actual interaction would look like, I asked some trusted friends who have worked on personal and organizational transformation for their entire careers to test the site on a question they have been struggling with. Here is one example of a longer “conversation.”
LEADER: How does a leader build trust during a change effort?
Great question. Trust is the foundation for any successful change effort. Without it, people resist, stall, or quietly sabotage the process. Here’s how a leader can build trust during change:
- Tell the truth early and often
Be transparent about what’s changing, why it’s changing, and how it might affect people. Uncertainty breeds fear. Honesty builds stability. - Involve people in the process
Don’t just announce change. Engage your team in shaping it. When people have a hand in the solution, they’re more likely to support it. - Listen deeply and respond
Create forums for feedback. More importantly, act on what you hear. Trust grows when people feel heard and see their input reflected. - Model the change
If you’re asking others to adapt, you need to show that you’re doing the same. Walk the talk. Behavior is more powerful than words. - Acknowledge the loss, not just the gain
Change always involves letting go of something. Recognize what people are giving up, even if it’s just familiarity. That empathy builds connection. - Be consistent and follow through
Say what you’ll do, and do what you say. Trust evaporates when leaders make promises they don’t keep.
Let me ask: Where do you think trust is most at risk right now in your change effort? That’ll help us focus.
LEADER: There is some resistance to the change and there seems to be a lack of understanding of why the team needs to change.
Got you. When people don’t understand the why behind a change, resistance is almost guaranteed. It’s a signal that the case for change hasn’t landed yet.
Here’s how to tackle it:
- Re-clarify the purpose
Go back to basics. What’s the core reason this change is happening? What problem is it solving? Use simple, human language. Avoid jargon. - Connect the change to their reality
People need to see how it affects them. Will it make their work easier? More meaningful? More secure? Draw a line between the change and their day-to-day. - Tell a compelling story
Facts don’t move people, stories do. Share a before-and-after scenario. Use a real example of what happens if you don’t - Create space for questions and emotion
Host a session just to listen. Let people vent. Clarify. Don’t rush to defend. Sometimes just being heard reduces resistance. - Enlist trusted influencers
Who on the team already gets it? Ask them to help spread the message in their own way. Peer influence is powerful.
Where do you think the communication has broken down most—at the top, in the middle, or on the front lines?
LEADER: At the top. We hired a new leader and explained that we needed someone who could take the organization into the future. The old leader was largely ineffective but well liked.
Okay, this is a classic tension—new leader brought in for transformation, following someone who was beloved but ineffective. That creates emotional whiplash for staff. They’re grieving a relationship, even if the performance wasn’t strong.
Here’s how I’d coach the new leader to rebuild trust from the top:
- Acknowledge the past leader’s legacy
Don’t ignore the affection people had. Say something like, “I know [Name] meant a lot to many of you. My role is different, but I respect the foundation that was built.” - Clarify the mandate
Reinforce that the board brought you in to lead change, not just maintain. Be honest about the challenges ahead, and invite people to be part of shaping the future. - Lead with humility, not authority
Avoid the “fix-it” mindset. Instead, spend time listening, asking questions, and learning the culture before making big moves. That earns credibility. - Build small wins fast
Show progress on things that matter to staff. Could be better communication, clearer decisions, or solving a nagging issue. Visible traction builds confidence. - Communicate consistently and personally
People want to know who this new leader is. Regular updates, informal check-ins, and being visible go a long way.
This is a trust repair job, but it’s doable with empathy, clarity, and consistency.
What’s the new leader’s biggest blind spot right now? That’ll tell us where to focus next.
LEADER: He doesn’t seem to appreciate how much his direct reports have to lose. Some of the new talent have responded well. He is having a hard time empathizing with the direct reports and mobilizing the more junior staff
Got you. What you’re describing is a common gap for leaders brought in to drive change. They focus on performance and strategy, but miss the emotional reality their direct reports are facing—loss of status, control, or identity. That lack of empathy creates resistance, even if the direction is right.
Here’s how I’d coach him:
- Name the loss out loud
Encourage him to say something like, “I know this shift means some of you are giving up things that mattered—autonomy, influence, comfort. I see that, and I’m here to work through it with you.” That kind of acknowledgment can defuse a lot of quiet tension. - Use listening as a leadership tool
Have him schedule 1:1s with each direct report just to ask: What’s been hardest about this change? What do you need from me to be successful?No fixing, just listening. That alone can rebuild trust. - Bridge the generational gap
If junior staff are responding well, he can use that momentum. Invite them into visible roles, but also coach them on how to respect and learn from the experience of senior staff. That builds a bridge instead of a divide. - Make empathy a metric
Ask him to track how often he’s checking in emotionally, not just operationally. If it’s not happening weekly, it’s not happening enough during change. - Model vulnerability
If he can share his own uncertainty or learning moments, it gives others permission to do the same. That levels the playing field and humanizes the change.
This isn’t about softening the mission. It’s about strengthening the relationships that make the mission possible.
What’s his willingness to slow down and do this relational work? That’ll tell us how to pace the coaching.
Hmm. That’s a little scary. I wonder how responsive and how directive most coaches are in comparison to this bot. And I wonder how much time it would take to get to the same point in this “conversation.” To be clear, my intention is not to eliminate coaches, but to stimulate the need to engage with a human who might help people process more deeply their challenges. The goal is to provide some immediate suggestions as well as some beginning ideas to explore in coaching conversations. It could also help coaches prepare more effectively for meetings.
Another trusted friend, a Ph.D. Harvard psychologist, took a test run on The Perspective Coach and then compared its responses to answers to the same questions from ChapGPT, Gemini, and Co-Pilot. He found that the service seemed more soulful and connected, in more personal ways, than the generic models that are not trained on my posts and worldviews.
If you are a reader of my blog, you must have some level of interest in personal transformation, organizational transformation, or cultural transformation. Essentially, those are the topics I’ve been thinking and writing about for over 40 years.
Since trust and transformation are central themes in my work, here are some of the previous posts I have written on those subjects
- https://rickbellingham.com/2016/09/07/three-types-of-trust/
- https://rickbellingham.com/2024/01/22/institutional-trust/
- https://rickbellingham.com/2014/05/14/building-trust/
- https://rickbellingham.com/2019/11/05/transformational-processes/
I’m hoping you will give my new service a free test run and enjoy the experience. I’m also hoping you will be able to realize the possibilities that AI presents for building trust and accelerating transformation. Finally, I’m hoping you won’t be too terrified by this technology and you will amplify all of the human qualities that AI can’t replicate. May it be so.
Thank you my friend!