Great leaders are exceptional developers of talent! Here are 30 questions to foster excitement, engagement, motivation, and clarity in others.
Use regularly to help others think through their own opportunities and challenges and, decide upon their own best path forward. Use with your direct reports, your peers, your boss, and your clients. Ask these of your spouse and children. Listen and pay attention to all others learn about themselves in your presence. Enjoy!
Obtain a .pdf version here: 30-great-coaching-questions-susannebiro-com
Coaching for Discovery:
- How can we use our time today so that it benefits you the most?
- What is the most important thing you and I could be discussing?
- What matters most to you right now?
- What is your BIG dream? Paint me a picture!
- What excites (and scares) you most about the future?
- What is your ideal personal and professional reputation?
- When you are at your best, what are you doing?
- Who inspires you and why?
- Where are you currently doing your best work?
- What would be an exceptional outcome from our time today? By the end of the month? In six months? At year end?
Coaching for Creation:
- What consumes most of your attention these days?
- What important thing have you learned about yourself recently?
- Which relationships feed you? Which deplete you?
- What one thing most impedes your performance?
- What one personal change will result in the biggest benefit?
- What is an entirely different way to see your situation?
- How do others describe your potential?
- What old habits and thoughts no longer serve you?
- What new skills will provide the biggest personal payoff?
- What is the most exciting outcome you can imagine?
Coaching for Commitment:
- If you felt powerful, what would you do?
- What promises will you make to yourself?
- What actions do you need to take?
- What will be different this time?
- Do you trust yourself enough to follow through?
- How can you better apply your greatest strengths?
- What do you want or need from others?
- What sacrifices are you prepared to make?
- What difficult conversation do you need to have? How are you best to have it?
- What is the price of not changing?
Photo courtesy of Lori McCallum Hansen