Powerful Coaching Questions for People Leaders
You can build rapport, increase understanding, and encourage your team by asking impactful questions. The process of answering questions helps the employee think through options from different perspectives. It also reduces natural defensiveness to suggestions. Gradually, next steps become clearer! Coaching your team more often helps them become more self-sufficient and reduces your tendency to jump in and take over.
Investigative Questions: what, when, and where
What’s on your mind?
Tell me more about…
Tell me what you’ve accomplished so far.
Help me understand …
Discovery Questions: push learning and stimulate thinking
And what else is on your mind?
Give me an example of…
Describe how you…
What might happen if you…?
What do you want, really?
What is the real challenge for you?
What is important about that to you?
What have you learned from this experience?
How else could you think about this?
What worked well? What didn’t?
What’s the best thing that could happen; what’s the worst?
What are your alternatives?
What do you feel about that?
What does your gut tell you?
What is at risk for you?
What happens a year from now if you do nothing and stay with the status quo?
If you could wave the magic wand, what would you change from how it is now?
How will you know when you’re successful?
When this this is resolved/completed, what will be different?
Empowering Questions: call for action
Let’s practice that conversation…
What would you like to change?
What’s the best result/outcome/resolution you can imagine?
What’s your first step?
What resources/support do you have? What resources/support do you need to move forward?
What’s one thing you could do right away?
When will you do/start this? (ask for a specific day)
How can I support you?
How can I hold you accountable?