Coach to grow

You probably became a leader because you were great at solving problems. However, if you're always the hero, you're not letting your team grow.

A great leader's real job is to build a team of problem-solvers.

So, the next time someone comes to you with an issue, fight the urge to just give them the answer.

Try asking these questions instead. You'll be coaching them to find their own solutions, and that's how you build the next generation of leaders.

Clarify the Goal

You need to have one focus in the conversation. The aim here is to find what will be different at the end of the conversation.

top tip - WAIT and LISTEN, do not fill the silence, let them think and respond.

What’s the question or challenge most on your mind?

If we only made progress on one thing, what would it be?

What would a great outcome look like?

This is about finding out what is going on. The aim here is to find out what they are seeing and how it's affecting them.

What’s happening that makes this important?

What have you already tried?

What’s working well and what’s getting in the way?

What do you think will happen if things stay as they are?

Now we are going to open the future, your job is to ask questions... NOT SOLVE IT!

What possibilities come to mind, even the wild ones?

If you had no constraints, what would you do?

What options do you already have available?

Which option feels most useful to explore first?

It's time to get them to commit, even to the smallest step.

What’s a small step you could test safely?

What support would help you follow through?

When will you do this?

On a scale of 1–10, how committed are you — and what would move it closer to 10?

Now, if you want to find out more about how we can coach you or your team, just complete the box below.