Using coaching to help our people help themselves

Would you believe me if I told you great coaching can happen in under five minutes? This isn’t to diminish the powerful impact mentoring and coaching programs have on developing leaders. Or the long-term coaching required by individuals with challenging and complex development needs.

But this article isn’t about that. This article is about how we as leaders can incorporate more coaching into our daily work. Into the work we’re already doing to support our people’s development.

To tell you the truth, it doesn’t take much time. What it does take, are some simple, daily communications to increase our effectiveness as leaders and coaches.

Take a look at some of our top communication tips, specifically designed for busy leaders who want, but don’t always have a lot of time, to coach our people.

Ask questions that dig deep

Questions have the power to evoke discovery, insight, commitment, and action in our people. If we ask them in a way that promotes reflection.

We can take our conversations to the next level by challenging our people’s assumptions.

Create new opportunities for learning. Ask them to think more deeply. Or move them past a set way of looking at the world. These may sound like lofty conversation goals, but they all come from asking great questions.

Great questions are open-ended, meaning they can’t be answered with a yes or no response. They’re simple and direct, meaning they’re concise and asked one at a time. They’re forward-focused, meaning they look to the future rather than at the past. Think, “what will you do differently next time?”, versus “what should you have done differently?”.

Great questions fall into four main categories when working with individuals to help them attain their goals.

1. Ask big-picture questions to understand the issue:

• What’s the single biggest challenge that, if resolved, would most help you or your team move forward?
• What are the three most important changes you need to help you accomplish your objectives?

2. Dig deeper, prompt reflection, and explore options:

• What impact is this having on you right now?
• How else could you approach the situation?

3. Focus on action planning:

• What are your next steps?
• How will you go about them?

4. Assess commitment:

• What do you need from me?
• What can you commit to doing between this meeting and the next?

Why does asking great questions matter so much? It helps our people think through their situations and address their challenges on their own.

IMPACT can help

Want to increase your effectiveness as a leader, and help engage your people and teams more? Contact us.