How many questions is too many?
You know that asking effective questions is key to helping others solve problems and unlocking improvement, but can you ask too many questions?
Yes! And when you do so, you actually hinder progress, not enable it.
In this episode, I share one of the most common mistakes leaders and coaches alike make when learning to Break the Telling Habit® and moving from “telling” to “asking”.
It's a crucial shift to stop being the expert with all the answers, but when you overpivot to only asking, you can leave the person you’re intending to support feeling frustrated and stuck.
Coaching for improvement isn’t just about inquiry—it’s about navigating what I call the “Coaching Continuum”—knowing when to provide open support for problem-solving and when to step in with direction.
And importantly, always keeping the problem-solving responsibility with the person you are coaching.
YOU’LL LEARN:
Tune in to learn how to navigate this continuum and become a more effective Transformational Improvement Coach!
IMPORTANT LINKS:
TIMESTAMPS FOR THIS EPISODE:
02:59 Navigating the coaching continuum
03:59 A brief explanation of the coaching continuum to be a more helpful coach
05:32 The 3 key steps to effectively navigate the coaching continuum
05:43 Step 1: Understand their thinking to know whether open coaching or directive guidance is needed
07:12 Step 2: Get comfortable with struggle
08:26 When to pivot from open coaching to directive coaching
8:37 How to label your actions to clarify your intention
11:01 Step 3: Today’s not the only day, follow up with a coaching process question to encourage learning
11:27 Benefit of asking a process question to understand next steps
13:32 A leader’s role in developing an A3 report and owning the thinking process not the thinking
15:13 Why coaching and leadership is situational
15:35 Steps to make a plan for effective coaching
15:42 Step 1: Ask a question before immediately jumping in
15:54 Step 2: Give an example how you might approach the problem
16:15 Step 3: The next step to take and what to expect
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