How to ask the right questions as a leader

It's all about taking a coaching approach with your team. And I've got 20 great coaching questions to get you started!

This is a free edition of Lead with Intention, my weekly micro-coaching service - please enjoy it and if you get value from this, please share with your network (just use the easy share button below.)

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Ok, onto today’s topic. Hands up if you struggle with micro-managing? (I gave lots of advice and actionable tips on this emotive management topic in the last paid newsletter, read it here)

I also talked about this at length with my group coaching participants - we discussed how easy it can be to fall into the trap of having micro-managing tendencies, even when you don’t think you’re a micro manager! And just how horrible it feels to be on the receiving end of this type of management approach.

At it heart, micro managing signals a lack of TRUST, which is why it feels so awful to be managed that way. Imagine your manager telling you to your face that they don’t trust you? You wouldn’t feel good, that relationship would be irreparably damaged and you may even leave.

So we know it’s a bad thing. But what’s the alternative?

Taking a coaching approach to leadership.

There’s a brilliant Harvard Business Review article I recommend to everyone I coach, called the Leader as Coach - you can read it here.

The core thesis is that instead of the old-fashioned “command and control” style of leadership (which can often manifest as micro managing in the day-today), a coaching style of leadership involves asking the right questions to identify issues and help the other person identify potential actions and solutions.

It’s about empowerment and enablement. And trust.

I love it. But I’m biased because I’m a leadership coach! But I can tell you first hand that this style of leadership transformed my approach and my impact as a corporate leader. And that came on the back of some transformative sessions with an executive coach (followed by a year long immersion into this style of leadership) that had me questioning everything I’d ever learnt about leadership. Which sad to say, was mostly the bad up until that point.

I know you’re all invested in being a good leader - that’s why you’re here after all - so give these questions a go below. They’re 20 questions designed to get the most out of conversations with your team, particularly when they feel stuck or frustrated.

I guarantee you’ll be amazed by the discussions that follow, and the increased level of trust and accountability between you and your team.

Of course, there’s a lot more to being a coaching leader than just these questions, but these are a great start if you’re struggling with how to let go of any micro managing tendencies.

And if you’re interested in committing to your leadership development in earnest, then join the waitlist for the new cohort of my Confident Leader group coaching programme. We start on September 24th and waitlist members get £200.00 off the course fees, worth exclusive bonuses worth another £300.00. It could transform not just your confidence, but also your effectiveness, as a leader, by the end of this year.

Join The Confident Leader waitlist

20 coaching questions to ask of your team

1. Tell me about what's going on right now.

2. Do you know what problem you are trying to solve?

3. How can you clarify your goal? What do you think success looks like?

4. What’s motivating/triggering you to take action now?

5. What's not working quite so well for you right now? Do you know why?

6. What are some alternative strategies you've tried?

7. What are some of the steps you've taken to achieve your goals?

8. How far have you advanced since our last meeting?

9. What's stopping you from moving forward? And why?

10. Can you tell me about the consequences you face if you don't take action?

11. What’s the best thing I could do to support you taking action?

12. Tell me about the options you have when it comes to achieving your goals.

13. What are some of the steps you think you want to take next?

14. Have you been in this kind of situation before? How did you resolve it?

15. Can you tell me about some of the steps that you've already taken?

16. What could be the first step you take to change the situation?

17. Is there someone on the team you think can offer you support in this?

18. What would the ideal outcome be for you? And why?

19. What specifically are you going to do next? And when?

20. What do you need to ensure you move forward?

Why are these questions helpful to you as a leader?

These questions will help you if you are interested in cultivating more of a coaching approach to leadership and managing your micro-managing tendencies!

Use these in one to one meetings, team meetings and whenever your team members come to you for advice. See how you get on and note how the interactions flow and feel. Does anything feel better as a result? What are the results? How do you both feel?

Let me know if you use any of these questions this week and what the outcome is - i’d love to hear any success stories!