Want to be a better leader? Start asking better questions.

(And good news, i have a full list to get you started with)

Let’s talk about one of the most under-used and under-rated leadership skills.

The ability to ask the right questions.

Not clever ones. Not trick ones. Not ones designed to flatter you or fill an awkward silence in the meeting room. Not ones designed to attack or provoke, simply for the sake of it (I saw so much of this in my corporate career and honestly guys, yawn…)

Honest, open, coaching-style questions that move conversations forward productively, (sometimes excitingly!), unblock challenges, identify context, reckon with the temperature in the room, and crucially that…

PROVE YOU ARE REALLY LISTENING.

(Another hugely valuable and under-used leadership skill.)

Asking powerful questions helps transform you from a reactive to an intentional leader. One that listens to understand, to connect, to explore and to move things forward collectively.

When I look back at my own corporate career, (if you’re new here - welcome! I was a Director of Communications for more than 20 years and now work as a leadership and careers coach), I can see a clear “before and after” moment.

The before was full of fixing, advising, rushing in with answers.

The after was calm, more strategic and much more credible and powerful.

The difference?

I learned how to lead with a coaching approach. And at the heart of that approach, is, you guessed it, asking great questions.

Coaching questions open up potential

You might not think of yourself as a micromanager. (Most people don’t by the way, but most people definitely have some of those characteristics. I know you don’t, but most people, just saying…)

But if your team relies on you to solve every problem, green-light every idea, or define every next step, then they’re not actually learning to lead.

They’re learning to follow.

Coaching questions shift the dynamic. They hand autonomy to your team, without you having to take your hands off the wheel completely.

And here’s the magic:

When your team starts to think for themselves, you become more strategic by default.

Less firefighting. More foresight. Sounds good right? So how can you do it?

Start by learning to listen

So much of good leadership starts with really listening.

Not listening to respond. Not listening while you silently prepare your advice. But listening to understand what’s really going on.

Because when you listen deeply, you ask better questions. It’s as simple as that.

And this can feel uncomfortable at first, especially if you’re used to being the one with all the answers. But it gets easier. And the results are worth it.

Your team becomes more resourceful. You become more trusted AND more connected to them. And you stop carrying the full weight of needing “all the answers, all of the time.” Because that’s an impossible standard to meet and NOT the hallmark of a good leader!

My 20 go to coaching questions for leaders

Below you’ll find 20 of my go-to coaching questions. (These are for paid subscribers.) I use these in coaching sessions, and I teach them to clients who are ready to move away from directive management and towards empowered, values-led leadership.

You don’t need to use them all at once. (That would be a LOT.)

Pick two or three and try them out in your next 1:1 or team check-in.

Make space for silence, a pause, and reflection.

Notice how the conversation shifts.

Notice how you feel too: more grounded, more collaborative, more connected, less pressured to “fix”.

(Question 1 is a doozy by the way - such an open question, but can reveal so much in its simplicity! And question 10 shifts the dynamic in quite a dramatic way if that’s what is requred!)