Bringing a Coaching Approach to Your Leadership: The Power of Asking Good Questions

One of the biggest shifts I see in leaders who want to grow their impact is realizing they don’t have to have all the answers. In fact, the most effective leaders I work with are the ones who ask better questions rather than just offering solutions.

So many of my clients—whether they’re leading teams, navigating change, or trying to foster collaboration—come to me feeling the weight of responsibility. They feel like they need to solve problems, make decisions quickly, and be the expert. But that approach can be exhausting, and it often leads to teams that are overly reliant on their leader instead of growing their own confidence and capability.

A coaching approach to leadership—one that centers on listening deeply and asking thoughtful, open-ended questions—helps shift that dynamic. It invites the people around you to step up, think for themselves, and take ownership of their work in a way that’s both empowering and effective.

Why a Coaching Approach Works

When you move away from giving quick answers and instead ask curious, thoughtful questions, you:

✅ Help others think critically – They develop their own problem-solving skills rather than defaulting to you.
✅ Encourage ownership – People become more engaged when they are trusted to figure things out.
✅ Create space for better decisions – When a team feels supported, they collaborate more effectively and bring new perspectives.

This shift isn’t about withholding knowledge or avoiding direct leadership. It’s about creating an environment where people feel both challenged and supported in their learning and decision-making.

The Power of Asking Good Questions

A well-timed question can spark clarity, shift perspective, and open up possibilities that weren’t obvious before. Some of my favorite questions to use in coaching (and in leadership) are:

🔹 What’s most important here?
🔹 What options have you already considered?
🔹 What’s getting in the way?
🔹 What would be the simplest next step?
🔹 What do you need in order to move forward?

These types of questions encourage reflection and agency. Instead of jumping in to fix things, you create the conditions for others to come to their own insights.

How to Start Leading with a Coaching Mindset

If this idea resonates, here are a few simple ways to integrate it into your leadership:

🔹 Pause before giving advice. When someone comes to you with a challenge, try asking “What do you think?” before offering your input.
🔹 Listen more than you speak. Silence can feel uncomfortable, but it often leads to deeper thinking.
🔹 Trust the process. Growth happens when people have space to wrestle with their own questions.

It’s About Unlocking Potential, Not Just Solving Problems

Adopting a coaching approach doesn’t mean you stop leading. It means you lead in a way that helps others become more capable, confident, and engaged in their work. And over time, this not only develops stronger teams—it also makes leadership less stressful and more rewarding.

If this approach speaks to you, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Where could asking better questions make a difference in your leadership?