I have worked with some fantastic fellow coaches and I asked them for their best questions. Questions that really get results. And here they are.
I thought it would be great to have a place to share them. I quite often spread them out on a table when I am with a client and we are “stuck”. When we both know there is something we want to explore or somewhere we want to go and we can’t put our finger on it. I ask my clients to pick the card they’d like to answer. And the one they really don’t want to answer…And we ask ourselves how those selections help us see what needs to be explored…
Top right performance is a reference to the Boston Matrix – the STAR performer is always in the top right corner. I explain coaching to people using a version of this Matrix – with trust and rapport on one axis and challenge and stretch questions on the other as per the picture below*.
Thus coaching for me is the provocative and productive thinking you get from using high levels of rapport and trust to ask challenging questions.
Let me know what your favourite “Top Right” questions is. I tend to publish a selection on the reverse of the business cards for my performance coaching business Profitably Engaged. That way, if I’m ever in need of some quick inspiration for a coachee or myself, I have some brilliant questions to hand. Let me know if you don’t want your question to be shared more widely and of course I will respect that.
Here are some questions I have on my cards right now (and of course the great coach I have to thank for sharing their favourite top right question):
What will you have to give up to make room for your goals ? (Thanks Nicola)
Imagine it is 6 months from now and things worked out exactly as you wanted. What had to happen ? (Thanks Nick)
How does that decision match up to who you know you are ? (Thanks Katie)
Who is the most inspirational person you have worked with and what would they do in your situation? (Thanks Rob)
If you had a super-power what would you do ? (Thanks Amanda)
What would you say to your best friend if they were feeling like you do today ? (Thanks Simon)
What’s the one question you don’t want to be asked right now ? (Thanks Nikki)
What did you do well today and how could you do more of that ? (Thanks Caroline)
It would be great if you could share the best question you asked (or were asked) today and add it to the comments section below.
*This might remind you of something you have read somewhere and you are right ! – It’s not new, it’s an adaptation of the model explained further in Challenging Coaching by Blakey and Day. Great ideas should always get proper credit!
