101 Coaching Questions to Help You Lead More Effectively

Often people in leadership believe that the greatest value they can contribute to an organization is to tell people what needs to be done and how to do it. 

However, that’s actually not true. If you want to be a great leader, you need to know how to ask the right questions to help your people grow. To help you with that, I’ve compiled this list of 101 Coaching Questions. 

1.      I’m curious; may I ask you a few questions?

2.      What’s great about your life this week?

3.      How have you grown this week?

4.      What did you accomplish this week?

5.      Who did you serve?

6.      What did you learn?

7.      Who else will benefit?

8.      What are you grateful for?

9.      Who’s grateful for you?

10.   Is this what you want to be coached on or are you just sharing?

11.   What could you be happy about if you chose to be?

12.   Are you using this to grow or are you beating yourself up?

13.   Does this story empower you or disempower you?

14.   How can you turn this around and have better results next time?

15.   On a scale of 1 – 10 how honest have you been about this, with others?

16.   Do you mind if I offer an observation?

17.   Is this the problem or the solution?

18.   How would you like it to be?

19.   What’s in the way?

20.   What’s stopping you?

21.   What does this mean to you?

22.   Are you focused on what’s wrong or what’s right?

23.   Is that a story or the truth?

24.   How can you find out?

25.   Do you want this for its own sake or are you trying to avoid something else?

26.   Is this giving you energy or draining your energy?

27.   What will really make the biggest difference here?

28.   Is this a limitation or is it a strength?

29.   What’s the benefit of this problem?

30.   Who else is this hurting?

31.   What does your intuition tell you about this?

32.   Do you have a gut feeling about this?

33.   Have you solved problems like this before?

34.   What rules do you have that are getting in the way?

35.   How long have you been thinking about this?

36.   Have you ever experienced something like this before?

37.   If you changed your belief about this, what would be possible?

38.   Is this a decision or a pipe dream?

39.   Which of your core values does this goal express?

40.   Is this goal pulling you forward or are you struggling to reach it?

41.   Will this choice move you forward or keep you stuck?

42.   What’s the first step you need to take to reach your goal?

43.   What’s the worst that can happen, and can you handle that?

44.   What’s the downside of your dream?

45.   What’s stopping you from taking action?

46.   Who wouldn’t like it if you succeeded?

47.   What will you have to give up in order to make room for your goals?

48.   How would your life be transformed if you changed this right now?

49.   If you don’t change this, what will it cost you in the long run?

50.   What’s the most resourceful choice here?

51.   How can you improve this, so it adds value forever?

52.   How can you solve this problem so it never comes back?

53.   Are you acting on faith or fear?

54.   If you weren’t scared, what would you do?

55.   Are you standing in your power or pleasing someone else?

56.   What are you pretending not to know?

57.   How could you have this conversation so it empowers everyone concerned?

58.   What might make the difference that could change everything?

59.   If you approached this with courage, how could your life change?

60.   Are you procrastinating or is there a reason to delay?

61.   What’s the emotional cost vs. the financial cost?

62.   Which step could you take that would make the biggest difference, right now?

63.   How can you get your needs fully met?

64.   If your life were exclusively oriented around your values, what would that be like?

65.   How would you describe the difference between a need and a value?

66.   If you achieve this goal, will it bring lasting fulfillment or temporary pleasure?

67.   Have you thought about the impact you’ll have by creating this?

68.   How can you learn from this problem so it never happens again?

69.   How can you create more value with less effort?

70.   What are you willing to do to improve this situation?

71.   What are you willing to stop doing to improve this situation?

72.   How can you enjoy the process of solving this problem?

73.   Do you mind if I ask a very personal question?

74.   What are you willing to commit to here?

75.   Do you need to work harder or delegate this?

76.   If this weakness were also a strength, what would that be?

77.   How can you use this so it becomes a benefit?

78.   Have you decided to take action or are you just hoping you will?

79.   Are you angry or are you hurt?

80.   Who can help you with this?

81.   Does your current habitat fully support who you’re becoming?

82.   What do you need in order to succeed here?

83.   What plan do you need in order to achieve your new goals?

84.   Are your personal standards high enough to reach your goals?

85.   What will your impact be 100 years from now?

86.   Who do you need to become in order to succeed here?

87.   What are you responsible for here?

88.   Instead of either/or, how could you use both?

89.   Are you approaching this from your head or from your heart?

90.   Is this an assumption or have you checked to be sure?

91.   How can you learn what you need to know about this?

92.   Is this the best outcome you can imagine or is there something greater?

93.   Do you have a detailed strategy to get there?

94.   How will you transform your life with this new knowledge?

95.   What does this accomplishment mean to you?

96.   Why does it matter?

97.   Who did you have to become to achieve it?

98.   What did you learn in the process?

99.   Who else will benefit?

100. What’s next for you?

101. How have you changed the world for generations to come?