While polishing a module in my Coaching Style of Leadership program yesterday, I rediscovered a gem of wisdom from Marshall Goldsmith, the six leadership coaching self-reflection questions to ask yourself daily as you grow into your best self.
Why active questions matter in leadership coaching
In a discussion with his daughter, Marshall explored a perplexing question: Why do American companies invest billions in employee engagement training, yet see disappointing returns?
Kelly pointed out that the problem often lies in how companies frame their questions. Traditional engagement surveys rely on passive questions such as “Do you have clear goals?” The easy answer is “No one gave me any.” This focuses on extrinsic factors rather than intrinsic effort.
There is a huge difference between “Do you have clear goals?” and “Did you do your best to set clear goals for yourself?” The former tries to determine the employee’s state of mind; the latter challenges the employee to describe or defend a course of action.
By asking ourselves, “Did I do my best?” we shift focus from circumstances to our actions. This builds accountability and ownership.
Six leadership coaching self-reflection questions
Marshall overhauled his daily self-reflection routine, and the results were extraordinary. Here are the first six questions he asks himself each day. There are 32 in total; you can explore them in the sources below.
- Did I do my best to increase my happiness?
- Did I do my best to find meaning?
- Did I do my best to be engaged?
- Did I do my best to build positive relationships?
- Did I do my best to set clear goals?
- Did I do my best to make progress toward goal achievement?
Try it for two weeks
As you get ready to re-engage with work and school routines, try these leadership coaching self-reflection questions for yourself and see. If you like, try this for two weeks, then send me a note about your results. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sources
- https://marshallgoldsmith.com/articles/6-questions-that-will-set-you-up-to-be-super-successful
- Goldsmith, M. (2016). Triggers. Profile Books Ltd.
