Wise Bites: April 2, 2021
Happy Friday,
How did we get to April so fast? As you prepare for a beautiful weekend, take a moment to consume an illuminating review of a segment from a book, a few quotes that will capture your attention, and a thought-provoking find from the internet - small bites of wisdom. Here is the Wise Bites memo for your consideration this week.
Book Segment
This week, I want to share a book segment review from The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier. In this short read, Stanier distills the most critical habits of coaching into seven transformative questions that every leader should ask to improve their work and help others improve theirs.
The Kickstart question - “What’s on your mind?” - This question is an excellent start to any conversation. It is the perfect balance between being focused and open that invites people to what is most important to them.
The Awe question - “And what else?” - This self-management question opens the door for more insight and self-awareness and sets the stage for the rest of the questions.
The Focus question - “What’s the real challenge here for you?” - This question slows down any rush to action and helps you address the real problem.
The Foundation question - “What do you want?” - This question helps you to get at the heart of what matters most.
The Lazy question - “How can I help?” - This powerful question is a time saver question for you as it forces those you are working with to make a clear and direct request and keeps you from making assumptions about what would be best.
The Strategic question - “If you’re saying yes to this, what are you saying no to?” - This complex question is a time saver question for those working with you, as it helps them clarify their commitments.
The Learning question - “What was most useful for you?” - The bookend question helps you create a space for those that you work with to have learning moments, and it connects back to the kickstart question.
Stanier wisely advises us to ask one question at a time when implementing the coaching habit. He shares that rolling out a string of questions, regardless of our motivations or intentions, could make people defensive and undermine our goal of helping others get better.
Quotes
Be regular and orderly in your life so that you may be violent and original in your work. -Gustav Flaubert
Leadership is the art of giving people a platform for spreading ideas that work. -Seth Godin
Stay tuned for future Wise Bites memos; share them online, and tell a friend!
