When we communicate with others, and especially when coaching, the quality of our questions can have tremendous impact on the outcome.

We can have good intentions, but a question which is leading or directive can shut down a conversation and limit the creativity and resourcefulness of those you work with.

In this episode you'll learn how to know if you are asking leading questions, and what to do about it, so you can communicate more effectively and develop your team at the same time.

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We often hear the word "coach" and think it means the same, whether someone is a leadership coach or sports coach.

But all coaching IS NOT created equal.

Sports coaching and leadership coaching are actually very different, and in order to know which we are doing, it's important to know the differences.

So we don't end up "sports coaching" our team.

This is a common misunderstanding I see people make, and one worth clarifying.

Join me in this short episode as I explain the differences...

This week registration opens for "The Coach Approach Leadership Style" coaching course and to give you an idea of what we cover, I am sharing the top three mistakes I see new humanitarian and development leaders make when coaching, and how you can overcome them!

I'm showing you how these might impact the quality of your coaching, and how to increase your effectiveness with a few small changes.  

To check out enrollment for the coaching course visit here.

Understanding how to acknowledge our team can be the difference between gaining their trust and breaking it.

It's more than just saying "nice job!" or "you're amazing!"

In this episode I share tips on how to acknowledge (hint, it's different from a complement) and how you can use it to motivate your team's performance and productivity.

When we plan our Development Plans for the year, and we want to be stronger in a certain area, we usually assume we need a training.

And that may be partially true.

But training alone does not guarantee action.

Have you ever wondered why your team member attends a training on how to be an amazing presenter, and then still does not want to present?

Or maybe they learn how to have a difficult conversation, but they still avoid having it.

Many times the real reason we don't take action does...

Sometimes we get lost in the busyness of our day, and we forget what leadership really is.

True leadership is not about using our power to make others follow our commands.

True leadership is about inspiring and motivating others to WANT to follow us.

How do we do that?

In this episode, we review what it means to lead, and how to know when we are leading versus doing something else, and the best way to motivate others to want to follow us.

When you are coaching or learning to coach your team to better performance, you want to do it well.

I see this with my students when they first start learning how to coach.

They know they need to ask a series of questions to help their team think through their own problem.

And so they want to know which is the RIGHT question to ask?

What questions are the right questions?

In this episode I explore how there are no right questions (sorry to disappoint), but there are questions you can ask...

When we first start a conversation with our team member, they may say they want to solve a certain problem.

But if we allow them the ability to think things through, sometimes the original problem is not the REAL problem.

In other words, what they say they want is not what they REALLY want.

This is a powerful realization, and can mean the difference between having a conversation which results in no action because the root problem has not been addressed, versus one that allows forward...

It is natural to have blindspots in our thinking and perspectives about things.

For example, perhaps you travel to a different country and use your finger to point at someone, which is seen in that country as very offensive.

Of course once you become aware of this, you will likely stop doing it (I hope at least).

That is why the more we understand about our blindspots - the way we perceive things - and how they might be hurting us, the more ability we have to decide if we want to keep them...

How much does your team rely on you?

Maybe it's not the entire team that needs your help.

Maybe it's one or two people.

You have shown them how to do something again and again...

And still they don't do it on their own.

If you recognize this situation, it is likely you are partly responsible for it.

You may think you are being helpful, but your actions as a leader are creating a team that's dependent on you.

How can you make your team become not rely on you?

Find out in this week's episode.