Day 11 · Act II — Lead People
Coaching People to Their Potential
Powerful questions · GROW model
~30 minutes
Answers create dependence; questions create capability.
The Core Idea
The fastest-growing teams have leaders who ask more than they tell. Every time you solve a problem someone could have solved, you rob them of growth.
Coaching is a disciplined conversation that helps others think better. It requires restraint — the hardest part is staying curious a little longer.
The Mental Model
GROW
Goal, Reality, Options, Will — popularised by Sir John Whitmore.
At work: Goal: 'Lead the client pitch.' Reality: 'Nervous with senior buyers.' Options: rehearse, co-present, shadow. Will: 'Rehearse twice with me by Thursday.'
The Case Study
Bill Campbell, the 'Trillion Dollar Coach'
DocumentedBill Campbell coached leaders at Apple, Google and elsewhere; his approach is documented in Trillion Dollar Coach by Schmidt, Rosenberg and Eagle.
Interpretation: coaching leverage multiplies through every leader you develop.
Cinema & Story
Hidden Figures (2016)
Leaders unlock potential by removing barriers and backing people others overlook.
The Reading Room
The Coaching Habit
Michael Bungay Stanier
Seven essential questions that make coaching a daily practice.
Further reading: Coaching for Performance — Sir John Whitmore
The Journal · Portfolio output: Coaching conversation plan
The Field Experiment · within 24 hours
Run one 15-minute GROW conversation. Do not offer a single solution.
The Evening Review
Grow people, and the results grow themselves.