Decision Coaching Questions
Many leaders want to distribute decisions, but few succeed.
Telling people they can decide is not enough.
If their first attempt goes wrong or they feel stuck, they won’t be eager to try again.
And classroom training isn’t the answer. Detached from day-to-day reality, it often raises more questions than it solves.
A better approach:
Start with hands-on coaching for a few people.
Once a critical mass gets it, others pick it up naturally.
You can use the following decision coaching questions, for instance when someone comes to you with an issue (“We have a client pushing back on pricing. What should I do?”)
1. What would you do, and why?
(This one changes everything.)
2. Go deeper when needed:
• How did you arrive at that conclusion?
• What are the options?
• What are the trade-offs?
• What would our purpose or values guide you to do?
• What have you tried? What did you learn?
3. Share context
(Purpose, values, vision, priorities …)
4. Which 2–3 people can give input that improves this decision?
5. Who is best placed to make the call, you or someone else?
The extra effort of coaching instead of deciding yourself pays off quickly.
✨ Bonus tip: ask each team member how much guidance vs. autonomy they want. People need varying levels of both, depending on the person and context.
I learned this the hard way.
When we shifted to distributed decisions, I gave everyone similar guidance.
One person wanted more support.
Another was furious because I interfered too much.
Same approach. Opposite reactions.
Since then, I ask constantly:
• “Do you want more or less guidance from me here?”
• “Are you open to some input?”
• “Do you want full-on guidance, or just help with one aspect?”
~~~
Distributing decisions isn’t about letting go.
It’s about staying involved in a different way:
Fewer answers.
Better questions.
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