Leadership isn’t just about giving direction, it’s about unlocking potential. That’s where coaching comes in. Coaching is not the same as mentoring. Coaching empowers your team to think for themselves, grow confidence, and build accountability. But it’s not a one-size-fits-all tool.
Mentoring is sharing wisdom from experience.
Coaching is asking powerful questions to help someone find their own answers.
Why Coaching Belongs in Your Leadership Toolkit
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Builds self-reliance, not dependency
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Unlocks new thinking and innovation
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Develops critical thinking in your team
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Drives performance without micromanaging
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Strengthens trust and engagement
When Coaching Works
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A team member is stuck or facing a challenge
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You want to encourage ownership or self-reflection
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There’s time to explore, not just act
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You’re growing someone’s leadership potential
When It Doesn’t
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There’s a crisis and quick decisions are needed
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The person genuinely lacks experience or context
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You’ve already coached and now it’s time for action
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Clear direction or compliance is non-negotiable
Powerful Coaching Questions to Keep Handy
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What’s the real challenge here for you?
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What options have you considered?
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What would success look like?
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What’s holding you back?
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How could you move forward from here?
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What support do you need from me?
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If you weren’t afraid, what would you do?
Before You Coach: Prepare Yourself
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Check your mindset: Are you curious, not judgmental?
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Silence your inner fixer: This isn’t about solving it for them.
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Create space: Don’t squeeze coaching into rushed check-ins.
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Practice deep listening: Focus on them, not your next point.
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Clarify intent: Are you coaching to grow them, not prove a point?
Coaching is a powerful leadership tool and knowing when and how to use it is what makes it effective.
If you want to find out more about a useful coaching tool called the GROW MODEL you can check out our blog post about that here
ClarityCoach.ie: Transforming how your teams think and behave to drive better results