A manager once said to me, “Abe, I love the idea of coaching my team. I just don’t have an extra hour every day to do it.”

I understood.

Then I told him something that changed how he looked at coaching:

“You don’t always need an hour. Sometimes you need five minutes and one great question.”

 

We often imagine coaching as a scheduled conversation behind a closed door. And those conversations matter. But some of the most powerful coaching happens in the ordinary moments of a workday.

A team member walks into your office with a problem.

Instead of immediately giving the answer, ask: “What do you think we should do?”

Someone finishes a challenging presentation.

Instead of simply saying, “Great job,” ask: “What worked well, and what would you do differently next time?”

An employee feels overwhelmed by competing priorities.

Instead of reorganizing everything for them, ask: “What feels most important right now?”

These are micro-coaching moments—short, intentional conversations that turn everyday situations into opportunities for growth.

 

At Flourishing Workplace, we believe coaching shouldn’t be another item leaders add to already overloaded calendars. It can become part of how they lead.

And through Certified Flourishing Coaching, we equip leaders and coaches with the listening, questioning, and presence skills that make these moments meaningful.

Over time, something powerful happens.

People become better thinkers. Confidence grows. Ownership increases. Leaders become less of a bottleneck.

The goal isn’t to coach every conversation.

It’s to recognize the moments when asking instead of answering could help someone grow.

Because leadership development doesn’t only happen in training rooms.

Sometimes it happens in the hallway, after a meeting, or during five unexpected minutes on a Tuesday afternoon.

✨ If you’d like practical tools to build mental fitness into your daily leadership rhythm, check out our ICF-accredited pathway right here: https://discover.certifiedflourishingcoach.com/icf

 

 

From the Tla’amin Nation on the Sunshine Coast in B.C., to the Mi’kmaq peoples of Atlantic Canada, to James Smith Cree Nation in Saskatchewan, to the O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation in Northern Manitoba, to the Samson Cree Nation and Sucker Creek First Nation, and over thirty others, Abe Brown has been fortunate to work with First Nations communities from coast to coast to coast. Abe Brown, MBA, CMCT, CPHSA is the Coach’s Coach and is an Entrepreneur, Professional Speaker, International Best-Selling Author, and High-Performance Leadership Coach. He is the founder of Certified Flourishing Coaching™ and the Flourishing Coaching Program™, and the CEO of Wellness Innovate Corporation. Abe is also the author of the Certified Flourishing Coaching™ Programs, which is an accredited ICF Coach Training Provider. Abe is known as the Coach’s Coach and is people-first. He is passionate about supporting people, entrepreneurs, businesses, and non-profits to thrive. Flourishing people produce flourishing relationships, businesses, and workplaces, along with high performance and profound positive impact. Abe is also passionate about workplace mental health and changing the world by changing the workplace. Along with the team at Wellness Innovate, Abe is the creator of Flourishing Workplace™. Abe has started or led several businesses and non-profits into the tens of millions of dollars and has worked in the entrepreneur space, corporate space, and non-profit space at Senior Executive levels. As President of one of the largest Life & Executive Coach Training and Certification organizations in the world for 13 years, Abe trained and certified thousands of Life and Executive Coaches in over 20 different countries. Abe is focused on coaching leaders, executives, and entrepreneurs towards high-performance, resilience, and over-the-top results in both life and business. Abe has also been a professional speaker for over two decades, having spoken in 4 continents and over 20 countries, to audiences of tens of thousands. Abe and the global team are pioneering the very first evidence-based coaching model that taps into the psychology of flourishing with a certified coaching practitioner lens. Abe earned a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Calgary Haskayne School of Business and a Master in Education and Counselling. Abe is also a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with the International Coaching Federation (https://coachingfederation.org/) and was a registered therapist for 9 years.