I once worked with a leader who had a team member who wasn’t performing at the level expected.

His instinct was understandable: “We need to fix the performance problem.”

But as we talked, I asked him a different question: “What if this isn’t only a performance problem? What if there’s potential here that hasn’t been unlocked yet?”

That changed the conversation.

Organizations need performance. Deadlines matter. Standards matter. Results matter.

But when leaders focus exclusively on today’s performance, they can miss tomorrow’s potential.

At Flourishing Workplace, we encourage leaders to hold both.

1. Be clear about expectations. Coaching isn’t avoiding accountability. People need to understand what success looks like and where gaps exist.
2. Get curious before becoming corrective. Instead of immediately asking, “Why aren’t you performing?” try, “What’s getting in the way of you doing your best work?”

That question can uncover gaps in confidence, clarity, skill, resources, alignment, or support.

3. Develop beyond today’s problem. Don’t only ask, “How do we fix this?” Ask, “What capability could we build here that will help you in the future?”

That’s where coaching becomes powerful.

Through Certified Flourishing Coaching, we teach leaders and coaches to create conversations that combine accountability with awareness, ownership, and growth.

Because people don’t flourish when expectations disappear.

They flourish when high expectations are matched with high support.

Sometimes leadership means addressing the performance gap.

But great leadership also sees the person beyond the gap.

Manage the performance you need today. Coach the potential you’ll need tomorrow.

✨ Download our free guide, The Flourishing Framework, for practical tools to develop people, strengthen leadership, and create workplaces where people flourish.

 

 

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.