A manager once told me, “Abe, sometimes my people just need an answer. I don’t have time to coach every situation.”

He was right.

Not every conversation needs to become a coaching session. But I’ve learned that sometimes one good question can accomplish more than ten minutes of advice.

That’s the power of micro-coaching.

At Flourishing Workplace, we teach leaders to recognize small moments where a thoughtful question can build confidence, clarity, and ownership.

Here are five questions every manager should have ready:

1. “What do you think?”
   Before giving your answer, discover theirs. You may be surprised by how much capability is already sitting in front of you.
2. “What’s really getting in the way?”
   The first problem mentioned isn’t always the real problem. This question helps uncover the barrier beneath the surface.
3. “What options do you see?”
   Instead of becoming the solution machine, help people expand their thinking and explore possibilities.
4. “What would a good next step look like?”
   Big challenges become manageable when people identify one clear action they can own.
5. “What support do you need from me?”
   Coaching doesn’t mean abandoning people to figure everything out. Great leaders combine ownership with support.

 

Through Certified Flourishing Coaching, we teach that coaching is not simply a meeting—it’s a way of relating to people that communicates:

I believe you can think.
I believe you can grow.
I believe you can lead.

Imagine what could happen if every manager asked just one more question before giving an answer.

You might solve fewer problems for your people.

But you’ll develop more people who can solve problems themselves.

And that is leadership that multiplies.

✨ Download our free guide, The Flourishing Framework, and discover practical tools for bringing coaching, ownership, and flourishing into everyday leadership.

 

 

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.