5 Questions Every Leader Must Ask

Deepak Chopra, the internationally known wellness and human potential guru, uses a framework of five questions that he believes every human being should answer. He’s evolved and used them in his high-impact work over the years.

It occurred to me that Chopra’s questions, with a bit of tailoring for Business Leaders, are an amazingly simple, yet powerful context for both personal insight and doing effective coaching work with your direct reports. And if you’re NOT doing regular one-to-one sessions with your direct reports? Well, this is a great starting point. You are the Leader / the boss / the 800 pound gorilla and taking the initiative to have meaningful conversations with your people about where you are going is very important.

These five questions, when asked in the order presented, form an effective diagnostic tool that can provide better guidance to virtually anyone with whom you are playing the role of a coach. Interestingly, asking them of yourself (and answering – in your journal or other place where you write stuff down) is a powerful self-diagnosis of YOUR capabilities and opportunities.

Here are the questions, with full credit to Deepak Chopra:

1. What is it that you really want to be and do?

2. What are you doing really well that is helping you get there?

3. What are you not doing well that is preventing you from getting there?

4. What will you do differently tomorrow to meet those challenges?

5. How can I help / where do you need the most help?

 

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