4 Powerful Coaching Questions to Drive Growth and Achievement

Abe Brown, MBA, M.R.Ed, PCC I am about 3 or 4 days away from literal insanity. What I mean by that is because of my existing mental health issues, the trauma from my past, and the things I’m still dealing with to this day, I have to have a daily routine. Every single day, I need to do the same things in the morning before anything else. Just last night, I got in past 11 PM from a flight, and I still got up at 3:30 AM the next morning. It’s not because I’m trying to be a hero but because I need to continually ask myself a certain set of questions. 

Through meditation, prayer, reflection, and journaling, I repeatedly ask myself these questions. Claude Levi-Strauss once said, “The wise man doesn’t give the right answers; he poses the right questions.” So, I want to be wise here today by giving 4 coaching questions that can drive growth, fuel achievement, and change your life. 

1. What If?

You’re probably wondering, “What if what?” And that’s precisely the question. This is a question about possibility and maximum potential. So many people live in a content, mediocre, average state. Not because they don’t have massive boatloads of potential but because they haven’t learned to regularly ask themselves the question, “What if?” 

If you don’t ask yourself the question, “What if?” then you will always settle for what is. “What if” is that question that constantly pushes you higher. I’ll tell you what: I asked “What if” in 2008 when I lost everything. I lost all my friends, my marriage, my home, my finances. 

However, it was asking that “What if” question that allowed me to see the possibilities and, eventually, dig myself out of that hole I had dug myself into. And when you begin asking that question, it can absolutely change your life. When I was coming out of that broken marriage, broken home, and all the things I had lost, I began asking myself, “What if.”

And it changed my life. What if questions allow you to see things the way you want them to be rather than the way they are. 

2. So What?

This question, in my mind, speaks to purpose and meaning. When someone tells you, “Hey, I just did this ‘thing’” And your response is, “So what?” What you’re doing is asking them to define the significance of that thing. Listen. If your “So what” is powerful,” your “what if” is possible. Purpose and meaning drive achievement and growth.

Why is that? Because you are the most powerful, where you are the most passionate. You are the most productive, where you are the most preoccupied. You are the highest performing, where you are the most purposeful. 

So, you need to determine the place where your passion is driving you the most—that is the place of power within your life. You won’t find it anywhere else. I’ll tell you what: Dr. Vicktor Frankl formulated an entire school of psychology around this idea called logotherapy. 

As a survivor of the Nazi death camps of WWII, Frankl found that when people had a sense of purpose and meaning (regardless of the conditions they found themselves in), people were able to survive and fight on. And it all stemmed from having a clear purpose in their minds and hearts. 

Here’s the deal: you can only be truly successful at something (from a heart and financial standpoint) when you love what you do. And that’s why the “What if” question has to be followed by the “So what” question. 

3. Then How?

I am so blessed in my business, my work, and my team. And I don’t mind saying it: I give all the glory to God. In our work, I get to work with Fortune 500 companies, small mom-and-pop operations, plumbing and electrical companies, restaurants, you name it! We also work with First Nations; these are our Indigenous people across Canada.  

Why am I telling you this? Most of the time, when I’m working with these communities (and this is where my empathy comes in), I feel for people with significant barriers. It could be a barrier to launching a business or even starting a new job.

Now, barriers are a fact of life. I think we all know that. Sometimes, those barriers are internal, and sometimes, they’re external. I don’t know what you’re facing right now. 

Whatever your “What if” question (possibility) exposes and your “So what” question (purpose) helps you understand, I can promise you that the “Then how” is the question that will reveal how you’ll overcome your barriers and challenges. I don’t know anyone who’s barrier-free. 

Even if you’re Elon Musk with enormous capacity, ingenuity, and creativity, he still has barriers as well. So, we’ve got to figure out a way to mitigate the barriers. Never argue for your limitations. They’re already arguing against you; they don’t need your help. 

Here’s a little problem-solving matrix that I think will really help.

1. List all the problems and obstacles you face: Write them all down. They don’t even have to be accurate; this is more about what you perceive to be a problem or barrier. 
2. Divide the list into controllable and non-controllable: Now, you need to take that list and divide it into what you can and can’t control. This will give you perspective on things and allow you to let go things you can’t control and better manage the things you can. 
3. Make a list of all your resources: Some resources are external (money, relationships, etc.); however, some are internal (motivation, discipline, a positive attitude, etc.). Now, you have a list of resources that you can throw at your list of problems. This process gives you perspective and allows you to see that you have a lot more going for you than you may have originally thought. 
4. Apply all your resources to the controllables: Here, you need to take what you have (regardless of how much or modest it is) and throw it at the problems or obstacles that are blocking your way.
5. Emotionally regulate around the non-controllables: You can’t change the non-controllables. As a result, you have to emotionally regulate around them so that they don’t become another hindrance on your path. 

4. And When?

When are you going to do all of this stuff? This has to do with priorities. Here’s the thing: you do not need to worry about managing time if you can effectively manage priorities. This is important. There’s an old proverb that says, “If you chase two rabbits, both will escape.” What this means is that we can’t succeed if we’re chasing down too many things. 

For many of us, having goals is not the problem. The problem is that we often have so many goals that we get overwhelmed and end up quitting them all. With that in mind, I want to invite you to try something a little counterintuitive…

Why not have a not-to-do list? As of this writing, we’re marching into 2025. So why not, for the new year, make a resolution NOT to have 90 resolutions? Think of all the progress you could make if you gave your wholehearted attention to one, two, maybe three things. 

I promise you: if you have a smaller list, you will always accomplish more than if you have a bigger, bloated one. A smaller list means greater effectiveness. You can have it all; you just can’t have it all at once. 

I know for me, I have many priorities. I have multiple businesses, numerous business partners, I have a wife and children, many close friends, and a relationship with God. So, I like to bring all of those things together as close as possible. 

And with these essentials in my life, it means that I have to neglect pretty much everything else that is not connected to them. And you’ll have to learn how to do the same. 

This is what it means to manage your priorities instead of managing your time. Should your priority be to scroll through TikTok for 2 hours a day? I hope not. Hopefully you have more important things to do. But whenever we find ourselves letting time slip away through procrastination or distractions, it’s always a matter of us failing to manage our priorities properly. 

In Conclusion

At Flourishing Workplace, we’re here to help you create a thriving workplace culture where everyone belongs, everyone contributes, and everyone thrives. So, if you’re ready to create that kind of workplace culture in your own organization, we can support you with that ambition. So, if you’re ready, contact us today for a free discovery session. 

We’ll walk you through a detailed roadmap for how we can help you create a thriving workplace culture so your time feels inspired to come to work every day.

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About the Author

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 Flourishing Workplace. Abe is also the author of the Certified Flourishing Coaching™ Programs.