It’s one of the simplest questions you can ask, and it almost always gleans the most powerful of answers. You’ve probably asked this question of yourself when you’ve had to make a choice, or if you’ve experienced feelings of self-doubt. Being asked what is stopping you can allow you to stop and think about what is triggering your hesitation towards making a choice. Sometimes it’s not the choice itself, it’s the fear of making the choice that gets in the way of achieving goals. Some familiar answers to this question might be:

• I don’t have time, support, money, clothes,
• I don’t know if I really want to…
• I’m too tired
• I’m not skilled enough
• I’m not knowledgeable enough
• I’m not good enough
• I’m not enough

Some people think that in the workplace, a question like this is reserved for those responsible for the development of staff. The great news is that anyone can ask this question of their colleagues. You might even be asking it at the most poignant of times.

A quick coffee break chat, seemingly without purpose, might yield the biggest insights. As a basic example, you might ask a colleague ‘what’s stopping you from taking forward that great idea?’. You are likely to encounter an answer such as one of the above. At Coaching Direct, we call these ‘coachable moments’. What you do next could be pivotal, so how do you then focus your colleague to action?

• Identify the blocker – what is actually stopping you?
• What mechanisms can you put in place or what actions can you take to remove the blocker?
• What small changes can you make to your mindset?
• Set a goal (use the SMART method)
• How will you achieve that goal?
• How will you hold yourself accountable?
• What will life/the situation be like when you’ve achieved that goal?

Conversations like these can really bring about a new, action-focused dynamic in the workplace. Now in our second year with Education Scotland, we have co-created the Into Coaching programme to introduce participants to the elements that make up a basic coaching conversation. You will be matched with a similar-stage career peer to have 3 conversations each way. You will learn that listening is more important as asking the right questions and that conversations that focus on the future don’t have to be formal or structured.  They can be part of your everyday work environment. What I have noticed in the 12 years that I have been training coaches, is that they get caught up creating the perfect, powerful question but as you can see, the simpler the better when it comes to coaching, allowing the person to shine, not your question.

What’s holding you back from learning how to have effective, meaningful coaching conversations? Join today. It could be the most productive 10 hours you’ve spent!

This FREE to access opportunity is open to all educators across Scotland and you can register here to take part.