410: The Simple Coaching Habit That Changes How Teams Think with Laura and Dominic Ashley-Timms
The Modern ManagerShow Notes
Most managers think their job is to have the answers. But the managers who create the strongest teams often do the opposite: they ask better questions. The challenge is that under pressure, most of us default to fixing, advising, and jumping in with solutions. And while that may feel efficient in the moment, it can unintentionally shut down ownership, confidence, and independent thinking on our teams. Fortunately, this week’s guests explain why coaching doesn’t have to mean hour-long development conversations or formal mentoring sessions. Instead, they share how small “coachable moments” in everyday work conversations can transform the way people think, learn, and perform. Laura Ashley-Timms and Dominic Ashley-Timms are leadership experts, executive coaches, and authors of The Answer Is A Question. Their work focuses on helping managers use operational coaching techniques to develop more confident, capable, and engaged teams through the power of purposeful inquiry.
In this conversation, we explore how to identify coachable moments, the kinds of questions that build confidence and critical thinking, and why managers who stop rushing to provide answers often unlock far greater performance from their teams.
Conversation Topics (00:00) Introduction (02:14) Why managers default to giving answers instead of coaching (05:27) What makes a moment “coachable” (08:43) How operational coaching builds confidence and ownership (12:08) The difference between helpful questions and advice disguised as questions (14:31) The Ques-Gen framework for asking better questions (18:21) How purposeful inquiry creates new insights and learning (19:27) Questions that unintentionally shut people down (22:20) How to share your ideas without dominating the conversation (24:38) The leadership shift from problem-solver to talent developer (30:10) [Extended Episode Only] How to decide if a situation is truly coachable (33:36) [Extended Episode Only] Why small coaching moments create long-term team growth (35:17) [Extended Episode Only] The growing pressure managers face today (37:24) [Extended Episode Only] Why “accidental managers” are burning out (38:56) [Extended Episode Only] Reframing management as enabling others to succeed
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Keep up with Laura Ashley-Timms and Dominic Ashley-Timms - Connect with Laura on LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/laura-ashley-timms - Connect with Dominic on LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/dominic-ashley-timms - Listen to the STAR® Manager Podcast: https://STARmanager.global/podcast - Check out their book The Answer Is A Question: https://www.amazon.com/Answer-Question-Superpower-Everything-Transform/dp/0117093912
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