One of the most important things I learned in coaching school was the impact of a powerful question. A lazy or unimaginative question doesn’t spark much, but a powerful question can break open entirely new vistas of action and inquiry. It is one of my favorite parts of being a coach.

When my clients are in victim mode, a favorite question is “whyyyyyy is this happening to me/our team/our organization/our planet?” This question prompts a cascade of non-helpful thoughts, and even fewer substantive, actionable responses.

I’m convinced that what you ask yourself matters A LOT.

As a coach, I’m in a privileged position to hear the rich questions my clients are posing, and I share them in hopes that they will grab you, as they have grabbed me:

-How do I learn to live with the limits I am currently subject to? Which limits are real, and which are self-imposed? Are my limits temporary, or here to stay? Where am I entirely free to think and act–and what am I waiting for?

-How do I contend with the forces of both change and recalcitrance, in myself and others?

-What are my growth edges? What do I need to stop doing? What do I need to learn how to do?

-What does the world need? Given my role and skills, how can I help meet those needs?

-How can I survive a world that is painfully __________________(fill in the blank) What can I actually DO about it? How can I effectively address the cruel realities we are living with?

-What does hope look like?

These are not the questions my clients used to ponder in executive coaching sessions of yore. But they are today’s questions, borne out of personal and professional experiences in these last difficult years.

I don’t know the answers, but I do know that these are not rhetorical questions. They deserve deep consideration and conversation.

I also know they are not the only questions. What questions are surfacing in your world?

Share them. Because you know what good questions can spark.