10 Coaching Questions for Better Year-End Results

Now with the holiday season in full swing, many business leaders are preparing for and conducting year-end reviews with their employees. As a component of this process, managers should not underestimate the impact of coaching on individual, team, and organizational goals. There are often big returns on time and energy invested. As an executive coach, I implore all business leaders to incorporate coaching into their reviews with each team member.

The key to great coaching is asking lots of provocative, non-judgmental, open-ended questions. In the context of year-end reviews, some effective questions include:

1. What successes or accomplishments do you want to celebrate from 2014, both individually and as a team?
2. What are the best practices present in those achievements that stand out?
3. Which practices do you want to replicate going forward?
4. What were the key lessons learned?
5. What are some creative ways you might have surmounted the obstacles you encountered?
6. What might you do differently going forward?
7. Which of the goals in progress are top priority?
8. What and when are your next tangible action steps to keep them moving forward?
9. Is there a theme you noticed and want to build upon for next year?
10. What are some areas of development you’d like support on in order to better position you to reach your 2015 (and beyond) goals?

I love this quote by author and performance expert Zig Ziglar, "People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing —that’s why we recommend it daily.” If you want to ensure greater focus, clarity, and accountability on your team’s goals in 2015, you should incorporate coaching not only in your year-end reviews but in your daily routine to maximize the performance of your organization.