I Challenge the "Real" POWERFUL QUESTION in Coaching!

Here it is: Does a “powerful” question make any sense? NO, and I’ll explain why. This implies there are genuinely dumb questions. In everyday life, we’re all confronted with those, but in coaching… is it really a place for dumb questions?

Notice I added the word “real” — since I know people like that, I thought, well, why not… Because it all comes down to adjectives.

And this applies to all the other adjectives used to describe a question: impactful, foundational, transformative, magical, aligned… even “dumb,” and on this imaginary line, add all the others I haven’t named.

Are you being guided by someone who defines their questions with a qualifying adjective?

I suggest you take a closer look, with all due respect to your coach. If you ever find yourself thinking their question is dumb, and this happens repeatedly, then consider this: there’s a problem. Either it really is dumb, objectively and upon reflection, in which case it might be worth addressing; or it’s your perception; or you’re just uncomfortable with the question. But if it is truly dumb, maybe it’s best to find another coach.

Sometimes it might even be playful, which is a bit different, with an intro like: “I’m going to ask you a really dumb question.”

But question it just as much, if not more, when they say: “I have a powerful question to ask you.”

In my opinion, a coach shouldn’t add any value-laden element to characterize their question.

What matters above all is that the questions remain free of influence.

Each question serves the client, helping bring an important element or an insight into focus. The question is just a bridge, and the coach often doesn’t know where this bridge will lead.

At the very least, the client might have brought up the same idea with a different question.

The coach isn’t there to boast about asking questions a certain way… Even if, in some cases — which they shouldn’t show, although they’re human — they may feel everything aligns and the perfect question has just emerged to help the client realize something.

It’s clear here that simply adding the adjective “powerful” doesn’t make a question powerful; therefore, it makes no sense. What potentially makes a question powerful is what it’s meant to bring forth, and we can’t know that ahead of time.

Everything lies in the art of asking open and neutral questions.

If a coach spends time identifying and labeling certain types of questions, it raises the question of how this shapes or alters their thoughts and what they draw on daily to support you.

If a coach believes there are powerful questions and sifts through them before asking, I’m skeptical. But one thing is fairly clear to me: their line of questioning is biased by their concern for self-performance or competence rather than moving their client forward.

In short, they’re playing “I’m a top coach with powerful questions” instead of focusing on “How can I move my client forward most intelligently and effectively?”

Let’s stay focused on our client’s best interest. Let’s stay humble in our support. We’re simply a guide.