🧠 5 Coaching Questions Every Leader Should Be Asking Themselves Weekly

In fast-moving environments shaped by disruption, innovation, and AI-driven change, the most effective leaders aren't the ones with all the answers — they’re the ones asking the right questions.

Whether you're leading a team, an organization, or a major change initiative, self-reflection through coaching-style questions is a powerful way to stay aligned, aware, and adaptable. These questions help sharpen focus, boost emotional intelligence, and ensure you're not just doing — but leading with purpose.

Here are 5 powerful coaching questions every leader should be asking themselves weekly.

1. What did I do this week that aligned with my values and long-term vision?

This question grounds you in purpose. In the daily whirlwind of meetings, decisions, and deadlines, it’s easy to get swept into short-term reactivity. Reflecting on alignment helps you:

• Identify meaningful wins — even small ones

• Reconnect with your leadership “why”

• Notice when your calendar doesn't match your priorities

👉 Try this: At the end of each week, write down one action you took that felt truly aligned — and one area where you drifted.

2. Where did I lead vs. manage?

Leadership is about vision, influence, and creating the conditions for others to thrive. Management is about tasks, processes, and execution. Both matter — but they serve different purposes.

This question invites you to assess:

• Are you spending enough time empowering others, not just directing?

• Did you make space for strategy, reflection, or innovation — or just stay in execution mode?

• Are you showing up as a leader who inspires change or a manager who maintains status quo?

👉 Pro tip: Block 1 hour weekly for “leadership time” — thinking, visioning, or coaching others.

3. How did I support growth — my own and my team’s?

Coaching-focused leaders prioritize development. They don’t just solve problems — they build capability.

Ask yourself:

• Did I give constructive feedback this week?

• Did I ask curious, open-ended questions rather than give answers?

• What did I learn — and how am I sharing that learning?

👉 Growth culture starts with you. Make it visible. Share books, lessons, or even what you're struggling with — it builds trust.

4. Where did I experience resistance — and what might it be telling me?

Resistance isn’t failure. It’s information.

Whether it came from your team, a client, or within yourself, resistance can point to:

• Unmet needs

• Unclear expectations

• Misalignment or fear of change

Asking this question helps you:

• Practice empathy

• Avoid defensiveness

• Turn tension into a source of insight

👉 Coach’s mindset: “What’s the deeper need beneath this reaction?”

5. What kind of energy did I bring into the room — and how did it impact others?

Leadership is contagious. The energy you bring — calm, urgency, warmth, tension — shapes how your team feels and functions.

Reflect on:

• Did I uplift or drain?

• Did I show up present and intentional?

• What signals did I send with my tone, pace, or presence?

👉 You don’t have to be “on” all the time — but you do need to be aware of your impact.

🔁 Weekly Leadership Reflection Template

To put this into practice, try journaling on these five questions each Friday afternoon or Monday mornings. It only takes 10–15 minutes and can dramatically sharpen your leadership presence.

Why It Matters

At LWY Consultancy, we believe the best leaders coach themselves first. By cultivating reflective habits like these, you’re not only improving your own leadership — you’re modeling the kind of behaviors that helps your team, and your organization, grow stronger.

Small, consistent reflection leads to powerful, sustainable change.

Want to go deeper? We offer executive coaching and leadership development tailored for today’s AI-powered, people-centered world. Let’s talk about how we can support your growth as a reflective, strategic leader. lwyconsultancy@gmail.com or +1 510-499-9339.