PODCASTS
SHINE YOUR LIGHT with NADINE ZEINOUN
Join Brianne Ligori and Nadine Zeinoun for an insightful conversation on how coaching can drive performance.
COACHFUL COACHING LEADERSHIP PODCAST with BRIANNE LIGORI
Join David Fung and Brianne Ligori for an insightful conversation on side-by-side leadership and the impact of mental health on workplace dynamics.
EMPOWERMENT
Join Brianne and Andrew Stoute for a powerful conversation about empowerment in the workplace.
COACHING MINUTE WITH BRIANNE LIGORI & FRIENDS
EPISODE Three: The Power of Curiosity in Leadership:
Paul Shields on Coaching
question: What does coaching mean to you and why is it important now more than ever?
“The heart of great coaching lies in curiosity and connection.”
Paul Shields, an LCI Certified Coach with over 20 years of experience, believes that coaching is about being genuinely curious with every client. His message? When leaders take the time to listen and explore challenges with an open mind, they unlock new levels of awareness and growth. In today’s fast-paced world, Paul emphasizes the importance of curiosity and empathy to foster stronger connections and more successful teams.
question: A lot of new coaches have a hard time setting the need to give advice aside, what words of wisdom do you have for them?
“Great coaching is about staying curious and resisting the urge to give advice.”
In a recent discussion, Paul Shields, an LCI Certified Coach with over 20 years of experience, emphasized the importance of holding back and letting curiosity lead the way. His advice? When you feel the urge to offer solutions, take a step back and ask one more insightful question. This approach not only empowers your team but also helps them discover their own path forward. Paul’s passion is helping leaders build self-awareness and create collaborative, high-performing teams that excel.
QUESTION: Sometimes in coaching, we do our best to stay in coaching mode by asking questions but sometimes our coachee isn’t sure what to do and they default to asking for our opinion. How do you manage through this situation skillfully?
“Coaching is about asking the right questions, not jumping to quick solutions.”
Paul Shields, an LCI Certified Coach with over 20 years of experience, recently shared his strategy for when clients ask for direct advice. Instead of giving answers, Paul emphasizes the importance of exploring the situation thoroughly through powerful questions. This approach helps people gain deeper insights and arrive at their own conclusions, creating more meaningful growth. Paul is passionate about helping leaders build their coaching skills and foster high-performing teams.
QUESTION: As a certified coach, you have taken a lot of coach training, and done a ton of coaching practice! What was your biggest learning from your coach training?
“Active listening is more than a skill—it’s about being fully present in every moment.”
Paul Shields, an LCI Certified Coach with over 20 years of experience, recently shared his key learning from his coaching certification journey. While he always saw himself as a good listener, coaching taught him the value of truly being in the moment, rather than thinking ahead to the next question or solution. By focusing on the words and emotions of his clients, Paul found that real breakthroughs happen when we listen deeply and stay fully engaged.
LCI QUESTION OF THE WEEK
NOVEMBER 4TH: What impact do you want to have?
This powerful question helps take people away from feeling like they have to know the answer or solution and into a place that connects them to meaning. Why what they are doing matters. And we all know that when we connect to our WHY, we can do anything!!
NOVEMBER 11TH: What assumptions have you made?
As leaders and team members, we all bring unique experiences and skills to our roles. And of course, there are many positives to this. However, sometimes our past experiences can cause us to bring judgments, biases, and assumptions to the table. When this happens, it can hold our creativity back and create a pattern of doing things in the same way we did in the past. Asking the question “what assumptions have you made” can help people shift away from habits or old ways of thinking and open us up to new ways!
november 18th: What strengths do you have that could help you there?
Sometimes people feel stuck that they can’t overcome a particular barrier or obstacle to get where they want to go. This question can be a bit of a reality check for people. It helps them connect in with their potential and to realize they can do more than they think. It does this by assisting them in identifying what strengths they have and how they can help them reach their goals.
NOVEMBER 25TH: If there were no limits, what would you do?
This question taps into the creative side of our brain and opens us up to endless possibilities. It’s okay if the ideas our coachee comes up with aren’t fully implementable. The purpose of this question is to help people shift from being stuck in old ways of thinking and repeating old ideas, to a more creative space where they can explore new and creative ways of doing things.
Book a Call
If you are curious about how coaching can help you and your organization, book a call with our team to learn more.