Leadership Development & Coaching: 5 Ways to Be the Answer

Exceptional leadership isn't about having all the solutions—it's about becoming the compelling answer to your team's most critical questions. What that means in the day-to-day is developing and coaching with intention, creating leaders who don't just manage tasks but inspire unwavering loyalty and commitment.

Author's note. This article has evolved over time from a post created by our co-founder, Tom DeCotiis, PhD in 2015.

Cover Photo by Ana Municio on Unsplash

The Core Leadership Challenge

Most successful leaders understand a fundamental truth: eagles don't fly with turkeys. Your high potentials—the very people who drive results and innovation—will only follow leaders who provide clear answers to their concerns about direction, purpose, and growth.

Being an exceptional leader isn't as complex as many believe. The secret lies in mastering the answers. This means coaching and support that delivers clear direction that transforms how leaders connect with and inspire their teams. When leaders fail to provide these answers employees will seek opportunities elsewhere. This means they take their expertise, relationships, institutional knowledge, and potential with them.

The Ultimate Leadership Question

"Why Should I Follow You?"

This single question lies at the heart of every leader-follower relationship. It's the unspoken consideration happening in everyone's mind, especially strongest performers. When we lose a consistent and compelling answer to this question, our top performers—the eagles—will stray to leaders and organizations that can provide what they're seeking.

Answering this question is a critical part of achieving results, especially when you think about the primary challenge of leading: Earning the loyalty of enthusiastic and committed followers and molding them into a high-performance team that achieves results.

The team performs because the leader leads, and the leader leads by investing, coaching, and developing in ways that answer this key question and those that flow from it.

But here's what makes this challenging: this overarching question breaks down into five specific questions we need answered. Each question builds upon the previous one, creating a map you can follow for leadership excellence. Miss any one of these, and even your best answer to "Why should I follow you?" will fall short.

Answering the Right Questions - the beginning of leadership development and coaching

Exceptional leaders consistently anticipate and address questions before they are asked. When we know the questions our team needs answered, we're also primed to meet their needs for growth and development. We're more effective as coaches because we understand exactly what drives commitment and performance.

The five questions form a logical progression—each one building on the previous answer:

1. Vision + Direction: "Where Are We Going?"

The Challenge: Teams crave clear direction—one of the most common complaints we see in employee surveys. Without knowing the destination, even the most talented individuals feel like they're working in the dark, unable to prioritize effectively or see how their efforts contribute to something meaningful.

Why This Comes First: Before anyone can commit to follow you, they need to know the destination. This is the foundation upon which all other leadership questions build. A leader without clear direction is like a a GPS set to “mystery destination”—and let’s be honest, no one wants to board that vessel.

Focus for Developing as a Leader and Coach:

Craft a Clear and Compelling Vision

• Create a vision statement you can communicate in 2-3 powerful sentences. This could be what you expect your team to accomplish in six months.
• Ensure your vision answers both "what" (the end state) and "why" (the importance)
• Test your vision with trusted team members—can they repeat it back accurately?
• Practice delivering your vision with conviction and enthusiasm in various settings

Create Roadmaps That Connect Daily Work to Long-term Goals

• Break down your 3-5 year vision into annual milestones
• Translate annual goals into quarterly priorities and monthly objectives
• Help each team member see how their specific role and daily tasks contribute to the bigger picture
• Regularly communicate progress toward the vision, celebrating milestones along the way

Master Communication Across the Employee Experience

• Weave vision communication into one-on-ones, making it personal and relevant
• Reference the vision in performance conversations to provide context for expectations
• Open project meetings by connecting the work to the larger direction
• Use the vision as a decision-making filter: "Does this move us toward our destination?"

Eliminate "Silent Priorities"

• Lookout for unspoken projects that compete with your stated vision
• Root out "the way we've always done things" mentalities that contradict your direction
• Address resource allocation that doesn't align with stated priorities
• Call out and resolve conflicting messages from different parts of the organization

Practical Takeaway for Leadership Coaching and Development: Schedule regular vision sessions where leaders practice communicating destination and purpose in various scenarios—from elevator pitches to town halls to difficult one-on-one conversations. Each leader's vision should connect to the broader vision of the broader department and organization.

What's your vision as a leader? Build clarity and take action with a complimentary assessment.

Building to the Next Question: Once your team clearly understands where you're going, they naturally want to know what success will look like when you get there. This leads directly to the second critical question...

2. Purpose + Inspiration: "What Does the Destination Look Like?"

The Challenge: Teams need motivation and a connection to their own personal values and goals. Knowing the destination isn't enough—they need to feel inspired by what they'll find when they arrive and understand how reaching that destination will benefit them personally. This will direct how we develop and coach as leaders.

Why This Builds on Vision: Direction without inspiration is just a task list. This question transforms your vision from an abstract goal into something emotionally compelling that connects with each team member's personal motivations and values.

Leadership Focus for Developing and Coaching Strong Teams:

Paint a Bright and Compelling Picture of Success

• Describe not just what you'll achieve, but what it will feel like to achieve it
• Use sensory language that helps people visualize, hear, and experience success
• Share specific examples of what "winning" looks like for the team, customers, and organization
• Connect the destination to larger purposes: impact on customers, community, industry

Deeply Understand Individual Drivers and Motivations

• Conduct regular one-on-ones focused on understanding what motivates each team member
• Learn about their career aspirations, personal values, and definition of success
• Identify how your vision aligns with their individual goals and growth desires
• Customize your inspiration messaging to resonate with different personality types and motivations

Maximize Strategic Storytelling

• Tell the future story of your team with rich detail and emotional resonance
• Share historical examples from your experience, your team, or your company that demonstrate similar successes
• Use customer success stories that show the real-world impact of your work
• Create narratives that give team members reasons to believe success is achievable

Make the Journey Personally Fulfilling

• Design meaningful milestones that provide satisfaction along the way
• Ensure each team member can see their personal growth within the larger journey
• Create opportunities for learning, skill development, and increasing responsibility
• Celebrate progress and learning, not just final outcomes

Practical Takeaway for Leaders in Coaching and Development: Build leaders' ability to create compelling "future state" narratives that resonate emotionally with diverse team members. Practice sessions should include role-playing with different personality types and motivation styles.

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

Building to the Next Question: Once your team is inspired by the destination and can see themselves succeeding there, they need confidence that there's a logical, achievable path to get there. This naturally leads to questions about strategy and execution...

3. Strategy & Execution: "How Will We Get There?"

The Challenge: Teams need logical, achievable pathways to success. Even with clear direction and inspiring vision, smart people won't commit to a journey that seems impossible, poorly planned, or based on wishful thinking rather than sound strategy.

Why This Builds on Inspiration: Inspiration without a credible plan is just motivation that will quickly fade when people encounter obstacles. This question bridges the gap between the emotional commitment generated by your vision and the practical confidence needed for sustained effort. It builds energy and direction for coaching and development.

Coaching Focus for Strategic Leadership Development:

Develop Strategic Thinking and Planning Capabilities

• Teach leaders to break down complex visions into manageable, sequential phases
• Practice identifying critical path activities and potential bottlenecks
• Develop skills in resource allocation and timeline management
• Learn to create multiple scenario plans for different potential challenges

Master Prioritization and Resource Allocation

• Build frameworks for evaluating competing priorities against strategic objectives
• Develop budgeting and resource planning skills that align with strategic goals
• Learn to say "no" to good opportunities that don't serve the strategic direction
• Create systems for regularly reviewing and adjusting resource allocation based on results

Build Change Management and Communication Expertise

• Understand how to sequence changes to maximize adoption and minimize resistance
• Develop skills in stakeholder analysis and influence mapping
• Learn to communicate strategy in ways that different audiences can understand and support
• Practice addressing concerns and resistance with empathy and clear reasoning

Create Systems for Progress Tracking and Milestone Celebration

• Establish clear metrics that demonstrate progress toward strategic objectives
• Develop regular reporting rhythms that keep strategy visible and top-of-mind
• Design meaningful celebration moments that reinforce progress and maintain momentum
• Build feedback loops that allow for course correction without losing strategic focus

Leadership Development Action: Practice scenario planning and strategic communication exercises that build confidence in pathway articulation. Include exercises where leaders must defend their strategy against intelligent questioning and adapt their approach based on new information.

Execution and delivery are tough. Map out a strategy with a complimentary assessment that assesses your ways of working.

Building to the Next Question: Once your team understands the path forward, they need confidence that you—their leader—have the capability and track record to successfully guide them along that path. This leads to perhaps the most personal of the leadership questions...

4. Credibility & Competence: "Can You Get Us There?"

The Challenge: Leaders must demonstrate both capability and reliability. Your team needs evidence that you have the skills, experience, judgment, and track record to successfully execute the strategy you've outlined. Without this confidence, even the best vision and strategy won't generate committed followership.

Why This Builds on Strategy: A brilliant strategy means nothing if team members don't believe their leader can execute it. This question transforms theoretical planning into practical confidence based on demonstrated competence and proven reliability.

Coaching Focus for Building Leader Credibility:

Demonstrate Technical and Industry Expertise

• Stay Current: Continuously update knowledge of industry trends, best practices, and emerging technologies that impact your strategy
• Share Knowledge Strategically: Regularly contribute insights that help your team understand market dynamics and competitive landscape
• Seek Input Wisely: Know when to defer to team members' expertise while maintaining strategic oversight
• Learn Publicly: Show your team that you're continuously learning and growing, not pretending to know everything
• Connect Dots: Help your team see patterns and implications they might miss, demonstrating broader perspective

Build and Communicate Your Track Record

• Document Success Stories: Maintain a portfolio of previous achievements that demonstrate relevant capabilities
• Share Failure Lessons: Openly discuss past challenges and what you learned, showing growth and resilience
• Quantify Impact: Use specific metrics and outcomes to illustrate your previous successes
• Reference Network: Maintain relationships with people who can speak to your capabilities when needed
• Progressive Challenges: Seek increasingly difficult assignments that stretch and prove your growing capabilities

Strengthen Decision-Making and Problem-Solving Abilities

• Transparent Process: Show your thinking when making important decisions, helping team members understand your logic
• Timely Decisions: Make decisions within appropriate timeframes—neither rushing nor creating harmful delays
• Own Outcomes: Take responsibility for both successful and unsuccessful decisions without blame-shifting
• Course Correction: Demonstrate ability to adjust decisions when new information emerges
• Inclusive Approach: Know when to make unilateral decisions and when to involve the team in decision-making

Enhance Emotional Intelligence and Relationship Management

• Self-Awareness: Understand and manage your own emotional responses, especially under pressure
• Empathy: Demonstrate genuine understanding of team members' perspectives and challenges
• Conflict Resolution: Address interpersonal issues promptly and fairly, maintaining team cohesion
• Influence Skills: Build consensus and commitment without relying solely on positional authority
• Cultural Competence: Navigate diverse teams and stakeholders with sensitivity and effectiveness

Demonstrate Consistency and Reliability

• Keep Commitments: Follow through on promises made to individuals and the team
• Consistent Communication: Maintain regular, predictable communication rhythms
• Fair Treatment: Perceptions of unfairness, or favoritism, often isn't on purpose but the result of unclear communication or lack of shared understanding.
• Stress Management: Maintain composure and effectiveness during high-pressure situations
• Long-term Thinking: Make decisions that consider both immediate needs and long-term implications

Leadership Development Action: Create opportunities for leaders to build and showcase competence through increasingly challenging assignments. Include 360-degree feedback processes that help leaders understand how their credibility is perceived and where they need to focus development efforts.

Building to the Next Question: Once your team trusts in your capability to lead them successfully, they need to understand what they personally will gain from the effort and commitment required to achieve the vision. This leads to the final and most personal question...

5. Personal Value Proposition: "What's in It for Me?"

The Challenge: Your team needs clear understanding of personal benefits and growth opportunities. Even with trust in your leadership and belief in the strategy, people must make conscious choices about how much effort and commitment to invest. They need compelling reasons to give their best effort rather than just meeting minimum requirements.

Why This Completes the Framework: This question transforms everything from an abstract organizational goal into a personal opportunity. When team members can clearly see how their success contributes to their own growth, advancement, and fulfillment, they shift from compliance to commitment.

Coaching Focus for Creating Personal Value:

Develop Individualized Growth and Development Plans

• Skills Assessment: Regularly evaluate each team member's current capabilities and growth areas
• Career Mapping: Work with individuals to understand their career aspirations and map pathways to achieve them
• Stretch Assignments: Provide challenging projects that build new capabilities while advancing team objectives
• Learning Opportunities: Connect team members with training, mentoring, and educational resources
• Cross-Functional Exposure: Create opportunities for team members to work with other departments and gain broader organizational perspective

Build Skills in Career Coaching and Mentoring

• Active Listening: Develop deep understanding of each person's motivations, concerns, and aspirations
• Goal Setting: Help individuals set meaningful personal and professional development goals
• Feedback Skills: Provide regular, constructive feedback that supports growth and improvement
• Network Building: Help team members build relationships that support their career advancement
• Success Planning: Work together to create specific plans for achieving their next career level

Create Recognition and Reward Strategies

• Achievement Recognition: Acknowledge both individual contributions and team successes in meaningful ways
• Growth Celebration: Recognize learning and development, not just final outcomes
• Peer Recognition: Create systems where team members can recognize each other's contributions
• Leadership Opportunities: Provide chances to lead projects, mentor others, or represent the team
• External Visibility: Help high performers gain recognition beyond the immediate team

Establish Clear Advancement Pathways and Opportunity Structures

• Promotion Criteria: Clearly communicate what success looks like for advancement to the next level
• Timeline Expectations: Provide realistic timeframes for potential advancement opportunities
• Skill Development: Identify specific capabilities needed for advancement and create development plans
• Internal Mobility: Help team members understand opportunities in other parts of the organization
• External Preparation: Support team members in building capabilities that advance their careers, even if it means they might eventually leave

Leadership Development Action: Train leaders to conduct meaningful career development conversations and create personalized value propositions for each team member. Practice sessions should include difficult conversations about limited advancement opportunities and how to maintain engagement during challenging periods.

Coaching and Development Strategy

Building the "Answer-Ready" Leader

Phase 1: Assessment & Awareness

1. Evaluate current leader effectiveness across all five question areas using 360-degree feedback. 
2. Identify specific gaps and development opportunities through conversations. This would be a great addition to follow a 360, or could be in place of it. You could even have a trusted peer, supervisor, or outside coach gather feedback for you.
3. Build self-awareness around leadership impact and influence through behavioral assessments. This leadership assessment may also help.
4. Establish baseline metrics for team engagement, retention, and performance for set timeframes: the month, quarter, six months, and/or year

Phase 2: Skill Development

1. Intensive coaching on each of the five question areas, with focus on the leader's specific development needs
2. Practice sessions with real scenarios and team challenges, using role-playing and simulation exercises
3. Feedback and refinement of approach and messaging through video review and peer coaching
4. Development of personal leadership tools and frameworks for ongoing use

Phase 3: Implementation & Mastery

1. Real-world application with ongoing coaching support and regular check-ins
2. Regular team feedback collection and analysis to measure progress
3. Measurement of retention, engagement, and performance metrics to track improvement
4. Continuous refinement based on results and changing team dynamics

Developing and Coaching as Leaders: Measuring Success

Key Performance Indicators for Leadership Coaches

Quantitative Metrics:

1. Voluntary turnover rates (especially high performers)—target reduction of 25-50%
2. Employee engagement scores—focus on items related to direction, purpose, and development
3. Team performance and productivity measures—both individual and collective results
4. 360-degree feedback improvements—specific focus on the five question areas

Qualitative Indicators:

• Team member feedback on clarity and direction—gathered through surveys and interviews
• Increased proactive engagement and initiative—observable changes in team behavior
• Stronger team cohesion and collaboration—measurable through team effectiveness assessments
• Enhanced organizational reputation as an employer—reflected in recruitment success and external recognition

The Competitive Advantage

Remember: Even in traditionally high-turnover industries, there are leaders who consistently retain top talent while others struggle with constant departures. The difference isn't luck or industry conditions—it's the leader's ability to be a compelling, complete answer to their team's most important questions.

For Organizations: Invest in developing leaders who can anticipate and consistently deliver the answer to these questions. The ROI shows up in reduced recruitment costs, higher productivity, stronger competitive positioning through a compelling brand and culture, and from that the ability to attract and retain the talent that drives innovation and growth.

For Leaders: Focus your development and coaching programs on building leaders who don't just manage—they inspire loyalty through being the answers. This framework provides a realistic and actionable approach to leadership development that creates measurable results.

Call to Action for Leadership Development

The path to leadership excellence is clear: Become the leader that high performers choose to follow by mastering the art of being their answer.

Start today by assessing how effectively you or your leaders address these five fundamental questions. Remember, the extent to which leaders can consistently anticipate and answer these questions before they're asked will determine not only team retention but also the team's ability to grow, thrive, and achieve extraordinary results.

Your next step: Choose one of the five pillars and begin developing your response. Assess your current effectiveness, identify specific development areas, and create a plan for improvement. Your team—and your organization's success—depends on it.

The questions are always being asked, whether spoken or unspoken. The only choice is whether you'll be ready with compelling answers when your best people need them most.