Coaching Problem-Solving Techniques: 10 Evidence-Based Coaching Practices

Describe almost anything you are working through and IX Coach finds the practices whose real-world fit is closest. For Coaching Problem-Solving Techniques, these are the strongest matches in the current practice library.

Practices that may help

1. Coach the person, not just the problem
   The most important thing a manager can work on is the person’s capacity to handle future problems, not just today’s.
   The Leader as Coach: A New Management Paradigm
2. Generate Options before evaluating any
   Brainstorm all possible paths before judging — then the coachee, not the coach, narrows them.
   The GROW Coaching Model, Made Practical
3. Powerful open questions at every stage
   Ask questions that invite thinking, not ones that suggest answers — and ask more than you tell.
   The GROW Coaching Model, Made Practical
4. Ask "What’s the real challenge here for you?"
   The presenting problem is rarely the actual problem — this question cuts through to what really matters.
   The Coaching Habit: Seven Questions to Be More Coach-Like
5. Maintain a high question-to-statement ratio throughout GROW
   Ask questions far more often than you offer statements — the coachee’s thinking is the product.
   The GROW Model: Coaching Conversations That Actually Move People
6. Obstacle anticipation before close
   Before ending, ask "what could get in the way?" and pre-plan the response.
   The GROW Coaching Model, Made Practical
7. Generate Options — explore the full range of possibilities before committing
   Invite the person to generate as many options as possible before evaluating any of them.
   The GROW Model: Coaching Conversations That Actually Move People
8. Stay curious one beat longer before advising
   Resist the urge to give the answer for one more question — ask what they think first.
   The Leader as Coach: A New Management Paradigm
9. Use GROW in brief leadership conversations, not just formal coaching sessions
   Apply GROW structure to 5-minute hallway conversations and 1-on-1 check-ins — not only to hour-long coaching sessions.
   The GROW Model: Coaching Conversations That Actually Move People
10. Set the Goal — establish what the conversation is for
    Begin every coaching conversation by clarifying what the person wants to achieve in this session.
    The GROW Model: Coaching Conversations That Actually Move People

Does this sound like the set of challenges you might be facing?

• I keep solving the same person’s problems over and over, slightly different each time→
• The moment the person I’m coaching names a couple of ideas, I jump in with "have you considered" and basically hand them my answer→
• I think I’m asking questions, but they’re really suggestions in disguise→
• We spend the whole conversation working on the problem they walked in with, and I keep sensing the thing that’s really got them stuck→
• When I replay my coaching conversations I’m talking way more than the other person→

Describe your situation in your own words to search the complete practice library.