Welcome to this course where you will learn how to foster self-reliance and accountability in your coaching conversations. You will develop skills to encourage your team to take ownership of their challenges and solutions. Creating a culture of independence and personal growth starts with asking the foundation question.

The simplicity of the Foundation Question, "What do you want?", makes it powerful. It encourages the coachee to reflect deeply on their true desires and objectives. For example, by asking a team member who is facing challenges, "What do you want?", you can help them uncover specific needs, such as better resources, clearer instructions, or additional support.

After posing the Foundation Question, your next step is to assist the coachee in clarifying their goals. This involves guiding them to specify and articulate their aspirations clearly. For instance, if a coachee says, "I want to raise my sales game," you can delve deeper by asking, "What are your target sales figures?" This helps in transforming vague desires into concrete, actionable goals.

• Jake: I've been really struggling with my sales numbers recently.
• Victoria: I see. What do you want to achieve this quarter, Jake?
• Jake: Honestly, I want to improve my sales figures and feel confident in my approach.
• Victoria: That's a great start. What specific aspect of your sales technique do you think needs the most improvement?
• Jake: I think my closing techniques need work. I often get to the end of the pitch and then lose the customer.

In this dialogue, Victoria helps Jake move from a general desire to improve sales to identifying a specific area for improvement (closing techniques). This is the power of clarifying goals using the Foundation Question.

Aligning individual goals with team and organizational objectives is crucial. Using the Foundation Question facilitates this alignment, ensuring that personal ambitions resonate with the broader mission. For example, if a team member expresses a desire to lead a project, you could discuss how this aligns with team goals, such as driving innovation or improving efficiency. Questions like, "How does this goal align with our team's objectives?" ensure everyone is moving in the same direction.

Mastering the Foundation Question will empower you to guide more focused and goal-oriented conversations with your team. This unit has equipped you with insights into asking this question effectively and aligning individual and team goals. Get ready to apply these techniques in the upcoming role-play sessions where you will practice using the Foundation Question to drive meaningful coaching conversations.