7 Insightful Coaching Questions to Identify Your Daily Success Habits!

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Emma-Louise
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Happy Client in suit leaning against wall

If I was to ask you: "When employing someone, which is most important: their Knowledge, Attitude, Skills or Habits?", what would you answer?

Because I remember being asked this when on management development training (a long time ago now!), and feeling really smug as I thought to myself, well everyone here is 'old school' and probably thinks it will be knowledge or skills, but I think it's attitude. As a relative youngster, I felt that hiring decisions were made largely based on knowledge and skills—which can easily be acquired, whereas the right attitude can make anyone a fabulous employee.

I was shocked when the trainer said it was someone's habits! He said that knowledge and skills can be acquired, that attitude was often down to the management style and morale, but that habits—well habits are often deeply ingrained and unconscious, and therefore the hardest to change...

Well, whether you agree that it's the most important hiring factor or not, as coaches we all know the importance of habits in our lives. There are helpful and supportive habits, and we all have a few unhelpful or unhealthy habits. In fact you probably have many more habits than you are immediately aware of.

Habits are created by repetition (next time you get in your car, notice that you don't think about putting on your seatbelt, you just do it!). And luckily, new habits can be created consciously—to help us have more success in life.

So, to create your own daily success habits, answer the questions below—and remember, the responses will be unique to you. However odd, unusual or 'boring' your answers seem, it doesn't matter. You know what's best for you.

7 Insightful Coaching Questions to Help You Identify The Daily Success Habits You Need

  1. Where do I sabotage myself on a daily basis? What could I do instead or differently?
  2. What could I do at work on a daily basis that would set me up for success? eg. structured processes, get up earlier, not check email until 11am, set a timer when on social media etc
  3. What would feed my heart and soul on a daily basis? And what would feed my physical body and health? eg. self-care activities, a yoga or meditation practice, daily walk or run, drinking 6-8 glasses of water etc
  4. What is missing in my life? What do I want more of? eg. sleep, fun, solitude, quiet, beauty
  5. How could I feed important relationships in my life on a daily basis? What about feeding the relationship with myself? eg. 5-15 minutes of connecting/listening to our spouse/children/selves/journaling - without distraction
  6. What do you need to do to be the best you can be (physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually)?
  7. What do I already know I need to do, but am just not implementing?

Now, thinking over your answers to the questions above, ask:

  • What ONE daily habit would make the MOST difference to your success?

Why not just pick one new habit to get started with?

And don't think about it. Don't play with it. Simply DECIDE you are going to implement this new habit.

Decide you will do whatever it takes to make it happen. Just like resolutions and goals, it's your commitment that will make the difference here.

Remember that when you start with a new habit you may not remember until it's too late. But keep at it and gradually you remember earlier and earlier, until it becomes natural.

EXAMPLE: A weekly habit I developed was to use reusable grocery shopping bags. It starts with a decision. I bought some reusable bags. For a while I kept buying more and more reusable shopping bags at the supermarket, as I kept forgetting to bring them with me. Eventually I thought—I could leave them in the car. So I did. Cue many rushed trips back to the car to grab the shopping bags while the cashier rings everything in. I've now reached a point where 95% of the time, I grab those bags on the way into the store. I also keep one reusable bag in my handbag.

The most important factor in creating a habit is repetition.

Being clear on the benefit of the habit and giving yourself a reward helps—but it's mainly just practice and repetition.

A habit starts with an action, and over time as the action is repeated, it becomes a habit.

On the days you forget your new habit, be kind to yourself. It's just fine. Simply commit to remembering next time. Commit to it, commit to yourself—and stay with it. You WILL get there if you want to!

Everything is habit forming, so make sure what you do is what you want to be doing. Wilt Chamberlain

If you liked this article on habits and success you may also like:

  1. Our Coaching Exercises: Daily Success Habits  and Weekly Success Planning Tool
  3. This infographic we found, "5 Weird Habits of Successful People"
Emma-Louise Elsey Headshot

Contributing Author:

Emma-Louise Elsey has been coaching since 2003 and is the Founder of The Coaching Tools Company and Fierce Kindness.com. She's passionate about coaching and personal development. Originally a project and relationship manager for Fortune 500 companies she combined her love of coaching, creativity and systems to create over 100 brandable coaching tools, forms and exercises including 30+ completely free coaching tools. She now serves coaches and the coaching world through her exclusive newsletter for coaches, Coaches Helping Coaches Facebook Group and many other great tools for coaches, plus resources and ideas for your coaching toolbox. The Coaching Tools Company is an official ICF Business Solutions Partner.

Learn more about Emma-Louise & see all their articles here >>

Categories: Coaching Ideas & Inspiration, Coaching Questions, Gaining Commitment, Productivity & Time Management, Raising Self-Awareness

Image of Happy Client in suit leaning against wall by Dragon Images via Shutterstock

10 Comments

  1. Sheila Holder

    These questions get right to the heart of the matter. Thank you so much for enhancing my coaching questions.

    Reply
  3. Narayan

    Thanks for sharing. Personally, I use some of these questions as prompts in my daily journal - it helps to remind and reinforce as we go through the inevitable struggle of establishing new habits.

    Reply
  4. Jennifer Cohen

    Love the questions and example. I send a set of questions to my coaching clients weekly.
    Do I have permission to share your "article" with my clients in a coming week...shake things up for them?

    Reply

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