The coaching approach listens and asks for understanding through open questions first, rather than sharing opinions and making judgments. It can be useful for all kinds of issues and in all kinds of relationships, including marriage and family, not just ministry or with our staff.
What makes a better teacher: the ability to ask the right questions or having all the answers? Is it better to be the “Bible Answer Person” or the one who encourages the learner to think? Remarkably, Jesus only answered three of the 307 questions He asked. Why was that?
As a leader, having routine conversations to collect feedback about what you can do to become a better leader can be uncomfortable at times – at least when the person you’re seeking feedback from is either your boss or peer.
Foreigners often have access to hearts that are afraid to open up to friends, family, and even church members. May God help us all to be “quick to hear” and “slow to speak,” (James 1:19), that we may better express the love of God, who invites us to “pour out [our] heart before Him” (Psalm 62:8).