When it comes to being coached, what kind of coaching do you prefer to receive?

Our reader poll today asks: When it comes to being coached, what kind of coaching do you prefer to receive?

• I want a coach who only asks questions and I come up with my own answers 4.52%
• I want a coach who offers advice and suggestions on what the answer is 9.04%
• I want a coach who balances between asking and telling 86.44%

Ask and Tell. There’s a clear preference for coaching that strikes a balance between asking questions that help someone reach their own answers but also telling answers that can accelerate growth and development. For those delivering coaching, work to start with asking questions and push the person you’re working with to really think and come up with new ideas and challenge their way of thinking. That said, don’t let them get exasperated or discouraged and recognize when you should move into “telling” mode where you offer them some of your own suggestions. If you’re the person being coached, push yourself to think more deeply but don’t hold back from telling your coach that you’re out of ideas and could really use some suggestions. Finding the right balance will foster growth but also accelerate development and performance improvement.

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

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These results were originally a SmartPulse poll in SmartBrief on Leadership which tracks feedback from more than 240,000 business leaders. Get smarter on leadership and sign up for the SmartBrief on Leadership e-newsletter.