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Would you like to have better results in your life and your business? Would you like them to be more positive and less stressful? Would you like to get more of the right things done, in the right way, at the right time? And what about your team? Would you like them to be more productive?

Of course you would!

The problem is that we aren’t asking ourselves the correct questions. We ask the wrong questions, or worse, we never ask any questions! Albert Einstein reportedly said, “If you gave me an hour to solve a problem, I would spend the first 55 minutes thinking about the problem and five minutes thinking about the solution.”

You see, we are changed through our thinking, and by asking the right questions, we, therefore, get better results. But what are the right questions to ask?

In this article, I will present seven coaching questions—the right questions—that will help you achieve your goals.

1 | The clarity question: “Where are you going?”

What do you want? What is your goal? What do you want your business to look like? What do you want your life to look like? The only reason your business exists is to be a vehicle to help you achieve your life goals. Design your future with this question. What role do you see yourself fulfilling in your business? Technician? Manager? Director? Owner of a turnkey business? The choice is yours.

2 | The cause question: “Why is it important?”

As you get clarity around your vision, consider why it is important to you. What are the benefits of your vision? How will your vision benefit you, your family, and your team? Someone once said, “When you find your why, you will find your way.”

3 | The conflict question: “What is your biggest challenge?”

Often, business owners can feel stuck because they aren’t growing, they’re unable to find the right team members, or they simply aren’t making enough money. But the biggest challenge is what I call F.T.I. (Failure To Implement). We have big ideas, but they never seem to get traction.

4 | The curriculum question: “What do you need to learn?”

You might have heard the phrase “content is king,” but content alone is not enough to build your business properly. With millions of podcasts and an abundance of information available for free online, why do business owners still struggle?

Because content is not enough. Organized content—content that has been vetted and put into a curriculum— is the key. You need to have systems designed to work together. When you get a little information here and a little information there, you end up with what my friend and colleague Ellen Rohr refers to as The Frankenstein Factor. This describes the phenomenon of adding too many ideas to a project, resulting in confusion and a lack of direction.

5 | The coaching question: “Who do you need to work with?”

The one thing that will help you become more successful is having the right coach. We all need support, encouragement, and accountability in order to move forward. The only thing better than having the right coach is having the right coaching community. There are seven core areas of life and five core areas of business. No one is an expert in everything. Top performers don’t have just one coach—they have a coaching team.

6 | The compass question: “What’s your plan?”

Most small business owners don’t have a written business plan. That’s like going somewhere you’ve never been without a map, with no GPS. Once you know where you are going, why you are going there, what the roadblocks are, what you need to know, and who you need to work with, it’s time to build a plan!

7 | The calendar question: “When do you want to get there?”

When do you want to reach this goal? What is the completion date? When you determine the date, break it down by the year, by the month, by the week, and by the day. That gives you a sense of urgency to take action each day when you review your goals. Go over your goals with your coach!

In subsequent issues of Cleanfax, I will break down each question in detail. We will delve into each one together with the goal of helping make your business and life phenomenal.