Self-Reflection and Self-Development Questions.docx
- 1. Self-Reflection and Self-Development Questions for Scale-up Stage Tech CEOs and C-Suite Executives Dave Litwiller Dec.11, 2024 What follows is an abbreviated set of core questions commonly used in executive coaching to challenge assumptions, deepen self-awareness, and spark meaningful insights for self-reflection and growth. They span both personal and professional development. The focus of these questions is adapted for the C- Suite of scale-up stage high growth technology companies where relationships and people issues are often prominent for executive and leadership development. 1. Values and Purpose ● What would you want others to say about you at the end of your career? ● What truly drives your decision-making, and how aligned is it with your core values? ● If money or title were irrelevant, what would you want to achieve or contribute? ● What does success look like for you, and how will you know when you’ve achieved it? 2. Leadership and Influence ● How do you think your team would describe your leadership style? What would you want them to say instead? ● What’s the most difficult feedback you’ve ever received, and how did you respond to it? ● How do you balance driving results with building relationships? ● What legacy are you building as a leader, and is it intentional? 3. Self-Awareness and Emotional Intelligence ● What patterns keep showing up in your professional or personal life? What are they trying to tell you? ● What emotions do you tend to avoid, and how might that affect your decisions? ● What do you believe about yourself that limits your potential? ● When do you feel most alive, and what does that reveal about your strengths?
- 2. 4. Handling Change and Challenges ● What would you do if you were 10 times bolder? ● What’s a failure you wouldn’t undo, and why? ● What beliefs about risk might be holding you back? ● If you were guaranteed success, what project or change would you pursue today? 5. Relationships and Communication ● How often do you listen to understand versus listening to respond? ● What conversation are you avoiding, and what’s the cost of not having it? ● How do you influence without authority? ● Who challenges your thinking, and how often do you seek his or her perspective? 6. Growth and Development ● What do you believe is your greatest opportunity for growth? ● What skill or habit, if mastered, would have the biggest impact on your effectiveness? ● How much time do you spend working on yourself compared to working in your role? ● What feedback have you dismissed that might actually hold truth? How These Questions Help ● Reflection: They encourage clients to uncover their unconscious beliefs and assumptions. ● Action-Oriented Insights: Many questions point toward actionable areas for improvement. ● Broader Perspective: Provocative questions often shift the focus from the immediate to the long-term or strategic. While a larger coaching relationship will typically further incorporate adapted follow-up questions, active listening, various forms of feedback, goal setting and evaluation, assessment tools, and other techniques, the foregoing offers a short form of inquiry which can be self-utilized for private reflection, gaining insight and building out one’s frame of reference. ##