Telling Is Faster in the Moment. Coaching Is Faster Over Time.

There’s a moment every leader knows well. You’re in the middle of a meeting, someone brings up a challenge, and the solution is obvious. You’ve solved it before, or you can see the fix clearly. So you offer the answer: “Here’s what you should do.”

It’s quick. It keeps the momentum going. It feels like you’re being helpful.

But you’re telling. And telling is only faster right now. Coaching is faster over time.

Telling someone what to do works in the moment. It moves tasks forward and temporarily relieves pressure. But it creates a long-term problem. People stop thinking for themselves. They lose confidence. Over time, they come to rely on you for answers, because you’ve trained them to. You become the decision-making hub, the fixer, the one everyone depends on. And eventually, you become a bottleneck, you burn out, or your team stops growing. Often all of the above.

Coaching, on the other hand, takes more time up front. It asks you to pause and get curious. It means taking the time to ask a thoughtful question instead of offering a solution. It means sitting in silence a bit longer while someone thinks. It might feel inefficient at first, but the long-term impact is that your team learns to problem-solve, to reflect, and to lead. They become more confident, more capable, and more accountable.

Michael Bungay Stanier, in The Coaching Habit, calls this “taming your Advice Monster.” His reminder is simple but powerful: “Stay curious a little longer.” That one line has the potential to change your entire leadership style.

Coaching builds capacity. It creates space for others to grow. It helps people take ownership. Telling, in contrast, builds dependency. It keeps you at the center of everything. It often creates a culture of compliance rather than a culture of thinking.

This doesn’t mean you should never give direction. In urgent situations or when the stakes are high, clarity matters. But if telling is your go-to approach, you're likely stuck in the short game. You’re solving for speed today at the cost of growth tomorrow.

So here’s a challenge. The next time someone on your team brings you a problem, don’t solve it. Ask what they’ve already considered. Ask what they think would work. Stay curious just a bit longer than feels comfortable.

Because the goal isn’t to get through the day. The goal is to build a team that doesn’t need you to run. That’s the long game. That’s real leadership.

If you want to build these coaching muscles and learn how to lead in a way that empowers your team without burning yourself out, our Coaching in Context course is designed for you. We’ll teach you how to shift from telling to asking, and how to create a workplace culture where people are thinking for themselves, growing, and taking ownership.

Learn more at www.reimaginework.ca/leadership-coaching.

Because leadership isn’t just about having all the answers. It’s about creating the conditions where others can find their own.