
410: The Simple Coaching Habit That Changes How Teams Think with Laura and Dominic Ashley-Timms
From The Modern Manager by Mamie Kanfer Stewart
June 2, 2026 · 32 min
About this episode
This episode discusses how small coaching moments can enhance team performance and independent thinking among managers and their teams.
Most managers think their job is to have the answers. But the managers who create the strongest teams often do the opposite: they ask better questions. The challenge is that under pressure, most of us default to fixing, advising, and jumping in with solutions. And while that may feel efficient in the moment, it can unintentionally shut down ownership, confidence, and independent thinking on our teams. Fortunately, this week’s guests explain why coaching doesn’t have to mean hour-long development conversations or formal mentoring sessions. Instead, they share how small “coachable moments” in everyday work conversations can transform the way people think, learn, and perform. Laura Ashley-Timms and Dominic Ashley-Timms are leadership experts, executive coaches, and authors of The Answer Is A Question . Their work focuses on helping managers use operational coaching techniques to develop more confident, capable, and engaged teams through the power of purposeful inquiry. In this conversation, we explore how to identify coachable moments, the kinds of questions that build confidence and critical thinking, and why managers who stop rushing to provide answers often unlock far greater…
People in this episode
Host: Mamie Kanfer Stewart
Guests: Laura Ashley-Timms, Dominic Ashley-Timms
Topics covered
- coaching
- team performance
- managerial techniques
- questioning skills
- leadership development
Keywords
- coaching
- team ownership
- critical thinking
- managerial skills
- leadership
- inquiry
- performance improvement
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: The Answer Is A Question
More episodes of The Modern Manager
- 411: 3 Types of Team Conflict and How to Resolve Each One · June 9, 2026 · 13 min
- 409: The Feedback Conversation Managers Avoid (And How to Finally Have It) · May 26, 2026 · 8 min
- 408: Why AI Makes Human Thinking More Valuable, Not Less with Dr. Vivienne Ming · May 19, 2026 · 34 min
- 407: Hidden Causes of Burnout (And How to Fix Them Before It’s Too Late) – Part 2 · May 12, 2026 · 10 min
- 406: What to Do Instead of “Pushing Though” During Tough Times with Jay Abbasi · May 5, 2026 · 35 min
- 405: The Hidden Causes Of Burnout (And How To Fix Them Before It's Too Late) - Part 1 · April 28, 2026 · 11 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Modern Manager podcast page.