Winning by Design™
Managing
for Impact
Session 3 · Great Questions and the Structure of 1:1 Meetings. From building the system to mastering the conversation.
Session 1The REKS Coaching FrameworkModules 1 & 2
Session 2Effort to KnowledgeModules 3 & 4
Session 3Knowledge to SkillsModules 5 & 6 · You are here
Session 4Ongoing Skill DevelopmentModules 7 & 8
What we're
covering today.
MODULE 5
Great Questions Coaches Ask
The questions that unlock potential instead of creating defensiveness. Then build a coaching question bank in Claude.
MODULE 6
Structure of 1:1 Meetings
1:1s that balance performance and development, not just forecasting. Then build your own 1:1 agenda in Claude.
Last week you built a
cadence. How is it holding?
- 1You implemented one cadence change with your team.
- 2You ran the call coaching analyzer on a real rep's call.
- 3You completed the pre-work for modules 5 and 6.
Quick round: one win from your cadence, or one place it slipped.
You can have the system
and still miss the moment.
Today you master the coaching conversation itself: the questions that unlock potential, and the 1:1 structure that drives both performance and development.
Session 3 · Module 5 · Knowledge to Skills
Great Questions
Coaches Ask.
The fastest way to change a behavior is not to tell someone the answer. It is to ask the question that lets them find it.
A question opens a door.
Advice closes one.
"Why did you do that?" puts a rep on defense. "What were you weighing?" opens them up. Same intent, opposite result.
Ask What and How
Go easy on Why
Pull insight out, do not push it in
Same situation,
three different doors.
| Question type | What it does | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| What | Surfaces facts and thinking without blame | "What were you trying to achieve on that call?" |
| How | Invites process, ownership, a next step | "How would you open that conversation differently?" |
| Why | Can feel confrontational, triggers defense | Use sparingly, and about the work, never the person |
Lead neutral. Open positive or neutral before you ever touch the problem.
Three kinds of question,
three kinds of growth.
PERFORMANCE
The work
"What is getting in the way of that deal moving?" Coach the behavior behind the number, not the number.
DEVELOPMENT
The skill
"What is one skill that would make next quarter easier?" Let them name their own practice.
CAREER GROWTH
The person
"Where do you want to be in a year, and what would move you toward it?" Connect today to their bigger why.
Tier 2 · beware the advice monster
Tier 3 · read the emotional response
The advice monster
eats good questions.
The itch to pitch
- ×"Here is what you should do..."
- ×Solving it faster than they can think.
- ×Advice with no context behind it.
The coaching move
- →Stay curious one beat longer.
- →Ask before you advise.
- →Have the question ready so you reach for it first.
Unsolicited advice is not coaching. The question is.
From the room
"I am an enneagram 8. I am an advice monster. My default is advice. Here is what you should do, here is the next step. I get called out for it everywhere."
A manager in a recent cohort, on the advice monster
Everyone has one. The advice monster is the itch to pitch the solution instead of asking the question. Naming it is half the battle. The other half is having the question ready so you reach for it before the advice.
Build 1 of 2 · in Claude · groups of 3 to 4
Build a coaching question bank you keep.
One person shares screen, everyone opens
mfi-s3.pages.dev/questions
Click, copy the prompt, paste into Claude. A sample rep is on the page.
- 1Open the link, copy the prompt, paste into a new Claude chat.
- 2Answer Claude's three setup questions about a real rep, one at a time.
- 3Iterate as a group: tighten a question, rerun, compare. The discussion is the learning.
- 4Save it: paste the prompt into a doc or your Claude project. It is yours from today.
Share-out
What was your opening question?
Each group: the one opener you would actually use, and the advice you almost gave instead.
Break.
Grab a coffee. Back in five for the meeting where all of this actually happens: the 1:1.
Session 3 · Module 6 · Knowledge to Skills
The Structure of
1:1 Meetings.
The 1:1 is the highest-leverage meeting you run. Most managers waste it on status. Today we give it a spine.
More than a forecast
in disguise.
Run REKS as the spine of the 1:1: is this a Results, Effort, Knowledge, or Skill gap? Then spend the time coaching the gap, not collecting the number.
Offload status async
Coach the gap
Keep the forecast separate
A 30 minute 1:1, built on purpose.
BEFORE · ASYNC
Pre-read
Rep fills in numbers, blockers, wins. Status never touches live time.
0 to 10 MIN
Their agenda
"What is on your mind?" The rep drives first. It is their meeting.
10 to 20 MIN
Coach one thing
One deal or one skill, tied to the REKS gap. Ask, do not tell.
20 to 30 MIN
Commit
One thing they will practice this week. Career thread once a month.
The rep owns the agenda. You own the questions.
Match the frequency,
balance the conversation.
Cadence to velocity
- →Fast sales motion, more frequent 1:1s.
- →Newer reps weekly, veterans every other week.
- →Forecast lives in a separate slot.
Performance and development
- ×All forecast, no growth.
- →Half the time on the work, half on the person.
- →Career thread at least monthly.
From the room
"My 1:1 is 30 minutes, and the first 15 are just what is on your mind. The forecast is a separate call."
A manager in a recent cohort, on protecting the 1:1
The separation is the discipline. The moment the forecast creeps into the 1:1, coaching loses. Keep one slot for the number and one slot for the person, and let the rep drive the second one.
Three reps,
three different 1:1s.
SCENARIO A
The underperformer
Results are down. Diagnose with REKS first: is it effort, knowledge, or skill? Coach the cause, not the symptom.
SCENARIO B
High performer seeking growth
Hitting the number, hungry for more. Lead with career-growth questions or you will lose them.
SCENARIO C
The new rep onboarding
Knowledge gaps dominate. More frequent, more structured, heavy on development questions.
Tier 2 · prep a difficult conversation
Tier 3 · manage up through 1:1 insight
The AI Coaching Edge
Run a REKS analysis the night before the 1:1. Walk in with a hypothesis and the questions ready, spend the meeting coaching, not analyzing.
You can go further: build a "manager agent" that gives feedback the way you do, so a rep can practice receiving it before the live session. In a moment, you will build the 1:1 agenda itself.
Build 2 of 2 · in Claude · groups of 3 to 4
Build a 1:1 agenda you run Monday.
One person shares screen, everyone opens
mfi-s3.pages.dev/agenda
Click, copy the prompt, paste into Claude. Pick a scenario on the page.
- 1Open the link, copy the prompt, paste into a new Claude chat.
- 2Answer Claude's questions for a real rep and scenario, one at a time.
- 3Pressure-test as a group: is the async pre-read realistic? Is the time split right?
- 4Screenshot your agenda before you leave. That is your template for Monday.
Share-out
Three questions,
one answer each.
- 1Your 1:1 structure in one line.
- 2The question technique you will try this week.
- 3What you will move out of the live 1:1 into async.
One system,
three moving parts.
SESSION 1 to 2
REKS + Cadence
Diagnose the gap, then set the rhythm to coach it.
TODAY · QUESTIONS
Ask, do not tell
The question that unlocks the rep beats the advice that closes them.
TODAY · THE 1:1
The structure
A 1:1 with a spine, status async, coaching live, is where it all happens.
Diagnose with REKS. Unlock with questions. Sustain it in a structured 1:1. That is managing for impact.
Your three reps for the week.
- 1Run the question bank prompt before one real 1:1.
- 2Structure one 1:1 with REKS and an async pre-read.
- 3Complete the pre-work for modules 7 and 8.
Both prompts are yours to keep. Save them today.
Winning by Design™
Thank you.
Please take 60 seconds for the survey, your feedback shapes the final session. [ facilitator: drop your survey link in the chat ]