280. The Key to Effective Leadership: Asking Better Questions with Gary Cohen

Every leader knows the rush of validation when someone brings you a problem and you solve it on the spot. But Gary Cohen, founder of CO2 Coaching and author of Just Ask Leadership, learned that this habit can limit your team’s potential and make you the organizational bottleneck. While growing his company from a $4,000 investment to 2,200 employees, he and his business partner became overwhelmed by constant questions. The solution wasn’t giving faster answers—it was becoming question-askers instead of answer-givers.In interviews with over 100 exceptional leaders – from Fortune 500 executives to four-star generals – Cohen discovered they all had a moment where they shifted from being “the answer person” to “the question person.” For General Jack Chain, a promotion made him realize his role had fundamentally changed. For ConAgra’s Mike Harper, moving from engineering to R&D forced him to lead experts whose knowledge far exceeded his own. These shifts inspired frameworks like the GPS model (Goal-Position-Strategy) for focused conversations and the PEAK model, which guides leaders through four questioning styles – Professor, Innovator, Judge, and Director – to spark breakthroughs.Cohen’s most powerful insight is that most team members already know the answers. They don’t need you to solve their problems—they need you to help them uncover solutions themselves. When they do, ownership skyrockets, and so does performance. The path to multiplying your leadership impact starts with changing your identity from “the teller” to “the asker.” Everything else follows from that transformation.🌐 Connect with Gary:• Website: https://co2coaching.com/• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garycohen/📚 You can purchase Gary's book on Amazon:• Just Ask Leadership: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0071621776/Send us Fan MailThe Thrive Careers Podcast My career wasn’t a straight line—it was a series of pivots, survival jobs, and...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Support the show✅ Follow The Leadership Project on your favourite podcast platform and listen to a new episode every week!📝 Don’t forget to share your thoughts on the episode in the comments below. 🔔 Join us in our mission at The Leadership Project and learn more about our organisation here:  https://linktr.ee/mickspiers 📕 You can purchase a copy of the Mick Spiers bestselling book "You're a Leader, Now What?" as an eBook or paperback at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09ZBKK8XVIf you would like a signed copy, please reach out to [email protected] and we can arrange it for you too.If you're thinking about starting a podcast or upgrading your hosting, Buzzsprout is a great option! This link will give both of us a $20 credit when you upgrade:👉 https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1701891Create forms easily with Jotform! Sign up with my link: https://www.jotform.com/?referral=AkWimLxOBzGet extra Dropbox space—sign up with my link: Dropbox Referral LinkWise Referral link: https://wise.com/invite/dic/michaels11434Strea...