What Is Goldsmith 6 Questions?

It is a leadership development approach outlined as the “6 Questions” methodology that serves as a foundation in the fields of executive coaching and organisational leadership. This framework has been methodically designed to leverage the power of stakeholder feedback, those persons who directly cooperate with and are impacted by a leader, to drive significant personal and professional progress.

What Is The Origin Of Goldsmith’s 6 Questions?

Marshall Goldsmith introduced the “6 Questions” in the early 2000s as a practical tool for personal accountability and growth in coaching and leadership development. Framed as a structured process, this six-question approach encourages regular reflection on key areas of personal and professional development, with research supporting its focus on consistent behaviour change to build positive habits and achieve meaningful goals.

What Are The Goldsmith Six Daily Questions That Help Leaders Stay Fully Engaged?

The model revolves around six core questions that help leaders evaluate progress and strengthen accountability in performance conversations. 

1. What do you do that helps me? (Positive Behaviours) 

This question asks stakeholders to identify the leader’s behaviours or activities that have a positive impact on them or help them succeed. When a direct report responds clearly, the leader gets concrete input on what is already working.

2. What do you do that hinders me? (Negative Behaviours) 

Stakeholders provide feedback on behaviours that they perceive as obstacles or barriers to collaboration and effectiveness. Honest answers also make it easier to spot patterns that need attention over time.

3. What would you like me to start doing? (Desired Behaviours) 

Stakeholders offer suggestions on behaviours or actions that the leader ought to begin carrying out in order to increase their effectiveness or positive impact. Asking oneself daily questions that begin with “Did I do my best to…” can reinforce ownership of those actions and decisions, building a habit of continuous improvement.

4. What would you like me to stop doing? (Undesired Behaviours) 

This question deals with behaviours that stakeholders consider unproductive, disruptive, or counterproductive, prompting the leader to consider removing or altering them. Used consistently, the six-question approach creates a two-way dialogue that strengthens alignment and trust.

5. If you could wave a magic wand and change one thing about my behaviour, what would it be? 

This open-ended question asks stakeholders to find a single major change they would like to see in the leader’s conduct, with an emphasis on an important improvement opportunity.

6. How can I help you be more successful? (Focus on the Coach-Client Relationship) 

This question highlights the importance of the leader’s role in helping to ensure the success of their stakeholders, encouraging mutual benefit and collaborative growth. It is most helpful when the leader is genuinely ready to support others when asked.

How Do Goldsmith’s Daily Questions Help Leaders Build Positive Relationships?

Applying Goldsmith’s 6 Questions offers three major benefits: enhancing clarity, engagement, and self-directed improvement among leaders.

1. Increased self-awareness: Leaders develop a better understanding of how their actions are perceived and how they affect others, leading to personal growth and reflection.
2. Enhanced relationships: By responding to criticism and making focused adjustments through a two-way dialogue, good leaders build positive relationships with stakeholders, encouraging trust, collaboration, and positive relationships.
3. Focused development: Getting feedback from different viewpoints helps leaders select areas for improvement that are critical to their leadership effectiveness and success, while regular follow-up supports accountability over time.

What Are The Common Challenges In Applying Goldsmith’s 6 Questions?

Implementing the framework effectively can present three challenges, including consistency, honest feedback, and alignment with goals.

1. Accepting feedback: Leaders may initially struggle to accept input that challenges their self-perception or current habits, but self-awareness is what helps them face reality, quit kidding themselves, and take responsibility for behaviours that affect how effective they are seen to be.
2. Choosing stakeholders: It is critical to carefully pick stakeholders who can provide constructive and pertinent comments. This helps leaders build positive relationships through two-way dialogue and open communication, where people feel safe to share ideas and concerns, leading to better team dynamics and performance.
3. Time and commitment: Both leaders and stakeholders must regularly devote time and effort to gathering, analysing, and acting on input. To make that sustainable, leaders should set clear goals, keep a regular practice of follow-up, and review progress against clear goals. This constant commitment is necessary for significant improvement.

How Can Goldsmith’s 6 Questions Drive Performance Strategies And Goal Achievement?

To enhance personal and professional development effectively, leveraging Goldsmith’s 6 Questions Approach coupled with structured feedback and SMART goal setting proves invaluable, especially when leaders set clear goals and revisit them through daily self-checks for stronger goal achievement.

Feedback Technique: SBI (The SBI Model stands for Situation-Behaviour-Impact) Model

• Situation: Explain the exact situation or environment in which the activity occurred, and leaders also need to face reality about their current behaviour, rather than, in Goldsmith’s blunt framing, “quit kidding” themselves.
• Conduct: Describe the conduct you witnessed or experienced.
• Impact: Explain how the activity affects you or others. This active question style works best when framed as “Did I do my best to…” because asking yourself daily if you did your best to achieve specific goals helps maintain focus and drive progress. Consistency also improves when leaders turn these six daily questions into a regular habit.

Application: Use the SBI model to provide feedback that is specific, objective, and focused on the impact of actions, allowing the recipient to clearly understand the context and implications. Asking oneself questions in this format encourages responsibility for choices and supports continuous improvement. An example of the same has been illustrated below:

Situation: “Alex, you missed three key deadlines for the XYZ project last quarter.”

Behaviour: “You submitted reports two days late, each time without prior notice.”

Impact: “This caused delays in our workflow and put extra pressure on the team.”

Feedback: “Let’s discuss any challenges you’re facing and create a plan to improve your deadline management. We’ll check in regularly to support your progress.”