This piece was co-authored by Paula Fagundes-Ventura, Global Head of Succession Planning and Leadership Advisory at a leading Fortune 500 investment bank and financial services firm, and Michael Hudson, CEO of Hudson Institute of Coaching.

Introduction

Managers play a crucial role in driving performance by guiding individuals and teams toward desired outcomes. But in today’s fast-paced work environment, where urgency rules and resources are stretched thin, people development is just one of many responsibilities on a manager’s list – an ill-defined one at that. And even for the best-intentioned leaders, it can be pushed aside for more immediate priorities—relegated to annual reviews, training programs, and occasional feedback sessions. But what if development didn’t have to wait for those rare moments? What if it could happen every day, seamlessly integrated into the flow of work?

That’s the idea behind Everyday Development—a practical approach that empowers managers to turn daily interactions into opportunities for growth. It’s not about adding more to the to-do list; it’s about recognizing that existing conversations —whether in a team meeting, a client pitch, or ad hoc problem solving session—are untapped chances for people to grow.

Gallup estimates that managers with basic coaching skills see 72% lower turnover in their teams and that employees who receive regular development opportunities are 3.6 times more likely to be engaged. With Everyday Development, managers learn to leverage foundational coaching skills to provoke reflection, action, and growth every day. 

Too often, managers default to a “telling” approach. For instance, if an employee feels overwhelmed, the manager might offer best practices or share resources. If an employee struggles to build a relationship with a key stakeholder, the manager might recount their own successful strategies.

Consider an employee approaching their manager with a tough problem. The typical response would be for the manager to step in with a solution, and draw upon their own expertise to fix the issue. At best, this approach limits growth. At worst, a solution offered in haste may miss vital context, resonate poorly, or fail to connect, leaving employees feeling misunderstood and unmotivated to take action.

At its core, managing people involves the art of influence, and to influence effectively, the first step is to “invite them in,” engaging employees by acknowledging their needs, motivations, and drivers. With an Everyday Development approach, the manager shifts from providing advice to using inquiry. Instead of giving the answer, the manager might ask questions like “What options have you considered?” or “What do you think the root of the problem is?” The manager’s work is to nudge the employee through a thought process that will ultimately lead to a solution. In contrast to a solution offered by the manager, this solution will be informed by all of the nuance and context built into the employee’s understanding of the situation. The employee will leave the conversation feeling more capable and confident, and better prepared to handle future challenges on their own.

This move from advice to inquiry is also supported by key research-based principles of how adults learn – autonomy, relevance, and respect. 

• Autonomy suggests that adults prefer to take charge of their own learning. 
• Relevance underscores the importance of connecting new knowledge to personal goals. 
• Respect highlights the need to acknowledge individuals’ existing knowledge and experiences as integral to the learning process. 

These principles further emphasize the value of inviting employees into the dialogue to influence them and drive their learning. 

As Stephen Covey, the educator and author of Seven Habits of Highly Successful People, wisely stated, “Seek to understand, then to be understood.”

In the sections that follow, we’ll break down how to integrate Everyday Development into the rhythm of daily work. By making development a natural part of the day, managers can help their teams grow while driving better results.

A familiar pattern and a way to break free

Let’s imagine you’re convinced by our compelling business case and ready to put these ideas into action. Full of motivation, you dive into a conversation with a direct report, certain that this time will be different. But then, it’s not. You might ask a question or two, but the conversation ends in the same place it always does—you offer some ideas and they go off to work on it. Despite your good intentions to try something new, you’re stuck in an old pattern.

How could this happen? When adopting a new approach, it’s essential to recognize the barriers to change. One way to break free is by examining the mindset you’re using, which may be producing the unintended result. A question to explore is: What assumptions caused me to give up on asking and start telling?

Take a moment to reflect on this for yourself. If you have a pen, write your thoughts down. This will be the key to developing the new behavior you’re aiming for.

Let’s imagine you wrote, “I understand this situation well and have been there before—I know what to do. We will get better results and save time if I just give some advice.” Now we have something to work with!

We need to challenge these assumptions by creating new ones that open the door to new possibilities, rather than reinforcing old patterns. 

Let’s start with, “I understand this situation well and have been there before—I know what to do.” You might pivot to, “Though it has a lot of similarities, this situation is different from mine in ways I can’t fully understand.”

Next let’s tackle, “We will get better results and save time if I just give some advice.” This one is a little trickier, because it might be true. You’ll have to take a bigger leap. Consider, “If I lean into inquiry, the quality of work might dip in the short term, but it will improve over time, and my total output is likely to be much higher.”

It’s crucial that you genuinely believe these reframed assumptions could be true. Without this belief, it’s unlikely you’ll find the motivation to try something new.

And that’s when you commit to asking questions. Good question, bad question… honestly, in the beginning, it doesn’t matter that much. The key is to get in the habit of wondering instead of knowing.

Once you’ve established a mindset that embraces microdevelopment, you can begin building your inquiry toolkit.

Once you break free, create new possibilities

Breaking free from assumptions that limit everyday development is key. Once you become more familiar with challenging your old patterns of thinking, you can start building and experimenting with an inquiry toolkit. Questions are powerful because they invite reflection and critical thinking, generate ideas, and ultimately create a whole new world of possibilities – for you and for the people you lead.

You can think of questions in three main categories:

1. Getting to the root of the problem: Gaining perspective on and deepening understanding of the situation
   • What is the crux of this issue? What is really going on here?
   • What aspect of this situation has not yet been explored? What might we be oversimplifying?
   • Who might have a perspective on this problem that has not yet been consulted?

Keywords: Perspective and Complexity

2. Helping them grow: Looking inward to understand and take responsibility for one’s role in a situation, and develop agency and ownership for future actions
   • What assumptions have you been making about this situation? Which ones should be challenged?
   • What would you need to believe or do differently to overcome this problem?
   • What is a small change that is possible on your part to [resolve/make progress on this issue]?

Keywords: Assumptions and Agency

3. Generating new possibilities: Reframing old beliefs and exploring new options
   • What would you do if there were no [financial/resourcing] constraints? 
   • What resources do we have available that we have not yet tapped into?
   • What options have we not considered yet? Where have we not yet looked for new ideas or inspiration?

Keywords: Reframe and Options

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Here’s an example of how to apply this framework. Let’s say one of your direct reports approaches you with concerns about their workload. You could immediately offer suggestions on how they can delegate more effectively or improve their prioritization. However, you could also use this conversation as an opportunity to both address the issue and support their development. It might go something like this:

Manager: I understand you’re concerned about your workload. What steps have you already taken to address it? [getting to the root of the problem]

Direct Report: I’ve tried delegating leadership of a few projects to the team, but it’s not working as well as I hoped. I also attempted to reprioritize some of our long-term initiatives, and I’ve seen some improvement there.

M: What do you mean when you say delegating isn’t working? [getting to the root of the problem]

DR: The projects still take a lot of time once they’ve been delegated. My team is very capable, but they need my input. And truthfully, it’s a good use of time.

M: What do you think is really the issue you’re trying to solve? [getting to the root of the problem]

DR: I just don’t feel like I have time to think. I’m in back-to-back meetings all day, and when I get a break, I’m usually catching up on emails or putting out fires.

M: I see. If you had full control over how you spend your time, what’s one thing you would do differently? [helping them grow]

DR: I’d definitely cut back on recurring meetings. Some are critical and help maintain communication discipline, but others lack clear agendas and take up more time than they should for everyday issues.

M: Recurring meetings without an agenda certainly seem to not optimize everyone’s time.

DR: I agree, but I’m hesitant to impose formal agendas for every meeting. I’m concerned it might make me seem rigid, and I don’t want to come across that way.

M: How else might you be perceived if you encourage clear agendas for your meetings? [generating new possibilities]

DR: Maybe as organized? Or as someone who respects everyone’s time?

M: Exactly. And those I assume are perceptions you would like to encourage, right? Is there one specific meeting where you could experiment with making a change and see what results it brings? [generating new possibilities]

DR: Yes, there’s one meeting in particular I have in mind. I’ll give it a try. Thank you for helping me work through this!

As shown in this sample dialogue, we can’t always assume we know the core of someone’s issue. If the manager had framed the ‘overload’ as simply a delegation or prioritization problem, they would have missed important issues: the lack of clear meeting agendas and structure, as well as the direct report’s concern that meeting agendas might be perceived as rigid.

Now choose 2 or 3 of the questions above to practice with over the next two weeks. Or use these questions as inspiration to develop your own.

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We are born with an innate curiosity and a drive to grow. While the latter tends to stay with us throughout life, our child-like eagerness to ask questions, big and small, often gets replaced by a focus on efficiency and solving immediate problems. Relying on inquiry as a means of developing others broadens possibilities and fosters a different way of connecting with people — one that shows trust in their abilities and signals a belief that they can go even further.

The barrier, then, isn’t a lack of time or resources. Managers often overlook developmental opportunities because they focus exclusively on the task at hand, rather than the learning embedded within it. However, when you begin to see routine interactions as chances for growth, everything changes. These moments may seem small, but over time, they accumulate, cultivating a culture of continuous development and stronger engagement. In a world where workplace disengagement remains high, we believe Everyday Development is a powerful antidote worth experimenting with.