Why better questions, not more initiatives are the real superpower
If you’re a senior HR leader or executive, chances are you’ve been told to “think more strategically.” But what does that actually mean in practice?
The expectation is rarely made explicit. When your day is full of firefighting, operational requests, and interruptions, it’s easy to default to action. Especially when that’s how you’ve been conditioned to show your value.
But strategic impact doesn’t come from being busy. It comes from clarity. And clarity starts with one small but powerful shift: asking better questions.
Why Questions Matter More Than Immediate Solutions
In a recent episode of The Strategic Leader Podcast, Chief People Officer Indy Lachhar shared how she’s moved from solution mode to strategy mode in her own role, and how that transformation began with simple, powerful questions.
“It’s not about having the answers. It’s about asking great questions.”
That shift is something we see frequently in executive coaching, especially with HR leaders who are making the leap from trusted support to strategic partner.
When someone asks for a new training course or policy, the temptation is to act. That feels helpful. It feels productive. But as Indy highlighted, this is often how HR ends up overwhelmed, delivering a backlog of well-intentioned initiatives that don’t actually move the dial.
Asking better questions slows down the process just enough to assess:
- Is this solving the right problem?
- Is this linked to a clear business goal?
- Is this the best use of our time, energy and influence?
That pause is where strategic impact begins.
From Activity to Outcomes
This requires a mindset shift, one that executive coaching is designed to support. Instead of measuring your contribution by what you’ve implemented, the shift is to focus on the outcomes you influence.
Rather than saying “we rolled out a new performance management system,” the more strategic frame is:
“We identified a disconnect between expectations and behaviours and worked with leaders to bring performance conversations into sharper focus.”
The work might still involve systems, or it might not. The difference is that you’re leading with insight, not output.
3 Questions Every Strategic HR Leader Should Ask
Indy shared three deceptively simple questions that now anchor her HR strategy. I use versions of these in executive coaching sessions to help leaders refocus and reframe their work. You’re going to want to save these.
- What are we here to achieve?
Bring every conversation back to purpose. It’s easy for HR to become reactive. This question restores direction and connects your work to tangible business value. - Are we still aligned to those goals?
Fast-moving businesses change direction. Priorities shift. Checking for alignment keeps your work relevant and your credibility high. - What 3-5 things will have the biggest impact?
Strategic leaders know that clarity is power. This question defines your core focus and gives you the foundation to say no when needed.
How Executive Coaching Helps Embed This Thinking
This isn’t just a skillset shift, it’s a confidence and mindset shift. That’s why executive coaching for HR Leaders is so effective.
Coaching creates dedicated space to zoom out from the day-to-day and reconnect with what matters most. It helps you build the muscle of reflection, so you’re not just reacting, you’re responding with clarity, intention and strategic focus.
You’ll practice asking better questions – of yourself, your stakeholders, and your organisation – and learn how to navigate complex decisions with confidence, even when there isn’t a clear right answer. You’ll also strengthen your ability to prioritise, hold boundaries, and influence others. Because being strategic isn’t just about big picture thinking, it’s about having the confidence to say no when something doesn’t align, and the clarity to back it up.
If you’re an HR leader looking to build your strategic impact, boost your influence at senior levels, or make more confident decisions in uncertain times, leadership and executive coaching can help.
Creating the Conditions for Better Conversations
Asking great questions is only part of the story, you also need to create the conditions where those questions can land.
That means:
- Building trust with stakeholders
- Creating psychological safety
- Knowing when to pause and listen, rather than problem-solve
Strategic HR is relational. Executive coaching helps you become more aware of your presence, your patterns, and the subtle ways you can unlock better thinking in others – not by having the answers, but by facilitating the conversation that leads to the right ones.
Strategic Insight Doesn’t Come From Activity – It Comes From Awareness
As Indy pointed out, HR often has more visibility across the organisation than any other function. You see what’s happening across teams. You hear what’s working and what isn’t. You notice the disconnects.
But unless you make space to reflect, all that insight gets buried in busyness. This is why so many of my executive coaching clients say the same thing:
“It’s not that I didn’t know. I just hadn’t stopped long enough to notice.”
The Habit Behind the Habit: Weekly Strategic Reflection
Indy shared a deceptively simple weekly habit that underpins all of this. At the end of each week, she takes a few minutes to ask herself three questions:
- What’s been good?
- What’s been difficult?
- What needs to be different?
It might sound small, but this kind of intentional reflection is a powerful leadership habit. It sharpens your awareness of what’s working (and what’s not), helps you spot patterns in how you lead, and gives you a consistent checkpoint to realign with what really matters.
Over time, this practice builds the muscle of strategic thinking. It stops you from getting swept up in reactive busyness and creates the space to lead with more clarity, focus, and intentionality. For HR leaders juggling multiple priorities, making this a weekly non-negotiable can be the difference between feeling stretched thin and feeling in control.
If you’re a HR Director, People Leader, or CPO who wants to work more strategically, it starts with better questions.
You don’t need a bigger to-do list. You need space to think, clarity to prioritise, and the confidence to lead conversations that shift how value gets created.
That’s what executive coaching for HR leaders is all about. It’s also why the best HR leaders aren’t the busiest, they’re the most focused. If you’re curious about how executive coaching could support you, let’s have a chat. No pressure, just an open conversation to explore what kind of support might make the biggest difference for you right now.
Tune into The Strategic Leader Podcast for More Insights
Check out The Strategic Leader and listen to the full conversation with Indy Lachhar on ‘How to Be a More Strategic HR Leader’.
