The Power of the “AWE Question”: Transforming Small-Business Culture Through Coaching

Small business owners juggle operations, customers, cash flow, and a hundred decisions a day. With so much pressure, it’s easy for conversations with staff or partners to become rushed, transactional, or shallow.

But one deceptively simple question—“And what else?”—can change that.

Coined by Michael Bungay Stanier in The Coaching Habit, the AWE question creates space for deeper thinking, clearer ideas, and better decisions. When used consistently—whether in team huddles, strategy planning, or performance reviews—it can shift the way a business communicates and grows.

Coaching as a Culture, Not a Tactic

Coaching isn’t a management trick. It’s a mindset. It focuses on drawing ideas out of people, rather than pushing instructions onto them.

For small-business owners, this mindset can help:

• frontline staff solve their own customer-service challenges
• managers develop stronger leadership habits
• owners uncover blind spots, opportunities, and priorities
• teams build confidence and ownership in day-to-day operations

And we do this not by giving more advice—but by asking better questions.

Why “And What Else?” Works

The AWE question delivers three powerful benefits:

• It signals curiosity. Staff or partners feel heard rather than directed.
• It deepens thinking. The first answer is rarely the most insightful. AWE prompts people to go beyond the obvious.
• It expands possibilities. It opens the door to new ideas, options, and solutions.

In the fast pace of small-business life, AWE slows the conversation just enough to uncover what really matters.

Turning Performance Reviews into Meaningful Conversations

Performance reviews often become checklist conversations. With a coaching approach, they become opportunities for growth.

Imagine you run a small café. Start with open questions:

• “What went really well for you this quarter?”
• “What did you do that helped us improve customer satisfaction or sales?”
• Then: “And what else?”

That final question encourages the employee to dig deeper—perhaps identifying a habit, decision, or action they hadn’t recognised before.

Continue with prompts that build ownership:

• “What made those results possible?”
• “How could you build on this next month?”
• “What might you try differently?”
• “And what else?”

Suddenly, a review shifts from judgment to empowerment—from a formality to a genuine development conversation.

Deepening Operational Reviews and Problem-Solving

The AWE question is equally powerful when you’re analysing performance or tackling a business challenge.

For example, a boutique owner looking at slow-moving stock might ask:

• “What’s holding these items back?”
• “What would make the biggest difference to sales?”
• “And what else?”

Or a plumbing business reviewing call-out delays might explore:

• “What’s creating bottlenecks in our scheduling?”
• “What else is affecting response times?”

Each “what else?” opens the possibility of uncovering factors that otherwise remain hidden.

Empowering Leadership and Staff Development

Leadership in small business doesn’t mean having every answer. It means creating space for people to think well.

Use the AWE question in:

• Team meetings:
  “What opportunities are we not taking advantage of yet? And what else?”
• One-to-ones:
  “What support would help you do your job better? And what else?”
• Training sessions:
  “What stood out to you today? What will you start, stop, or continue? And what else?”

This signals that learning and growth are not just expected—but valued.

Strengthening Goal-Setting and Business Planning

During strategic planning—whether you’re a solo consultant or leading a team of 20—the AWE question expands your thinking beyond day-to-day firefighting.

You might begin with:

• “Imagine it’s 12 months from now. What do we want to be better or different in the business?”
• “And what else?”

Then get concrete:

• “How will we know we’ve achieved it? What will customers say? What will our financials look like?”
• “And what else?”

Finally, explore obstacles:

• “What’s stopping us from getting there?”
• “And what else?”
• “If those barriers disappeared, what would we do differently?”
• “How could we reduce their impact?”
• “And what else?”

This approach moves planning from reactive to strategic—from short-term fixes to long-term clarity.

Building a Culture of Continuous Improvement

Ultimately, the AWE question is more than a coaching tool—it’s a mindset that strengthens communication, trust, and performance across a small business.

It doesn’t require training courses, consultants, or new systems.

It starts with a single, powerful question:

“And what else?”