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If you’ve ever coached a team, led a business, or managed a group of strong personalities (which, let’s face it, describes most insurance agencies), you know leadership isn’t about barking orders. It’s about drawing out the best in people — helping them discover their own answers, not just giving them yours.

That’s the heart of something I recently studied called The Coach Approach: A Better Way to Live, Lead, and Leave a Legacy by Mark Stephens. It’s a short but powerful devotional series that challenges how we lead, listen, and believe in others.

And even though it’s written from a faith perspective, the lessons apply directly to the way we run agencies, lead teams, and serve clients. In fact, I’d argue this “Coach Approach” is one of the best business strategies you’ll ever use.

A Better Way to Lead Your Team

We live in a world of constant telling. Everyone’s got an opinion, a directive, a how-to video, or a motivational quote ready to go. But real leadership — the kind that inspires people to grow — often comes from asking, not telling.

Stephens calls it being an inquisitive questioner, a legendary listener, and a possibility pursuer.

If you’ve been leading for a while, that might sound simple, maybe even soft. But think about it: when’s the last time someone asked you a question that really made you think — one that helped you find your own answer?

That’s what great leaders do. They don’t just talk; they draw out.

At Jenesis, I’ve seen this firsthand. The best managers aren’t the ones who dominate the room. They’re the ones who know how to ask a good question, pause long enough for others to think, and then listen without interrupting.

It’s the difference between compliance and commitment. When people help shape the solution, they take ownership of it.

The Inquisitive Questioner

Here’s a confession: I used to be a “teller.” Maybe you can relate. You ask how someone’s doing, they give you a half-answer, and you jump straight to advice. It’s not that we don’t care — it’s that we’re busy.

But when we lead by telling, we rob others of the opportunity to think for themselves. We create followers instead of problem-solvers.

Stephens tells a story about joining a tongue-in-cheek group called Teller Anonymous. He realized that by constantly telling, he was missing opportunities to empower others. I could’ve joined that group, too.

The alternative is to become an inquisitive questioner. Instead of giving answers, we ask things like:

• “What do you think would work best here?”
  
• “What’s another way we could approach this?”
  
• Or my new favorite: “And what else?” (Stephens calls it the A.W.E. question.)

Try it during your next team meeting. When someone offers an idea, just say, “That’s great — and what else?” You might be surprised by how much insight your team already has.

Leadership guru Craig Groeschel says, “People would rather follow a leader who is real than one who is always right.” Asking questions shows humility and creates an environment where others feel safe to speak up.

If you want your agency to grow, create thinkers, not just doers. That starts with curiosity.

Becoming a Legendary Listener

We all know what it feels like to talk to someone who’s only half-listening. You can see their eyes glaze over while their phone lights up or their mind drifts to their next meeting.

In an agency, legendary listening can change everything. It deepens relationships with both clients and coworkers, helps you uncover hidden problems, and builds trust faster than any email campaign ever could.

Stephens uses the acronym A.D.D. for Awareness, Distractions, and Deeper Meaning.

1. Awareness: Give someone your full attention. In leadership, awareness means more than hearing words — it’s noticing tone, expression, and what’s not being said.
   
2. Distractions: You can’t listen and check your email at the same time (even if you think you can). Be intentional. Turn off notifications, close your laptop, and lean in.
   
3. Deeper Meaning: Ask questions that go below the surface. “What’s really driving this?” or “How do you feel about that decision?” Often, the truth lives under the first layer.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said, “The beginning of love for others is learning to listen to them.”

When you practice legendary listening, you’re telling people, “You matter.” That’s powerful — especially in business, where people are used to being rushed through conversations.

And yes, it takes time. But listening is never wasted time. It’s an investment in relationships — and those relationships are what drive both retention and referrals.

Becoming a Possibility Pursuer

Every agency has “impossible” moments. Maybe you’ve said it yourself:

• “We’ll never find a good producer.”
  
• “We can’t compete with the big guys.”
  
• “We’ll never get caught up on service requests.”

But possibility pursuers see things differently. They believe there’s always a way — maybe not an easy way, but a possible one.

Stephens quotes missionary C.T. Studd, who said, “God is not looking for nibblers of the possible, but grabbers of the impossible.”

That line hit me. Because in business, as in faith, believing in what’s possible changes everything.

To lead this way, we need two types of belief:

1. Belief in our people. If you don’t believe your team is capable of greatness, they’ll sense it.
   
2. Belief in a higher purpose. Whether you call it faith, mission, or conviction, it’s the quiet confidence that there’s more going on than what you can see.

When leaders combine those two beliefs, culture shifts. People start thinking bigger. They stop saying “I can’t” and start asking “What if?”

That’s how faith shows up in business — not by preaching, but by believing that the best is still possible, and that every challenge can be a setup for growth.

How This Applies to Agency Life

The Coach Approach isn’t just theory; it’s practical. You can start using it this week:

• In team meetings: Ask open-ended questions instead of giving quick answers. Let others think it through.
  
• With clients: Listen for emotion, not just information. What are they worried about? What keeps them up at night?
  
• In one-on-ones: Focus on curiosity. Ask, “What’s something you’d love to improve in your role?”
  
• In your own leadership: When something feels impossible, remind yourself that progress always begins with belief.

At Jenesis, we’ve seen how these small shifts create big outcomes. When managers listen more and talk less, employees bring more ideas. When we ask thoughtful questions, we uncover opportunities we didn’t know existed.

The Coach Approach turns everyday conversations into growth moments.

Faith in the Workplace

My faith reminds me that leadership isn’t about control — it’s about stewardship. We’re entrusted with people, opportunities, and influence, and how we handle them matters.

The Bible says, “Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.” (James 1:19) That’s good advice whether you’re leading a prayer group or a sales team.

Faith-based leadership doesn’t mean quoting Scripture in every meeting; it means modeling values like humility, patience, and belief in others. Those traits aren’t just good theology — they’re good business.

So even if you don’t talk about faith at work, you can live it out by leading with curiosity, listening deeply, and believing boldly. People will notice the difference.

Encouragement for the Journey

Leadership can be lonely. It’s easy to feel like you have to have all the answers — for your staff, your clients, your family.

But what if your greatest strength wasn’t knowing everything, but knowing how to bring out the best in others?

That’s the Coach Approach:

• Ask more than you tell.
  
• Listen more than you talk.
  
• Believe more than you doubt.

Do that consistently, and you won’t just run a better agency — you’ll build a better legacy.

And that, my friend, is a business plan worth following.