115: What Would Great Look Like? One Question to Stop Drama in 10 Seconds or Less

2026-06-24

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Are you or your team stuck in frustration when things go wrong — blaming circumstances, venting, or spiraling instead of moving forward? In this episode of the Reality-Based Leadership Podcast, Alex Dorr shares the single most powerful coaching question every leader should have in their back pocket: What would great look like? It sounds simple. But used at the right moment, it can shift someone from full-blown drama mode to clear, accountable action in seconds. Alex takes you behind the scenes of a real event-day crisis — a billing error, a leader on the verge of a meltdown, and a colleague who chose to coach instead of fix — and breaks down exactly why this question works, when to use it, and how to make it land. If you're a leader, manager, or team member who wants to stop spinning in frustration and start adding value in messy moments, this episode gives you exactly what you need. Because the goal isn't a perfect reality. It's knowing what great looks like — and choosing to go be it.

Episode Highlights:

00:01:12 - The one coaching question every leader needs

00:01:27 - The three ways to ask it

00:02:04 - The certification event story begins

00:03:20 - The billing error crisis

00:04:15 - Spiraling into low self

00:05:31 - The colleague who coached instead of fixed

00:06:25 - Why relationship matters before using this question

00:06:44 - The question lands — and shifts everything

00:08:17 - "Sounds like you already know what great looks like"

00:09:15 - Why typical "got a minute?" meetings cost you more

00:10:13 - Accountability after the moment passes