This was the sigh and response from the CEO of a large not-for-profit when I asked about their biggest challenges during coffee the other week. There is something deeper that all senior leaders face—relational and cultural tensions that numbers and strategies alone can’t address.

It reminded me of how quickly we can frame these tensions as “problems to solve” rather than “relationships to tend.” This subtle shift in approach changes everything. As I’ve reflected on our conversation in the days since, one of my Alongside Mentoring sayings kept coming to mind: “Quick answers lock doors, but good questions turn keys.”

When leaders face ‘people problems,’ rushing to solutions often closes the very doors we need to open. What if, instead of fixing, we focused on asking the questions that unlock potential and deepen trust? Rather than giving advice, a question becomes an invitation.

This relational approach sits at the heart of my Alongside Mentoring. Whether working with senior executives or emerging leaders, I’ve witnessed how presence and curiosity transform conventional mentoring into something profound.

A leader recently told me, “I came looking for answers to manage my team better. Instead, I learned to ask better questions—and somehow, that’s solving problems I didn’t even know how to name.”

Alongside Mentoring is a curated space where presence meets potential, wisdom meets wonder, and trust meets transformation. It’s not about having the answers, but about creating the conditions where answers emerge through relationship.

What “people problems” might actually be invitations to deeper connection in your organisation?

If you would like to explore how Alongside Mentoring can strengthen the relational fabric of your leadership team, let’s connect, reply to this email or give my team a call.