What’s top of mind for me is that this is business speak. Would you approach someone at a dinner party and say, “Hi Dana. What’s top of mind?” Of course not. You might ask, “So what’s new?” My point is that business speak creates a formal context in which it is very difficult to have trust. That’s because in this formal structure the brain always perceives a potential threat, which operates beneath our consciousness most of the time.

I completely agree with your premise! You are advocating for being more of a coach than a manager, which is a much preferred approach to create team success. I just suggest to be mindful of language and what it can convey subconsciously.