Using the GROW Model! A proven and simple mentoring and coaching tool to improve business performance!

What is coaching?

Coaching is a cyclical process of elevating the other persons’ awareness of ‘what is really going on’, guiding them to select responsibility for the actions they will take to achieve their goals and supporting them to evaluate their performance.

Coaching with teams when facilitated correctly develops the opportunity to improve team effectiveness and organisational impact.

What is Mentoring?

Mentoring is a professional relationship in which an experienced and knowledgeable individual (the mentor) who provides guidance, advice, and support to a less experienced or knowledgeable individual (the mentee) in order to help them achieve their personal and professional goals.

Introducing… The GROW Model

The GROW model is a tool which can be used in many different mentoring / coaching interventions and is a productive technique often employed by both new and experienced career coaches. However, the successful application of the tool depends upon several factors, including the dynamic, flexible use of its key features as well as effective questioning techniques. The GROW model can also be viewed as “techniques” or “approaches” or a framework around which future tools

How Does the GROW Model Work?

The GROW model was developed by John Whitmore in his book “Coaching for Performance.”?GROW is an acronym based on the following key coaching phases:

• Goals – Determining the candidate final “goals” and objectives.
• Reality – Taking time to describe the candidate’s current situation before discussing or taking any pro-active steps.
• Options – What are the” alternatives” or actions available to the candidate.
• Will or Way Forward – What agreed activity “will” be taken by the candidate to progress the achievement of their final (end) goals.

Here's a breakdown of each step in the GROW model and how it can be used as a coaching and mentoring tool:

1.??Goal: The first step in the GROW model is to define the individual's goals. This involves identifying what the individual wants to achieve and setting specific goals using the VISTA or SMART Goal frameworks to support the execution of the goals. As a coach or mentor, you can help the individual clarify their goals by asking simple questions such as:

• What do you want to achieve?
• Why is this goal so important to you?
• How will you know when you've achieved your goal?

2.??Reality: The second step in the GROW model is to assess the current reality of the individual. This involves understanding the individual's current situation and identifying any obstacles or challenges that may prevent them from achieving their goal. As a coach or mentor, you can help the individual assess their reality by asking questions such as:

• What is your current situation?
• What obstacles or challenges are you currently facing?
• What resources or strengths can you access in supporting this goal?

These questions are asked to enable the individual to identify their current situation and provide insight to potential obstacles or challenges identified in the reality step.

3.??Options: As a coach or mentor, your role is to help the individual generate options to improve performance by asking further questions (questions that challenge current beliefs, assumptions and behaviours) such as:

• What are some potential solutions or approaches to overcome the obstacles or challenges you've identified?
• What are the pros and cons of each option?
• Which option aligns best with your values, goals, and strengths?

4.??Way Forward: The final step in the GROW model is to develop a plan of action. This involves identifying specific steps (tasks or Action Items) the individual can take to achieve their end goal and creating a timeline for implementation. As a coach or mentor, you can help the individual create a way forward by asking questions such as:

• What specific actions or alternative behaviours do you need to take to achieve your goal?
• What is a realistic timeline for each action?
• How will you track and monitor your progress and make adjustments if necessary?

By using the GROW model as a coaching and mentoring tool, you can help individuals clarify their goals, assess their current situation, generate options, and develop a plan of action to achieve their desired outcomes. This model can be effective for a variety of personal and professional goals and can be adapted to suit the individual's unique needs and circumstances.

Putting the four steps into practice.

Setting Goals

Goal setting is an important element of any mentoring or coaching relationship. First, any self or team development session must have a goal or an objective to be achieved.

Personally, I use and recommend the VISTA Model of Goals Setting. Within this model each identified goal must contain the following elements.

V =?Visualised

I = Inspirational

S = Specific

T = Time Referenced

A = Actionable or Aspirational

Your goals should be specific, and it must be measurable if it is to be measured and achieved. So, having identified aspirational goals, a simple question like “What would you like to achieve in this area?” is a useful starting point.

It is also very important that the goals are stated in a positive and action orientated manner and where possible include the use of a verb (a doing word) e.g.?‘I will achieve a 1% improvement by…’ as opposed to ‘I must not fail………’.?The objective of the specific goal within the coaching session should also be discussed.

?Typical Questions

• What goals would you like to achieve?
• What result are you seeking by the end of this period?
• What steps / tasks or action items can you identify, within realistic timeframes?
• How far do you expect to get in the planning of this?

Reality Checking

Knowing what you would like to achieve will largely depend on knowing where you are starting from. i.e – the present situation. This is a critical starting point and once this is known, the resolution becomes clearer and more straightforward. The key element though is to understand the end goal, what your focusing on, and to be clear about what success looks like.

Typical Questions

• What is the current situation?
• Ideally what is the end goal and what does it look like?
• What are your concerns about it?
• What obstacles need to be overcome?
• What actions?have you taken so far?
• What resources do you have? , or... What resources do you need?
• Who is affected by this problem, other than you?
• How much control do you have (personally) over achieving the end result?

It may be necessary to review the original goal and discuss??– ‘given the current reality and how challenging / realistic are the targeted end goals?’

Options Stage

Once you know where you are and where you want to go, the next phase is to describe what alternatives you have for achieving your goals. A useful analogy for GROW is a geographic map: once you know where you are going (the goal or objective) and where you are (current situation), you can explore possible methods of making the journey (options) and choose the best one.

Once lists of potential solutions and options have been generated, then the features, advantages and benefits (FAB) and costs of each option can be considered.?Suggestions from a?coach should be considered as possible solutions only – not the answers. The solutions must come from the participant and not the coach. This concept is supported by the saying that “People will support what they themselves create”, so ensure your coachee (client) has ownership of the proposed solution / options.

Typical Questions

• What are all the different ways you could approach this problem?
• Make a list of all the alternatives, large or small, complete and partial, and their options?
• What support do you require from others? Be Specific!
• What would you do if you had more time, a better budget, or were the manager?
• What would you do if you could start again with a new team?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of each of these options?
• Which would give you the most satisfaction?
• Which option would give the best outcome?

Will (WAY Forward) Stage

The purpose of this phase is to convert a discussion into a decision. You must also have the motivation or will to make the journey. The “W” is often taken to mean a number of other elements of a session, all of which are important. Myles Downey in his book “Effective Coaching” recommends it stands for “Wrap-up”; others have it standing for What, Where, Why, When and How. But whatever is emphasised, the desired result from this stage is a commitment to action.

Typical Questions

• What and when are you going to take action?
• To what extent does this meet all your goals?
• What are your indicators and measurements for success?
• What is the correct logical order (start and finish) for each action step?
• What could hinder you in taking these steps?
• What support do you need, from whom?
• What will you do to obtain that support and when?
• What can I do to support you?
• How will you eliminate any external and internal factors that may hold you back?

The GROW Model is not linear – you may find that you need to go back and forth between the stages to maintain goal focus and progression e.g. you may only be able to define a vague objective until you have examined the reality in more detail.?You may then need to move back and define the goal much more precisely before moving forward again.?

When listing the alternatives, it will be necessary to check back to see if each of them, would in fact, move you towards your goal more effectively and expeditiously.?Finally, before the ‘what and when’ action items are set in concrete, it is crucial to make a final review and check to see if it meets the goal objectives.

References:

• Coaching for Performance: Growing People, Performance and Purpose, John Whitmore
• Developing People Through Effective Workplace Coaching – University of Leeds
• Coaching – The Grow Model – Learning to Live, Living to Learn
• Mentoring Tool -- GROW Model - Future of London
• The Grow Model of Coaching https://www.bobgriffiths.com/grow_model.htm”
• Using the GROW Model – Certificate in Management, Keith Mattacks, Birkbeck College
• Lived Coaching and Mentoring Experience – Mark Jones

Mark Jones was a 2021 Australian Business Coach of the Year nominee and finalist. If you’re?looking for a skilled and experienced Coach and Mentor, or wanting further information on this article including tips on how to create and implement a sustainable mentoring and coaching framework within your organisation contact me on LinkedIn or on mobile +61 (0) 428 727 076.

You can also book a complimentary 30 minute conversation through my Calendly app here: (Mark Jones Calendar)

Mark Jones.