Business Bites: the GROW model

The GROW model helps a coach guide a coachee through a structured process of self-discovery and goal achievement

Racing car driver, Sir John Whitmore, was also a pioneer of the executive coaching industry. During the late 1980s, Sir John, alongside Graham Alexander and Alan Fine developed the GROW coaching model, which provides a framework designed to structure coaching conversations. The model was built on Timothy Gallwey’s work, The Inner Game of Tennis, which emphasised focusing on the inner game to improve performance.

The principle of the GROW model is fairly simple: that breakthrough performance often comes from not acquiring new knowledge or skills, but from removing the individual’s internal barriers, allowing them to act on what they already know. Good decisions lead to practical actions, which lead to productive results.

What is GROW?

The GROW model helps a coach guide a coachee through a structured process of self-discovery and goal achievement. GROW is an acronym for: Goal, Reality, Options, Way forward. The four stages of this process are explained below.

Goal

This stage focuses on defining a specific goal for the coaching session or overall objective. It involves clarifying what the coachee is looking to achieve and ensuring the goal is well-defined and measurable. Having a specific goal raises the coachee’s energy levels and clarifies thinking. It also encourages the coachee to consider how to move forward, rather than focusing on problems or barriers. Here the SMART method for goal setting is highly useful.

Reality

The coachee explores their current situation, considering the positive and negative aspects that influence their goal. The coach will encourage the coachee to consider their circumstances, challenges and the resources they have available. It provides an opportunity to consider the issues from different perspectives.

Options

As the coachee’s reality becomes clearer, they will often naturally move to this stage. During this stage the coach will encourage the coachee to brainstorm and consider various potential solutions and actions which may help the coachee move towards their goal. This will involve generating a range of possibilities without judgment or immediate evaluation.

Way forward

This stage focuses the coachee on deciding to which of the options they will commit. They will then create a definitive plan of action, including specific steps, timelines, where they will need support and how they will be held accountable. During this stage, there is a danger that the coachee will choose a plan of action that they believe they should do, rather than considering what will realistically work for them. For example, where someone commits to joining a gym because they want to lose weight. However, they are never going to attend the gym because they simply do not like the gym. They would gain more – and lose more weight – from committing to walk their dog every morning, as that is something they enjoy. The coach’s role is help the coachee recognise which way forward is right for them.

Supporting the GROW model

To support the GROW model, there are a number of questions they coach can ask the coachee during the different stages of the model.

Goal
Questions include: What do you want to achieve?; What would you like to happen?; Where do you want to be in one/three/five years?; What does success look like; How will you know when you have got there?

Reality
Questions include: What’s happening at the moment?; How important is this to you at the moment?; What strengths do you have that may help you?; What’s holding you back? How are you feeling about this?; What is within your control?; What assumptions have you made?; Who else does this affect?

Options
Questions include:  What are your options?; What have you seen others do?; What can you influence?; Who else might be able to help?; How will that work?; How do you feel about that option?

Way forward
Questions include: What steps will you take?; What are you going to do first?; When will you do it by?; What support will you need?; What do you need from me?; How will you make your actions SMART?

Sir John was keen that coaches and coachees recognised that this model was a framework, and it should not be followed slavishly. The suggested questions should be used at appropriate times during the coaching process, but bearing in mind that Goal questions raise energy, Reality questions provide clarity, and Options and Way forward questions turn ideas into achievements.

GROW and self-coaching

We learn from the following extract from an article by the University of Southampton that self-coaching can be used to guide yourself.

What is coaching?
Coaching is the art of facilitating the performance, learning and development of another (Whitmore, 2002). It is distinct from mentoring which is about transferring knowledge from mentor to mentee.

What is self-coaching?
Self-coaching is a type of reflective practice in which we take a step back from a goal or problem and systematically work through our approach.

Why is self-coaching useful?
When you’re feeling stuck – whether that’s with your academic work, or something else in your life that you want to change – self-coaching can help you see the situation more clearly and develop a game plan.

The following process is suggested:

1. Goal
What do you want/need to achieve? Your goal should be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-Bound)

2. Reality
This is where you check in with yourself and ensure your goal can be achieved. Reflecting on progress you have made so far towards your goal, any barriers you can foresee, and any resources you will need, will help you to ensure your goal is achievable.

3. Options
At this stage, you consider possible routes you could take to achieve your goal. This might include:

• Resources you could seek out, and how you plan to use them
• Plans you could change, and plans which are fixed
• Adjustments you could make to what the outcome will look like

4. What next?
At this stage, you should reflect honestly on what you can realistically commit to doing, and how committed you are, to achieving your goal. Be realistic about your own work ethic and the time constraints facing you.

Further reading

OMT Global. Powerful coaching questions to use with the GROW model.
Bitesize Learning. The GROW model can help you get started with coaching.
Imperial. The GROW coaching model.