The GROW Coaching Model – Helping Team Members Develop their Ways of Thinking
Many people say “Change your Thinking, Change your Life”. Well, it’ correct!
Coaching is the process and the skill of helping people to develop their ways of thinking.
So, if you’re a manager of people, you should be learning the coaching process and developing the coaching skills to help your team members develop their ways of thinking.
The GROW coaching model provides a structure for the coaching conversation.
GROW
G– Goal
R – Reality (Current Reality)
O – Options and Obstacles
W – Way Forward
The GROW model is forward-looking and solution focused. If the conversation needs to be regarding the team members performance, this is not the place to use the GROW model.
A new manager of a team could use the GROW model for example with each of their team members to kick off their relationship in a forward-looking manner to listen to the employee and hear what’s on their mind about work, any problems they have or their career, and gain commitment going forward. As engagement of team members is key, this can only help the team member to feel their manager cares and is interested in their development. The manager would then check-in with the team member at regular intervals throughout the year on progress.
An existing manager of a team could use GROW to start a conversation about career development and growth. The manager would then check-in with the team member at regular intervals throughout the year on progress.
What’s on your mind?
The opening point is asking the team member what’s on their mind about work? What would they like to talk about regarding work?
This then leads into the GROW model as follows.
Goal
Questions at this stage would include some of the following:
- What do you want to achieve?
- What are your objectives?
- What is your desired outcome?
- What would you like to see in the next 6 months?
- What is your ideal?
Reality
Questions at this stage would include some of the following:
- Where are you now?
- What is the current reality?
- What is your self-assessment of the situation?
- How far is it to achieve your goal?
- What is your motivation to achieve this goal?
- What is your feedback on where you are at in relation to this goal?
Options & Obstacles
Questions at this stage would include some of the following:
- What can you do to bridge the gap?
- What are the options to achieve your plan?
- How can you make your vision a reality?
- What help do you need?
- Who can help you?
- What help do you need from me?
- What resources do you need?
- What prevents you from achieving your goal?
- What is hindering you from changing?
Way Forward
Questions at this stage would include some of the following:
- What are the actions you are going to take?
- What actions are you committing to doing?
- What are the next steps?
- What is your action plan?
- What is your first step?
- When will you start?
- What help do you need to stay on track?
As a manager of people, one of your most important roles is to coach your team members to do their best. By doing this, you help them make better decisions, solve problems that are holding them back, learn new skills, think in new ways and doing things differently, and otherwise progress their careers.
The GROW model is a simple yet powerful framework for structuring you’re your coaching conversations.
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Read about the Inner Game of Tennis and the GROW model.
