GROW has become the most popular coaching model used globally (Whitmore, 2017, p.98), and forms the basis for many of the later models that have been developed (e.g. CLEAR, OSCAR or TGROW).
It is not only a powerful model, but as it is so widely known, there is also often a basic understanding in many organisations of what this model entails.
GROW was originally published by Whitmore (Whitmore 2017, p. 97-98) and colleagues in 1992. The acroymn stands for Goal, Reality, Options, Way Forward.
Goal is about helping the coachee identify what they want to achieve – both longer-term, and more immediately, as the desired result for the session.
Reality supports the coachee to assess the current situation, what actions they have taken so far and how successful these were. The coach draws out any blockers that the coachee has encountered.
Options helps the coachee identify the possibilities and alternatives available to make progress
Will/ Way Forward is about understanding what has been learned and what can be changed to achieve the goal set out originally. It is also about creating a plan of action and agreeing how the coachee will be held accountable
Due to the nature of the model, it is relatively easy to create bite-sized training sessions that cover each of the elements that managers and colleagues can attend to fit around their work. This training on GROW can then enable colleagues to use coaching techniques informally day to day.
Very specific actionable coaching tools and behaviours can be taught. These might include things like:
Coaching questions to use
The reminder not to jump in and solve for direct reports
Practicing more active listening.
The training can also give a basic understanding of the power of coaching. This can all support the business case for an organisation that may be considering rolling out coaching more widely as part of any new coaching strategy.
A drawback of the popularity of the model is, that it tends to lead to the belief that GROW is the only coaching model available, which of course is not the case.
In addition, there are other things to look out for, that I have found in my own practice:
setting the goal can be the most challenging step, as there is a temptation to move past this stage relatively quickly. It is important to be clear on what it going to be achieved both longer term and in each coaching session.
during ‘Reality’, active listening (Hill, 2004) is particularly important, as the coachee may share a whole raft of different challenges in non-verbal cues. Asking, ‘So what’s the real challenge here for you?’ (Stanier, 2016) can be a particularly powerful question here.
During ‘Options’ there is a temptation to jump in and advise, especially if the coachee is stuck. This may be particularly challenging if the coach is also the line manager. Equipping the coach with good problem-solving tools (the 5 whys, appreciative inquiry, 6 thinking hats) will help.
During Way Forward it is important to ensure the coachee gets really clear on what specifically they are going to aim to achieve between this and the next session. There is a temptation to skip this detail, but it is important for motivation and achievement.
GROW is designed flexibly for the coach to move through the model and revisit previous steps if needed (especially ‘Goal’). So, it is important to bear this in mind, especially when focusing on each of the individual GROW model steps over different sessions (which can lead to the belief that the best way to run coaching is linear, when in fact the process is more fluid).
Equipping managers with specific practical and actionable coaching tools will enable them to conduct informal coaching sessions with their colleagues. These are a powerful way to create a coaching culture across the organisation, although line managers will need to make a distinction to formal coaching conversations. Formal coaching will include important additional steps such as contracting and having an initial chemistry session, to name just a few.
Both ways of coaching play an important role in an organisation and can sit alongside each other, especially if the organisation is keen to develop their own pool of internal coaches or work with an external pool.
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