The Grow model - Goal, Reality, Options, Will

Management is nothing more than motivating other people

One key role of any leader is to coach team members to achieve their best. As a "coach" or mentor, you will typically help your team members to solve problems, make better decisions, learn new skills or otherwise progress in their role or career.

Whilst some leaders are fortunate enough to get formal training in coaching skills, many are not. They have to develop these for themselves.

Now this may sound daunting. But if you arm yourself with some of proven techniques, find opportunities to practice and learn to trust your instincts, you can become a better coach, and so enhance your team's performance.

One proven approach that helps with this is the GROW model. GROW is an acronym standing for Goal – Current Reality – Options – Will. The model is a simple yet powerful framework for structuring a coaching or mentoring session.

A useful metaphor for the GROW model is the plan you might make for an important journey. First, you start with a the map: With this, you help your team member decide where they are going (their Goal) and establish where they currently are (their Current Reality). Then you explore various ways (the Options) of making the journey. In the final step, establishing the Will, you ensure your team member is committed to making the journey and is prepared for the conditions and obstacles they may meet on their way.

How to Use the Tool:

1. Establish the Goal:

First, with your team member, you must define and agree the goal or outcome to be achieved. You should help your team member define a goal that is specific, measurable and realistic.(SMART - Specific, Measurable, Ambitious, Realistic,Time bound)

In doing this, it is useful to ask questions like:

· "How will you know that you have achieved that goal?"
· "How will you know the problem is solved?"

2. Examine Current Reality:

Next, ask your team member to describe their Current Reality. This is a very important step: Too often, people try to solve a problem without fully considering their starting point, and often they are missing some of the information they need to solve the problem effectively.
As the team member tells you about his or her Current Reality, the solution may start to emerge.

Useful coaching questions include:
· "What is happening now?"
· "What, who, when, how often"
· "What is the effect or result of that?"

3. Explore the Options:

Once you and your team member have explored the Current Reality, it's time to explore what is possible – meaning, all the many possible options you have for solving the problem. Help your team member generate as many good options as possible, and discuss these.
By all means, offer your own suggestions. But let your team member offer his or hers first, and let him or her do most of the talking.

Typical questions used to establish the options are:

· "What else could you do?"
· "What if this or that constraint were removed?
· "What are the benefits and downsides of each option?"
· What factors will you use to weigh up the options?

4. Establish the Will:

By examining Current Reality and exploring the Options, your team member will now have a good idea of how he or she can achieve their Goal. That's great – but in itself, this may not be enough! So your final step as coach is to get you team member to commit to specific action. In so doing, you will help the team member establish his or her will and motivation.

Useful questions:
· "So what will you do now . and when?
· "What could stop you moving forward?"
· "And how will you overcome it?"
· "Will this address your goal?"
· "How likely is this option to succeed?"
· "What else will you do?"

Ref : http://www.solecki-coaching.pl/en/blog,30.html

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What is GROW Model?

The GROW (Goal, Reality, Options, Wrap-up) model is one of the most common coaching tools. It enables the coach to structure a coaching conversation and deliver a meaningful result.

The discussion should start with defining the topic in order to understand what specifically the player wants to talk about, what territory you are in, the scale of the problem, the importance and emotional significance of the topic to the player and the player’s long-term vision of goal for the topic.

A Simple Four-Step Structure

The framework provides a simple four-step structure for a coaching session:

Step 1: Goal. Coach and player agree on a specific aim, objective and topic for the discussion. This goal is not the longer-term objective that the player has. This desired outcome is to be achieved within the limits of the discussion.

Step 1: Goal. Coach and player identify and agree on a number of clear and achievable goals (outcomes) for the discussion. This goal is not the longer-term objective that the player has. This desired outcome is to be achieved within the limits of the discussion.

Step 2: Reality. Both coach and player invite self-assessment and offer specific examples to illustrate their points and achieve the most accurate picture of the topic possible.

Step 3: Options. In the options stage the coach’s intention is to draw out a list of what all that is possible for the player to do without judgment and evaluation. Coach elicits suggestions from the player by asking effective questions and guides him/her towards making the right choices.

Step 4: Wrap-up. In this stage the coach’s intention is to gain commitment to action. Coach and player select the most appropriate options, commit to action, define the action plan, the next steps and a timeframe for their objectives and identify how to overcome obstacles.

Ref : http://www.1000ventures.com/business_guide/crosscuttings/coaching_grow.html

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