Employee Coaching and the GROW Model

The GROW model is a powerful coaching tool that allows the coach and the coachee to establish Goals, define Reality, set Options and identify what the coachee Will do, when it Will be done, and with what level of confidence they Will accomplish the objective. Almost all professional coaching experiences that an individual will conduct throughout their career will lead to some type of growth, for both the coach and the coachee. This article relates experiences using this coaching technique and the GROW model.

Recently, I read a quote that has stuck in my mind; the author's name escapes me. To paraphrase, "ideas do not move mountains; ideas show the bulldozers where to go to work." In essence, this is what coaching is all about. Coaching brings out ideas in people. These ideas allow people to work through goals, reality, options and the will to overcome.

Using the GROW model (Goal, Reality, Options, Will) one can greatly enhance their ability to coach people to viable solutions without knowing details of the obstacles in advance. The coach starts by helping the coachee choose where they are going (their Goal) and define the current situation (their Reality). Together, through incite questions from the coach, the two investigate various ways (the Options) of meeting the goal. Finally, as the coach you get the coachee to commit to specific accomplishments in order to establish his or her will and motivation.

The First Session as a Coach - its ok to Change Goals Based on Reality

My very first professional session was comparable to a dance through a minefield. As the sessions progressed, I became adept at asking open ended, thought provoking questions that eliminated the barriers housing the coachee's answers.