GROW MODEL – ACHIEVE GOALS THROUGH POWERFUL QUESTIONS

Coaching offers a number of tools and techniques, among them the GROW model, in which the coach helps the client achieve, often ambitious and non-trivial goals. The process of working towards a dream goal involves four stages, which you will learn about from the content of this article. Also learn how asking the right (strong / powerful) questions enables you to achieve your goal.

What is the GROW model in coaching?
The GROW model is one of the tools used in coaching to work with goals. The creator of this model is Sir John Whitmore, who introduced this tool more extensively in his book Coaching for Performance. The name of the model comes from the first letters of the English words:

• Goal – objective
  Reality
  Options – possibilities
  Will, Way Forward – will, next steps
  Also learn about the wheel of life tool.

When working with goals in the GROW model, we focus on the four elements mentioned above, namely: the goal itself, the reality regarding the goal, the options, and the steps taken to achieve the goal. The technique uses so-called strong (powerful) coaching questions asked by the coach on the way to the goal. The key to the client’s success is to answer the questions appropriately chosen during the coaching process. This method is often used in the first coaching sessions to establish the direction of the client’s support.

There is also a variation of this method called TGROW which differs from the GROW model by adding a preceding stage represented in the name by the letter T (Topic). It encompasses the broader environment that affects a particular problem. It reflects the level of importance of the problem in the broader context.

Elements of the GROW model
The GROW model used in a coaching session consists of four steps in which we define the goal, analyze the facts, consider the possibilities, and plan the actions required to achieve our intention or project.

Step 1: Goal – the objective
The first step of working with a client is to define the goal. Depending on the type of coaching, it may concern, for example, issues of personal development, professional development, material improvement, project implementation, improving the effectiveness of group work, making plans for the future, finding solutions to a particular problem. Defining the goal is a very important step in the process, as a poorly defined goal can prevent or hinder the realization of a venture/intention.

It can be helpful to use the SMART technique (or the SMART model), where we make sure that our goal is:

Specific – well specified
Measurable – measurable
Achivable – achievable
Relevant – relevant, important
Time-bounded

The goal must be well specified so that there is no doubt about what you intend to achieve, do, accomplish. It must also be measurable, so that it is known at any time whether we are getting closer to achieving it and whether we have already achieved it. The basic feature of a goal is the possibility of achieving it. There is no point in defining goals that, by definition, are not achievable. It is also important that it be relevant, that is, provide value to the customer. It makes no sense and is a waste of time to work with goals that have too little value or are not relevant. The goal should also be time-bound, that is, you should set a time frame for when you will reach your goal at the latest. Failure to set a time frame is one of the common mistakes that cause the realization of our goals to drag on indefinitely. So you need to make sure in this step that the goals you set in GROW in coaching are SMART, that is, well-defined.

The first step may require the coach to ask the following sample questions:

What do you want to achieve?
What problem do you want to solve?
What would you like to change?
Why is it important to you?
Is it realistic to achieve your goal?
When will you consider that you have reached your goal?
How will you know that you are moving closer to your goal?
When do you want to accomplish it?
What would happen if you accomplished it?
How will achieving your goal affect your relatives and friends?
How will you feel when you achieve your goal?
What would you achieve if you realized the intended result?
Can you identify the necessary actions?

Stage 2: Reality
At this stage, the coach asks questions about the current state of affairs, what is the client’s situation and environment. It is necessary to determine what has been done so far, what are the obstacles, what is the potential of the client and the environment. We determine the initial (starting) state to determine from where we start the journey towards the goal in coaching. It is important to describe the environment looking from as many perspectives as possible. The following questions can be asked:

What have you accomplished?
What actions have you taken?
What are the main problems?
What have you failed to do?
What resources does the client have?
What is conducive to achieving the goal ?
Do you have the right level of knowledge?
How do you feel at this stage of the process?
What are the facts?
What is your current situation ?
What could you have done better?
What obstacles exist to achieving your goals?
Why haven’t you found the time to implement?
What do you need to change?
What does staying in your current situation mean to you?
Consider for this stage in the GROW model the use of the coaching method Wheel of Life.

Stage 3: Options – options, possibilities
In this stage of coaching work under the GROW model, you should answer all questions related to the actions you can take to achieve the goal. This is a creative stage, so it’s worth thinking open-mindedly when analyzing different possibilities, ideas, potential actions. It’s worth stepping out of the box and being open to different alternatives, thinking about who can help us, what works for us, what steps we will take. Consider every idea that comes to your mind. For this stage, you can use the Walt Disney approach, in which we look at a project from three perspectives: the dreamer, the realist and the critic. This is a tool as often used in coaching as the GROW technique (model) itself. Sample questions of this stage:

What can you do at the beginning?
What actions can you take?
What are my options for action?
What solution do you choose?
Who can help you?
What could someone support you with?
What can you consider additionally?
What tools can you use?
Have you considered the validity of all options?
To what extent can you do the elements of the plan yourself?
How can you approach solving the problem?
What can you do in the next step?
Which alternative path do you choose?
Into what stages can you divide the implementation of the intention?
Who can help you identify ideas?
Stage 4: Will, Way forward – will, next steps
The final stage of the GROW model focuses on the actual will to make changes and the actions that can be taken. Together with the coach you have set a goal, analyzed the situation, considered various options and possibilities, so it’s time to develop an action plan. The coaching session for this stage GROW model may include sample questions:

Are you determined to take action?
What stages can you divide the achievement of your goal into?
What actions need to be performed in each stage?
What resources will you need to implement the plan?
When can I start?
How will I handle risks?
What will I do if I encounter certain problems?
What are you missing to achieve the goal?
What do you need?
When will you consider the goal achieved?
What will you do when your motivation drops?
What could you do to gain the desire to take action?
What results can you achieve the fastest?
What benefits will you achieve by doing so?
This is where a realist’s perspective and a critic’s perspective from the Walt Disney method already cited comes in handy in GROW.

The GROW model – practical tips and advice
The GROW model in its traditional application assumes that the coach is not an expert in the client’s situation. Thus, he or she must act as a facilitator, helping the client choose the best options, rather than offering advice or guidance.

Facilitation – comprehensive support or facilitation of the organizational process. It can be implemented by helping to find solutions, forming skills, removing obstacles to a given goal. Facilitation in general is to help so that a person / organization / can achieve a goal.

The two most important skills of a trainer are the ability to ask pertinent questions and the ability to listen effectively.

Don’t ask closed-ended questions that only need a “yes” or “no” answer. Instead, at each stage of the coaching session, ask open-ended questions that require you to elaborate on what you are saying. By doing so, you will get the client to think creatively.

Use active listening skills and let your client speak for most of the session. Remember that silence provides valuable thinking time.

GROW model coaching – Summary
The GROW model coaching method, through the client’s answers to powerful coaching questions, helps make even the most ambitious goals a reality. The role of the coach in this process is important and comes down to asking the right powerful coaching questions. There is no ready-made closed list of questions to use in the coaching process. Each case is different and the role of the facilitator is to flexibly select them depending on the specifics of the goal the client is working with and the answers to the subsequent questions. The article provides only sample questions that can be asked at each stage of applying GROW coaching.

The GROW model is one of the most widely used tools in coaching, so it’s definitely worth learning about it and applying it in sessions with clients – after all, grow from English means to grow 😉 .