Effective Leadership is one of the core elements of our exclusive Success Through People(c) Model, and is key to diving business performance and profitability.
One of the common attributes of highly effective leaders is that they are inevitably great coaches. They manage their people in a way that gets the best out of them – they nurture their talents, help them identify opportunities for development and inspire their efforts to improve.
The GROW model is a simple framework designed to facilitate constructive coaching conversations. Originally developed in the 1980s by performance coach Sir John Whitmore, GROW stands for:
- Goal
- Current Reality
- Options (or Obstacles)
- Will (or Way Forward)
In using the GROW model, the coach facilitates a conversation with his/her “coachee” by stimulating and encouraging their thinking around these 4 steps through a series of questions such as those suggested below:
Establish the Goal:
- What is the subject matter/problem/behaviour/task or issue we need to address?
- What would you like to get out of this session/process?
- How does this issue relate to your long-term goal and the goals of the team/business?
- How will we know that the goal has been achieved? What will success look like?
What is the Current Reality?
- How are things going at the moment?
- How much control do you personally have over the outcome?
- Who else has some control and how much?
- What action steps have you taken so far?
- What has stopped you from doing more?
- What obstacles will you need to overcome on the way?
- What resources/support do you already have and what else do you need? Where will you get them?
What are the Options?
- What are the different ways in which you could approach this issue?
- Make a list of the alternatives, large or small, complete or partial solutions
- What would you do if you had more time, a larger budget, or if you were the boss?
- What would you do if you could start again with a clean sheet?
- Would you like me to suggest some options?
- What are the pros and cons of each of the options?
- Which would give you the best results?
- Which of these solutions appeals to you most/feels best to you?
- Which would give you the greatest sense of satisfaction?
What is the Way Forward?
- Which option or option/s will you choose?
- What are your measures of success?
- When precisely are you going to start and finish each action step?
- What can you do to eliminate any obstacles, internal or external?
- Who needs to know what your plans are?
- What commitment (on a scale of 1 to 10) do you have to taking these agreed actions?
With practice, the GROW model can become a great tool for improving the effectiveness of your conversations with your employees, and therein contribute to your mutual success.