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.

When Jim (the coachee) and I started session one, I am quite sure that you could tightrope walk on the tension in the air. I began with textbook questions such as "what is your goal?" and "what do you want?" Jim immediately stated that he wanted to write better standard operating procedures and I believe that he fully expected me to give him a short, one paragraph answer on how to do it. When my next question was "where do you see yourself now?" the answer was "you tell me." The next 10 minutes of the session was spent convincing Jim that it was best if I helped him find the answers rather than give him the answers. However, once Jim began to understand what we were trying to accomplish, the minefield changed to hopscotch.

As we progressed through the coaching sessions, the nervous atmosphere subsided and Jim's enthusiasm for the process grew as fast as his thirst for knowledge. He was very receptive to changing goals after analyzing the reality of the situation. In fact, in the three coaching sessions we changed goals five times. By the end of the third session, Jim was laying dozens of options on the table. I think that prior to the last session he may has been using the GROW model on his own (without knowing it) and identified options for exploration during our coaching.

The First Session as a Coachee

The peer coaching sessions that Eva and I conducted opened new doorways. She asked very thought provoking questions that in turn carried over to my professional coaching sessions. One question sticks out; "How will you justify that?" It forces people to step back about 10 miles and look at the goal from a 360-degree bird's eye view. This is not easy; when people get an idea, they tend to focus on it and sometimes fail to see things from all angles. During the Will phase, reflection to this question can narrow down or eliminate options that will not allow for a successful completion of the goal.

Key Learning - Focus on Reality

The most important thing for a coach is to focus 100% on the coachee. Listening to voice tone, facial expressions, and body language can influence a coach's instincts just enough to ask the next question. Sometimes, when a coach is stuck, it is OK to say, "What is the next question that you want me to ask?" On occasion, the coach can ask the question just to elicit a response to gauge if they are on the right track or if they are missing something.

Questions such as "how do you know when you have what you want?" and "what will that give you?" usually bring forth long, insightful responses. Taking notes at the Reality phase can later help the coach to outline options with the coachee. Another question that works well during the reality phase is "where are you now?" This inquiry forces the coachee to take a hard look at the specifics of the reality. During the Reality phase the coach should try to get the coachee to focus on the solutions to problems, not just the problems themselves. Be careful not to 'lead the witness' in any certain direction. Let them follow their own path.

During a particular coaching session, one of the questions that I asked was, "What are the qualifications for advancement?" in hopes to define intermediate goals and the options such that the coachee could be promoted to the next grade level. The coachee was as surprised with this question as much as I was surprised with the answer. The coachee had not yet asked their superior the necessary qualifications for advancement to the next level. Although simple and obvious, the question helped the coachee recognize it as an objective and it helped me to realize that any open ended question can be a good question.

The Hard Truth and Other Tricks of the Trade

Tell people the hard truths about what may be holding them back. Put aside the fear of offending the other person and tell them the truth. Express the truth in a non-intrusive manner and help the person understand that your observations are not personal, but professional. By far, this is the most difficult obstacle to overcome. It is a part of our human nature not to upset other people.

Offer a meta-view, or big picture, to help others see situations from a distance. Take notes during the Reality phase and bring this back around to a nonobjective summary of the situation. Look at the reality from all angles by pretending to be a bird slowly circling overhead, looking down at the coachee.

As a coach, make people feel comfortable in your presence. Talk in a pleasant tone, show patience, and make eye contact. These three things are key. On occasion, let the coachee ramble on a bit to get the thinking process started. As a coach, make it safe for the coachee to vent their frustrations. This venting of frustrations seems to establish a trust relationship between the coachee and coach. If the coachee trusts the coach, it is easier for them to talk about difficult situations, deep-rooted problems, and other tribulations that they would not normally confer. In a safe environment, people tend to tell the truth about themselves.

Another tool that works quite well is asking the coachee to clarify statements or situations that the coach does not fully understand. This compels the coachee to reassess the situation and provide more details concerning the intricacies. As they reiterate, it often brings to light an aspect that coachee did not see before. This in turn can lead to an alternative or solution that is not recognized earlier in the session. It also pushes the discovery sphere outward such that the coach can get a better picture of the situation or problem and ask discerning questions, which in turn helps the coachee better define the reality and determine options.

Final Thoughts - Coaching Vs. Instruction

Coaching as a development tool in the workplace has become as essential as a dictionary. The wonderful thing about coaching and the GROW model is that is does not weigh 10 pounds. It does not take up desk or luggage space. One can carry it anywhere and anytime. It can be used on a moments notice. Its use can be brief or on going over a period of days, weeks or months. Coaching is useful with direct reports, peers, and superiors. It allows identification of people by potential rather than by performance.

Coaching cannot take the place of training. If a person does not know the answer due to ignorance, the best coach in the world will not succeed in helping the coachee to the goal.

Coaching does not apply to every situation. There are times when people need instructed on what to do and in turn, they are expected to it. A manager oversees routine, day-to-day functions; the delegate knows how to do the task and needs only time to complete it. It is difficult to balance coaching and instruction. Coaching is used more to explore problems for which the coachee is seeking an answer and has the historical resources to uncover them. The coach does not give the answers; they merely show the coachee, through creativity and resourcefulness, where to dig for them. I find that if I use the above differentiation between coaching and instruction, I maintain the proper balance. The proper use of coaching or instruction in a situation leads to efficiency in the work place.