In the 1980s business coaches Graham Alexander, Alan Fine and Sir John Whitmore developed the GROW model. The popular framework, used by the likes of Google, is a simple model that managers can employ to structure a coaching session, in order to maximise productivity and consistency, set clear goals and in turn, improve performance.
GOAL
The first step is to ask what is the goal? What is the objective that you're trying to achieve? How will you determine when this goal is accomplished? It's advisable to make this goal SMART too (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-Bound). Too often we see business owners lose sight of their goal because they haven’t focused on making it SMART.
Note: Setting a business plan in place is a great place to start if you haven’t already got one in place identifying your business goals, and if you have one maybe it’s time to review yours to ensure it’s up to date. Check out our business coaching package here
REALITY
It can be all too easy to jump in and try to provide a solution or solve a problem for your team or employee without a real understanding of how they are feeling or the reality of the situation. This is the time to listen, to ask questions and, together, come to the same understanding of the situation. Agreement makes it possible to start planning the next stage…
OPTIONS Once the goal is determined and the reality is understood it’s time to start taking steps to achieve this target. Together with your team or employee, brainstorm and explore different possibilities. Rather than offering solutions, guide your employee(s) in the right direction so that they can make suggestions and then discuss the different options and let them select and agree on the best. By using this process the employee(s) then own the solution, engagement improves and ultimately makes the outcome for success more likely.
WAY FORWARD
Now it’s time to move forward, commit to the steps needed to achieve the goal, agree on the support that you will provide to help your employee and set a time to review their progress. By working through these steps together setting out task delivery and a framework of accountability you’re on track to ensure a successful outcome. Next time you’re leading a session with your team, use this simple framework to provide an easy to follow journey that will make the most of your session together.
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