Should You Use the GROW Model to Coach Your Employees?

Want to learn how a “coach approach” can transform your team? Meet the GROW model.🌱

Developed in the 1980s by a group of business coaches, this goal-setting and problem-solving model recognizes that no one person has all the answers. Instead of the traditional command and control model, the GROW system establishes the manager as a mentor and ally to team members.

Today we’re diving into how to use the GROW model to elevate employee performance and shape stronger internal leaders. Let’s get started.

What does GROW stand for?

GROW is an acronym that stands for Goal, Reality, Obstacles/Options, and Way Forward, helping employees move from goal-setting to go-getting in four distinct stages:

1. Goal

The goal is the end point – what you want to achieve, or where you want to go. It’s also the best starting point for coaches.

Say you just hired a new developer and they want to transition to a team lead role in the next 3-5 years. The first step is to assess their knowledge and skill level to determine the gaps they need to fill before they can achieve their goal. 

As their coach, you can work with them to set practical objectives that align with their short- and long-term goals. In this example, their goals for the next 3-6 months could look something like this:

• Set aside 2-3 hours weekly to practice solving complex bugs and coding problems.
• Attend one industry event or hackathon per quarter. 
• Connect with 3 experienced developers on LinkedIn each week.

2. Reality

Once you’ve established a goal, it’s time to face the facts and anchor those aspirations during the reality stage. This is the stage where you assess the current situation to determine how realistic the employee’s goals are and what resources they might need to achieve them. 

Start by asking questions to help you get a better feel for the present. For example, after digging deeper, you might realize that you need to adjust the goals timeline to account for more practice revisiting the basics before giving your new dev more challenging tasks.

Coaching questions at this stage could include:

• What key factors do we need to consider to complete this goal?
• When can you find the time to practice new skills? 
• Do you have the tools and support you need to move forward?

3. Obstacles and options

When employees come to you for coaching sessions, it’s usually because they feel stuck in some way. As a coach, it’s your job to help them identify the obstacle and pave new paths to overcome it.

Say you discover that a marketing employee who hasn’t been meeting targets is operating on the borderline of burnout. Using the GROW technique, you can figure out whether they need to delegate internally, bring in external support, or both. 

Options to overcome these obstacles could include: 

• Speaking with higher-ups about delegating tasks to colleagues. 
• Reducing the number of tasks the employee has on their plate. 
• Presenting a case to your department head about hiring an agency or opening a new role.

4. Way forward

The final stage of the GROW framework is all about determining the exact action steps you and the employee will take to make their goal a reality.

Let’s use the example of the marketing employee who wants to lighten their workload with the help of an external marketing agency. There are several steps the employee needs to complete before they can make their case to leadership:

• List tasks you want to delegate and explain why outsourcing is the best option. 
• Research suitable external agencies and note your top 5.
• Create an estimated budget that will cover the cost of outsourcing. 
• Draft a presentation that backs your case.
• Present your idea to your manager. 

If the conversation goes well, everyone will have a clear sense of what the plan is. If things don’t go as planned, cycle back through the prior steps of the GROW process to address the issue and come up with a new way forward.

Pros and cons of the GROW coaching model

When to use the GROW coaching framework

Ready to create a team of active listeners and forward-thinkers? Use the GROW method in the following settings to pave the way for learning and growth.

Career development

With growth and career development opportunities ranking as the #1 driver of well-being at work, nurturing talent is more crucial than ever.

Whether you’re helping a team member formulate a development plan or set clear goals for obtaining a promotion, the GROW method can help you create a concrete action plan everyone agrees on.

However, it’s important to remember that as a coach, it’s your job to ensure action items are aligned with the company’s overarching goals. 

“Development opportunities are everywhere, but blindly saying yes to everything in the hope of bringing you success—without critically assessing whether such opportunities will actually help—will ultimately deplete your focus and reduce the clarity required to achieve your goals,” corporate empathy expert Olga Valadon writes for Fast Company. 

In other words, do not skip the ‘G’ in GROW. Start at the beginning by identifying a vision of success before you plan your objectives.

Performance improvement

When a team member is struggling to achieve specific targets, try using the GROW framework to guide your coaching conversations instead of putting them on the dreaded performance improvement plan.

“Back [in the ’80s and ’90s], it was simply what Human Resources and Legal required that we all did before we fired someone,” Netflix co-founder Marc Randolph writes on his blog. “Instead, we should be treating people the way that we would want to be treated. And I have yet to meet the person who says they would love to spend three months jumping through hoops that are solely designed to create an evidence track of how badly they suck at their job.”

At the end of the day, empathy is the key to an effective performance management cycle. Use the GROW model to identify performance gaps, develop an action plan, or monitor progress toward improving work outcomes…all with an eye towards strengths as well as struggles.

And don’t forget to use the reality phase to check in with an employee’s resource needs and make sure they have everything they need to succeed.

Skills enhancement

If your employees are looking to build specific competencies, you can use the GROW method to set skills-based goals that benefit the whole team.

“I prioritize mentorship and coaching over managing by fostering problem-solving skills through guided questions,” Dan Sorensen, cyber intel officer of the Air National Guard, told Fast Company. “This empowers my team to own their solutions, boosting creativity and efficiency in tackling challenges. I once heard, ‘You lead people and manage equipment, processes, and programs.’ Motivate others to have a vested interest in owning it.”

Whether you’re coaching an employee on developing their presentation skills, project management abilities, or technical expertise, the right skills development goals can spark collaboration and elevate problem-solving across the team.

Conflict resolution

If you’ve ever had to resolve conflicts or communication breakdowns within a team, you know it can feel like pulling teeth.

But when you use the GROW method to identify obstacles and find a way forward, you can create an adaptive team that isn’t afraid to weed out underlying issues and experiment with new strategies the team can agree on.

“Collaborative problem-solving involves working together to find a mutually acceptable solution,” Dr. Michele D’Amico, founder of executive coaching firm Vetta Consultants, LLC, told Forbes. “In a team conflict, a leader can facilitate a brainstorming session where all parties contribute ideas and solutions, fostering a sense of ownership and cooperation.”

Goal-setting

Setting goals helps shift an employee's mindset from awareness to action. But before you start executing your action plan, you need to set clear, measurable goals that are actually attainable. That’s why so many experts recommend setting SMART goals as part of the GROW coaching process.

“To reach quarterly goals, a small business should define SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) objectives aligned with its overall strategy,”  Evan Nierman, founder of crisis communications firm Red Banyan tells Fast Company. “Allocate resources effectively, then develop actionable plans with clear deadlines. Foster communication and collaboration and celebrate milestones to keep the team motivated and on track for success.”

And when you’re setting these individual goals, it’s also important to ensure they align with company-wide goals as well. By integrating individual success with collective success, you can multiply the impact of your coaching efforts.

GROW your team’s potential with Breezy Perform

Bringing out the best in your employees should be top of your bucket list. After all, why would you spend time and resources hiring and onboarding top-notch talent if you’re not going to tap into their full potential?

If you’re ready to coach for success at each stage of the GROW framework, the right performance management tools can help. 

With prebuilt review templates and visual goal tracking, Perform makes it easy to keep teams motivated. Sign up today for free access for up to 10 employees.