ARE YOU READY TO G.R.O.W.?
We often find ourselves stagnated - whether it is in our career or, sometimes, even in life. The G.R.O.W. method is an excellent tool that can be used for many areas of stagnation. The more that I use this method, the more I find that it can be used for so many areas of life. The main two areas that I use this tool is for coaching and for mentoring and can be easily mastered using these 4 principles to working through and solving any problem. This method has been used to help leaders become more effective coaches, to help mentors become more effective mentors and to help ANYONE improve their ability to solve any problem. It is not only a systematic method to solve a problem and put actions into place, but it is easy to remember and can be applied to any type of situation. The more you use these principles, the easier it becomes and it becomes “second nature” to getting the results you desire.
So, here it is, G.R.O.W. - G.R.O.W. stands for Goal, Reality, Obstacles/Options, and Way Forward. We will double-click on each principle and then discuss how to use this G.R.O.W. model in your mentoring and coaching conversations.
1. GOAL: Identify the goal and allow the person that is being coached or mentored to work through the issues to get specific details of the problem that needs to be solved or the goal that needs to be accomplished. Show them that you have confidence in their ability and willingness to solve that problem. Use a series of questions to identify the problem/goal with the intent of increasing the person’s effectiveness.
2. REALITY: Identify the current situation and map out the pros and the cons of where they and where they need to go to complete the goal. This will help clarify the problem and set up a path to solving it.
3. OBSTACLES: Determine whether obstacles exist that limit the ability to perform the task or accomplish the objectives. Together, you can determine how to remove these barriers which will then allow you to identify the options available to solve that problem.
OPTIONS: Discuss potential solutions to the problem or improvement actions to take. Always ask the person for ideas on how to correct the problem. If they have trouble coming up with solutions, ask questions to help them brainstorm ideas. This is not the time to just give the answers.
4. WAY FORWARD: Agree on a written action plan that identifies the milestones, plans to remove barriers, how to gain support and commitment for what assistance/guidance is needed to complete the tasks and accomplish the goal.
For our next blog, we will take a deeper dive into each of the four G.R.O.W. principles to learn HOW to become effective in your conversations, in a fun and educational way!
For more about how to be an effective coach or mentor, contact us regarding our workshops.
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