The GROW model

The GROW model is one of the best-known coaching models, with four simple stages designed to help someone get from where they are to where they want to be. And whilst a great coach will make these four stages seamless, and ask you questions you either might not have thought of or have been actively avoiding asking yourself, you can also use this process without a coach, too. When I take a step back and think about my work, this simple model helps me answer questions like "what should I be doing next?", "how do we solve this problem?", or "have I thought about this properly?".

Being your own coach means taking the time to explore, be curious and see things in different ways. It means setting aside the thinking time and taking it as seriously on your own as you would if you were sat opposite a real coach, too. A coach will hold your feet to the fire, and if you don't have one, then you have to do that yourself - committing proper time and focus, eliminating distractions, and not canceling it when a competing priority emerges.

I invite you to sit down with a pen, some paper and some problems, and turn them into projects:

G - It always starts with a Goal. Where do I want to be? What's the compelling vision of the future that I can start to picture in my mind (the clearer the picture, the better for motivation)? How will I measure success or know when it's done?

R - Then once there's a goal or vision, we establish the gap between that vision and our current Reality. So, where are we now? What barriers are in the way? What skills and resources do we have to make a change with? What else might it help to acknowledge or think about?

O - Then what are our Options? When we feel like our options are limited, there's a good chance we are not thinking creatively enough. For fun, I sometimes make my decisions by throwing the dice. What's interesting is that when you have to find six options for the dice (I know, but it's just easier than writing 'di', OK?... don't write in!), you think differently from the binary ("either this or that", "yes or no"), and sometimes the fourth option you come up with is actually better than those first two more binary ones.

W - Then finally it's about Will. That means having a clear set of decisions on the right actions, towards a clearly defined goal, and then having the motivation or accountability to see it all through. So are you clear? Are you committed? Does it matter enough to you to add it to your current to-do list and spend the energy seeing it through?

Happy GROWing!