2. Learning & Development
GROW
The coaching conversation's spine
Use when
Any coaching conversation, or teaching managers to stop giving answers
- 1
Goal
What do you want from this conversation, specifically?
- 2
Reality
What is actually happening, with examples, and what have you already tried?
- 3
Options
What could you do? Generate several before judging any.
- 4
Will
What will you do, by when, and how will I know?
“Questions before suggestions. If you are doing most of the talking, it is instruction, not coaching.”
How to use it
The power is in the order: most managers jump from a thin version of Reality straight to their own Option. Watch-out: GROW assumes the person has the answer in reach; for a true skill gap, teach instead of coach (see Mager & Pipe).
Card details
- Model type
- Sequence
- Origin status
- Established
- Content last reviewed
- 28 July 2026
Origin
EstablishedJohn Whitmore, Coaching for Performance, 1992, developing work with Graham Alexander and Alan Fine.