As a People leader, one of the most impactful skills you can develop is coaching. Great coaches empower employees to think critically, solve problems, and become better leaders themselves.
One of the best tools for structured coaching conversations is the GROW Model. This simple yet powerful framework helps guide employees toward finding their own solutions, building confidence, and taking ownership of their career development.
In this article, we’ll break down the GROW Model, explain how to use it effectively, and highlight common pitfalls to avoid so you can start coaching like a pro.
What Is Coaching (and Why Does It Matter)?
Coaching is a collaborative, goal-oriented process that helps individuals develop skills, solve problems, and achieve their full potential by guiding them toward their own solutions rather than providing direct answers.
Unlike managing (which focuses on directing tasks) or mentoring (which involves sharing personal experience), coaching empowers people to think critically, build confidence, and take ownership of their growth.
At its core, coaching:
- Helps employees develop their skills and make meaningful progress in their roles.
- Guides employees to think critically and problem-solve on their own.
- Encourages autonomy, confidence, and motivation rather than dependency.
When employees solve their own challenges, they:
- Build confidence in their decision-making abilities.
- Feel more motivated because they have control over their growth.
- Develop critical thinking skills that help them tackle future problems independently.
Coaching is a valuable skill for HR, People, and L&D teams to develop strong, capable employees.
Introducing the GROW Model: A Simple Coaching Framework
The GROW Model is a structured, yet flexible coaching framework that helps employees work through challenges to reach their goals. It can be applied in quick check-ins or deep coaching sessions and consists of four steps:
- G – Goal: What outcome does the employee want from this conversation?
- R – Reality: What is their current situation? What challenges exist?
- O – Options: What possible solutions can they explore?
- W – Way Forward: What actions will they take next?
It’s simple, intuitive, and incredibly effective in guiding employees to take ownership of their development.
How to Use the GROW Model (Step by Step)
The GROW Model provides a structured approach to coaching, but its real power comes from how you guide employees through each step with thoughtful questions. Below, we’ll break down each step of the model to help you lead impactful conversations.
1. Goal – Setting the Destination
Before any coaching conversation begins, both you and the employee need to clarify what success looks like. Without a clear goal, the conversation can drift aimlessly, making it harder to reach a productive outcome.
How to Set a Clear Goal:
- Make sure it’s specific and meaningful – Broad goals like “I want to be better at my job” are too vague. Instead, encourage the employee to define what “better” looks like in measurable terms.
- Check if it’s within their control – A goal like “I want my boss to recognize my work more” is dependent on someone else’s actions. Instead, reframe it: “I want to communicate my contributions more effectively.”
- Timebox the discussion – If they have multiple issues, ask: “If we only had 10 minutes, what part of this challenge should we focus on?” This prevents the session from becoming overwhelming.
Coaching Questions for Goal Setting:
- “What would be a great outcome from this conversation?”
- “What specifically do you want to achieve?”
- “If we solve this issue, what would success look like for you?”
- “How will you know you’ve achieved this goal?”
- “Is this goal realistic within the time and resources available?”
Pro Tip: Write down the agreed-upon goal at the beginning of the session and refer back to it if the conversation starts to drift.
2. Reality – Understanding the Current State
Once the goal is clear, the next step is to assess the current situation. Employees often focus on what they think the problem is, but they might not be seeing the full picture. As a coach, your job is to guide them in assessing their situation objectively, looking beyond their own perspective, and prompting them to consider external factors.
How to Explore Reality Effectively:
- Encourage self-reflection – Ask open-ended questions that get them to step back and assess what’s really going on.
- Uncover limiting beliefs – Sometimes, people get stuck because they believe something is impossible when it’s not. Asking, “What assumptions are you making?” can help challenge their thinking.
- Identify patterns and past experiences – Employees often have more knowledge than they realize. Asking, “When have you solved a similar challenge before?” can boost their confidence and reveal hidden solutions.
Coaching Questions for Reality:
- “What have you tried so far?”
- “What’s working well? What isn’t?”
- “What are the biggest obstacles in your way?”
- “What assumptions are you making about this situation?”
- “What additional information do you need?”
Pro Tip: Employees might focus too much on negatives in this phase. Redirect them by asking, “What strengths or resources do you already have that could help?”
3. Options – Exploring Possibilities
Now that the employee understands their reality, it’s time to brainstorm potential solutions. The goal here is not to find the “perfect” answer right away, but to generate as many ideas as possible.Employees often fall into the trap of thinking too narrowly; they either feel stuck or assume there’s only one solution. Your role is to expand their thinking and encourage creativity.
How to Help Employees Generate More Options:
- Avoid jumping to the first solution – People tend to grab onto the first idea they think of, but better solutions often emerge if they take time to explore alternatives.
- Encourage small steps – If the challenge feels overwhelming, break it down: “What’s one small action you could take this week?”
- Shift their perspective – Help them see the problem from a different angle by asking questions like, “What would you do if you were the CEO?”
Coaching Questions for Options:
- “What different ways could you approach this?”
- “What’s one idea you haven’t considered yet?”
- “If you had no limitations, what would you do?”
- “What’s the easiest next step you could take?”
- “What would you tell a friend in the same situation?”
Pro Tip: If an employee struggles to come up with ideas, use the ‘Magic Wand’ technique. Ask “If you had a magic wand and could solve this instantly, what would you do?” This removes perceived limitations and often sparks new insights.
4. Way Forward – Committing to Action
The final step is all about execution. Coaching is only useful if the employee leaves with a concrete plan to take action. Without this, the conversation stays theoretical and doesn’t create real change.Many employees feel motivated during a coaching conversation but struggle to follow through. Your job is to help them clarify their next steps and keep them accountable.
How to Ensure Follow-Through:
- Narrow it down to one or two key actions – Employees can’t tackle everything at once. Ask, “What’s the one most important thing you can do first?”
- Set a deadline – Help them commit to a specific timeframe: “When will you take this step?”
- Define what support they need – Do they need feedback, mentorship, or resources? Identifying this upfront removes roadblocks before they happen.
Coaching Questions for the Way Forward:
- “Which of your options are you most excited to try?”
- “What’s your first step, and when will you take it?”
- “How will you stay accountable for making progress?”
- “What potential challenges might come up, and how will you handle them?”
- “What support do you need to be successful?”
Pro Tip: End the conversation by having them summarize their action plan—this reinforces clarity and commitment.
When to Use (and Not Use) the GROW Model
The GROW Model is a versatile coaching framework, but like any tool, it works best in the right situations. Knowing when to (or not to) use it ensures that your coaching conversations are effective, relevant, and productive. Let’s break it down.
When to Use It:
✔ Performance conversations. Instead of simply telling them what to do better, help them analyze their strengths, identify gaps, and commit to specific improvements.
✔ Career development discussions. Instead of giving them a prescribed path, use the GROW Model to help them gain clarity on what they want and how to get there.
✔ Problem-solving situations. Use the GROW model to help them gain clarity, explore different approaches, and commit to action.
✔ Leadership coaching moments. For developing new or aspiring leaders, the GROW Model is a powerful tool to help them navigate leadership challenges, develop confidence, and improve decision-making.
When NOT to Use It:
🚫 When an employee needs specific knowledge or training. If an employee lacks the fundamental knowledge or skills to solve a problem, coaching won’t be effective. They need instructions first.
🚫 When giving direct feedback. If an employee’s performance is below expectations and requires correction, direct constructive feedback is more appropriate.
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Common Pitfalls (and How to Avoid Them)
Even the best coaches can fall into common traps that diminish the effectiveness of a coaching conversation. While the GROW Model provides structure, how you apply it makes all the difference.
Here are five frequent mistakes HR, People, and L&D leaders sometimes encounter.
1. Jumping into solutions too quickly
One of the biggest traps leaders fall into is rushing to offer solutions instead of coaching employees to think for themselves. It’s tempting, especially when you have experience in the topic, to simply tell them what to do. But that undermines their ability to grow and develop independent problem-solving skills.
Instead of a coaching conversation, it turns into a consulting session where you’re the expert and they’re a passive recipient of advice.
What to do instead:
Stay curious, patient, and intentional in your questioning. Avoid giving advice too early. Instead, let the employee explore possibilities before stepping in.Try using these prompts:
- “What ideas do you have so far?”
- “If I weren’t here, how would you approach this?”
- “What’s another way you could solve this?”
By resisting the urge to jump in, you help the employee build confidence in their ability to figure things out on their own.
2. Skipping the “Reality” step
Some coaching conversations move straight from goal-setting to brainstorming solutions, skipping a critical step: assessing the current reality. Without a full understanding of what’s happening, any solutions created may be off-base.
For example, if an employee wants to improve their leadership skills, jumping to solutions like “read this book” or “attend this workshop” might miss the fact that their real issue is struggling with confidence in meetings, not a lack of leadership knowledge.
What to do instead:
Take the time to explore their reality before moving to solutions. Ask questions that help the employee get a complete picture of what’s working, what’s not, and what obstacles exist.Try asking:
- “What have you tried so far?”
- “What’s already working?”
- “What’s actually in your control here?”
- “What patterns have you noticed in situations like this before?”
Digging deeper ensures that the options they come up with are actually relevant and actionable.
3. Not holding employees accountable
Many coaching conversations end without clear action steps, leading to zero follow-through. Employees may leave the conversation feeling inspired, but if there’s no accountability, real change won’t happen.
What to do instead:
At the end of each coaching conversation, make sure the employee:
✅ Has a clear next step that they are committed to taking.
✅ Knows when they will do it (specific deadlines work best).
✅ Has a plan for how to track their progress.
✅ Understands that you will check in on it later.
Try using these accountability-driven questions:
- “Which option are you committing to?”
- “What’s the first action you’ll take, and when?”
- “How will you measure success?”
- “When should we check in on your progress?”
Setting up a follow-up meeting or progress check-in reinforces accountability and keeps them engaged in their own growth.
4. Letting the conversation drift without focus
Coaching conversations can easily go off track if they become too broad. Employees might start talking about multiple challenges, making it difficult to find a resolution to any one of them. For example, an employee may start with “I want to work on better delegation,” but the conversation drifts into challenges with time management, personal confidence, or team dynamics, without actually solving anything.
What to do instead:
Keep bringing the conversation back to the goal and ensure each step of GROW is covered in a structured way. If they start to go off course, gently refocus them by saying:
- “That’s important, too, but let’s stick to our original goal for today. Would you like to address that other topic in another session?”
- “How does this tie back to the goal we set at the beginning?”
- “We only have 10 more minutes—what’s the most valuable thing to focus on right now?”
By maintaining focus, you ensure that the conversation leads to concrete, actionable results.
5. Making it feel like an interrogation
Asking too many rapid-fire questions can make the conversation feel like an interrogation rather than a coaching session. Employees might feel pressured, judged, or overwhelmed, leading them to shut down instead of opening up.
For example, if a manager fires off questions like:
- “What did you do wrong?”
- “Why didn’t you handle this sooner?”
- “What’s stopping you from being more proactive?”
…it can make the employee feel defensive rather than supported.
What to do instead:
Coaching is about creating a safe, open space where employees feel comfortable thinking through their challenges. Balance curiosity with empathy.
To soften your approach:
✔ Space out your questions; allow them to reflect before answering.
✔ Use a warm, inviting tone rather than a demanding one.
✔ Show empathy by acknowledging their emotions before guiding them toward solutions.
Try rephrasing harsh questions into supportive, open-ended ones:
- Instead of “Why didn’t you handle this sooner?” → “What got in the way of addressing this earlier?”
- Instead of “What’s stopping you from being more proactive?” → “What support would help you take action?”
This makes employees feel safe, empowered, and supported rather than put on the spot.
Coaching as a Superpower
Coaching is about guiding employees to find their own solutions instead of giving them all the answers.The GROW Model is one of the simplest, most effective tools for guiding employees toward success. Whether you’re having a quick 10-minute check-in or a deep coaching session, this framework will help you lead with impact.
Your challenge: Try using the GROW Model in your next coaching conversation. You might be surprised at how powerful it is.
