One of the fastest ways to become a bottleneck in your own business is to be the person everyone brings their problems to for an answer. The GROW model — developed in business coaching by Sir John Whitmore and others — is a simple conversation structure that flips this: instead of solving people's problems for them, you coach them to solve their own.
• Goal — what do you actually want to achieve here? Get clear on the destination first
• Reality — where are things right now, honestly? What's actually happening, what have you tried?
• Options — what could you do? Generate several possibilities before judging any of them
• Will (or Way forward) — what will you do, specifically, and by when? Pin down the commitment
The power of GROW is that the answers come from them, not you. People are far more committed to a solution they arrived at themselves than one you handed down — they own it, they understand it, and they'll actually follow through. It also develops your people: every GROW conversation is a rep in problem-solving, so over time you build a team that thinks for itself instead of queuing at your door. And it's often faster, because the person with the problem usually knows more about it than you do.
The single biggest mistake when using GROW is jumping in with your own answer. As an experienced owner, you'll often see the solution in seconds, and the urge to just tell them is enormous. Resist it. The moment you supply the answer, you've taken back the problem and taught them to keep bringing you problems. Ask, don't tell. Let the silence do some work. Your job is better questions, not better answers.
A team member comes to you: "A customer's complaining and I don't know what to do." The tempting move is to just tell them what to do. Instead: "What outcome do you want here?" (Goal). "What's actually happened so far?" (Reality). "What options can you see?" (Options). "Which will you go with, and when?" (Will). Two minutes, and they've solved it — and they're a bit more capable than they were before.
• Next time someone brings you a problem, run the four questions instead of giving the answer
• Genuinely ask — resist supplying solutions, even when you can see one
• Get to a specific commitment: what, and by when
• Use it in one-to-ones and team meetings until it becomes your default
Don't turn GROW into a fake questionnaire where you already know the answer you want and just fish for it. People spot that instantly and it breaks the trust. Ask real questions, be genuinely open to their answer, and let them own the outcome.