What is coaching and how it works...?
The International Coach Federation (ICF) defines coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.
Watch this short video to learn more about how coaching works, the benefits of partnering with a coach, and who benefits the most from being coached.
Our process is based on GROW model which is a simple four-step process that helps us structure the coaching and mentoring sessions with our clients.
GROW is an acronym that stands for:
Goal: The Goal is the end point where the client wants to be. The goal has to be defined in such a way that it is very clear for the clients when they have achieved it.
Reality: The Current Reality is where the client is now. What are the issues, the challenges, how far are they away from their goal?
Obstacles: There will be Obstacles stopping the client getting from where they are now to where they want to go. If there were no Obstacles the client would have already reached their goal.
Way Forward: The Options then need to be converted into action steps which will take the client to their goal. These are the Way Forward.
You can use the model to help team members improve performance, and to help them plan for and reach their longer-term career objectives. Let’s make it clear through an example:
The following is a very simple example of using the GROW model to achieve a goal. This example deals with weight loss. If the client wants: ‘To lose weight and reach 120 pounds in three months and keep it down’, that is their Goal. The more heartfelt and personal and the more meaningful the goal is for the person, the more likely they will be to committed to and achieve the goal.
The GROW approach would then be to establish the Reality by stating what their weight is now. The coach would then ask awareness questions to deepen understanding of what is happening when the client tries to lose weight, thus identifying the Obstacles. These questions could include:
When you were able to lose weight what made the difference?
What is the difference between the time you are able to keep weight off and the times when you put it on again?
What would have to change for you to be sure you could lose the weight and keep it off?
If the client genuinely answers these questions they will discover new information about what works and does not work for them in terms of weight loss, and create some potential for change. It then becomes possible to create some strategies or Options which get around the Obstacles. These could include looking at which diets or exercise regimes work best, or finding a specific type of support. Once the client knows the strategies that are likely to work they can establish a Way Forward which involves taking action steps. This is where they commit to what they will do in the short term to put the strategies into effect. For instance, one action might be asking a particular person for support, and another might be to buy a different selection of foods.
GROW neatly highlights the nature of a problem for coaching purposes. In order for a problem to exist in coaching terms there have to be two elements present. Firstly there has to be something that the client is trying to achieve — the Goal. Then there has to be something stopping them achieve that goal — the Obstacle(s). Using GROW automatically breaks a problem down into these component parts.
The same principles can be applied whatever goal or problem the client has. GROW can be used on technical problems, issues regarding processes, strategy questions, interpersonal issues and many more. The model can also be used by a group who are all working on the same problem or goal.
Our process is based on GROW model which is a simple four-step process that helps us structure the coaching and mentoring sessions with our clients.
GROW is an acronym that stands for:
Goal: The Goal is the end point where the client wants to be. The goal has to be defined in such a way that it is very clear for the clients when they have achieved it.
Reality: The Current Reality is where the client is now. What are the issues, the challenges, how far are they away from their goal?
Obstacles: There will be Obstacles stopping the client getting from where they are now to where they want to go. If there were no Obstacles the client would have already reached their goal.
Way Forward: The Options then need to be converted into action steps which will take the client to their goal. These are the Way Forward.
You can use the model to help team members improve performance, and to help them plan for and reach their longer-term career objectives. Let’s make it clear through an example:
The following is a very simple example of using the GROW model to achieve a goal. This example deals with weight loss. If the client wants: ‘To lose weight and reach 120 pounds in three months and keep it down’, that is their Goal. The more heartfelt and personal and the more meaningful the goal is for the person, the more likely they will be to committed to and achieve the goal.
The GROW approach would then be to establish the Reality by stating what their weight is now. The coach would then ask awareness questions to deepen understanding of what is happening when the client tries to lose weight, thus identifying the Obstacles. These questions could include:
When you were able to lose weight what made the difference?
What is the difference between the time you are able to keep weight off and the times when you put it on again?
What would have to change for you to be sure you could lose the weight and keep it off?
If the client genuinely answers these questions they will discover new information about what works and does not work for them in terms of weight loss, and create some potential for change. It then becomes possible to create some strategies or Options which get around the Obstacles. These could include looking at which diets or exercise regimes work best, or finding a specific type of support. Once the client knows the strategies that are likely to work they can establish a Way Forward which involves taking action steps. This is where they commit to what they will do in the short term to put the strategies into effect. For instance, one action might be asking a particular person for support, and another might be to buy a different selection of foods.
GROW neatly highlights the nature of a problem for coaching purposes. In order for a problem to exist in coaching terms there have to be two elements present. Firstly there has to be something that the client is trying to achieve — the Goal. Then there has to be something stopping them achieve that goal — the Obstacle(s). Using GROW automatically breaks a problem down into these component parts.
The same principles can be applied whatever goal or problem the client has. GROW can be used on technical problems, issues regarding processes, strategy questions, interpersonal issues and many more. The model can also be used by a group who are all working on the same problem or goal.