Many managers equate helping with giving instructions. Sometimes instruction is essential, particularly when safety or legal requirements are involved. In developmental situations, however, a coaching conversation can help a colleague strengthen judgment and commitment. GROW is a widely used structure for such conversations.
The core idea
The framework is a conversational aid, not a psychological test. The manager helps the other person define an outcome, describe the present situation, generate options and commit to a next action. Asking useful questions is more important than reciting the acronym mechanically.
How to apply it
- Goal: Ask, “What result would make this conversation useful?” Make the desired outcome concrete.
- Reality: Explore facts, constraints, existing attempts and what the colleague controls. Ask what evidence is missing.
- Options: Invite at least two possible approaches; discuss consequences rather than immediately endorsing one.
- Way forward: Agree who will do what, by when, and what support is required.
- Follow up: Review the outcome with curiosity and adjust the plan without turning the conversation into an interrogation.
A workplace example
A new supervisor is struggling to hand over reports on time. Instead of supplying a complete schedule, the manager asks when delays occur, what approvals are required, which tasks could be sequenced differently and what the supervisor will test this week. The supervisor leaves with ownership of a realistic change.
What to watch out for
Coaching is not suitable for every moment. When immediate instruction, safeguarding or specialist intervention is required, be explicit. Avoid leading questions that disguise a decision you already made, and never promise confidentiality you cannot provide.
Practice and reflect
Try a ten-minute GROW conversation about a manageable workplace problem. End by asking the person to restate their own action.