// description
A coaching conversation framework with four stages: Goal (what do you want to achieve?), Reality (what's the current situation?), Options (what could you do?), Will (what will you do, and when?). Widely used in executive coaching, performance conversations, and self-coaching.
// history
The GROW model was developed in the UK in the 1980s by business coaches Graham Alexander and Alan Fine, and popularised by Sir John Whitmore, who included it in "Coaching for Performance" (1992) — one of the most widely read coaching books in the world. The model grew from Inner Game methodology (Timothy Gallwey's approach to coaching tennis players through awareness rather than instruction). Whitmore's version of GROW became the backbone of business coaching globally and is taught in most coach training programmes.
// example
Self-coaching session: Goal — I want to publish two new KDP books this month. Reality — I've published zero in the last six weeks because I've been stuck on a single book with a complicated topic. Options — I could switch to an easier topic, hire out the interior, use a template, or shelf this book and start fresh. Will — I'll shelve the complicated book, pick an easier niche topic, and commit to publishing both books by the 28th.
// katharyne's take
GROW is the backbone of my one-to-one coaching work, and I also use it on myself regularly. The "Reality" stage is the most confronting — you have to honestly describe where you actually are, not where you wish you were. Most people skip this and jump straight to solutions, which is why the solutions often don't stick. The "Will" stage is the most important: a coaching conversation that doesn't end with a specific commitment produces nothing but interesting ideas.
// creative uses
- Use GROW as a weekly self-coaching ritual for your KDP or Etsy business: every Monday, run through the four stages for the week's primary goal. Goal (publish one new listing), Reality (I have the interior done but no cover), Options (use Canva, hire on Fiverr, generate in Midjourney), Will (I'll use Midjourney and publish by Wednesday). The whole session takes under 10 minutes and produces a specific commitment.
- Embed the GROW structure into your course curriculum as a practical exercise: have students run a self-coaching session on their first product launch goal. It teaches self-direction and surfaces real obstacles early — before they hit them in week 3 and quietly drop out.
- Use GROW for client discovery calls: structure the call around Goal (what do they want to achieve in the next 90 days?), Reality (what have they tried and where are they stuck?), Options (what approaches are available?), Will (what are they committing to by working with you?). It positions you as a guide immediately and surfaces whether you're the right fit before the sale.
// quick actions
- Run a GROW session on your most stuck current goal right now. Write one sentence for each stage. Pay particular attention to Reality — describe where you actually are with brutal honesty, not where you want to be. The gap between Goal and Reality is your real problem statement.
- Add a Will accountability loop to any goal you've had for more than two weeks without progress: who will you tell about your commitment, and when will you check in? External accountability dramatically increases follow-through on the Will stage.
- If you're building a coaching or consulting offer, create a GROW-structured intake questionnaire for new clients. Send it before the first call so you arrive knowing their Goal and Reality — and spend the call on Options and Will instead of context-gathering.
// prompt ideas
Guide me through a GROW Model self-coaching session for this goal: [describe your goal — e.g. publish 2 KDP books this month, grow my Etsy revenue to $X, launch my first digital course]. Ask me the key questions for each stage — Goal, Reality, Options, Will — one stage at a time, and help me arrive at a specific, time-bound commitment by the end.
I've been stuck on [describe the problem — e.g. a KDP book I can't finish, a course I keep not launching, an Etsy shop that hasn't grown in 6 months]. Walk me through the Reality stage of the GROW Model with probing questions that help me see my situation more honestly — what's actually true vs. what's the story I'm telling myself about it.
Help me design a GROW-structured intake questionnaire for new [coaching / consulting / course] clients. The goal is to arrive at a first call already knowing their current Goal and Reality, so we spend the session on Options and Will rather than context-gathering. My niche is [describe your coaching/consulting focus].