Our last edition of Coaching Insights offered a detailed explanation and sampling of the G in the GROW methodology of coaching techniques.

This week we will continue delving into each letter of the acronym in more depth, in hopes of enriching your coaching efforts. 

Keep in mind, when it comes to coaching, if you are not working from a proven model it’s very difficult to be effective. If you don’t have a well thought out program, you'll end up directing and prodding and have little to show for it in the end.  

Two weeks ago I introduced you to a broad overview of the GROW Model:

Goal – The End point; what the person would like to achieve. 

Reality – The current status of where you are now, and how you have arrived there.

Obstacles/ Options – The variables that keep the person from reaching their goals; the choices one has to make to overcome the obstacles. 

Way Forward – The action steps that will lead to the successful completion of the goal. 

This week we will look in depth at the concepts of the representation of the letter R – Reality.

Facing reality isn't easy for everyone; but it is essential. For the purposes of both the coach and the agent there are several questions that need to be answered with introspection and honesty:

• Where am I now in meeting my goal?
• What was the result of last year’s goals?
• What resources am I using or ignoring?
• Who will help me and how?
• Am I looking at all the factors?

Without a solid and honest answer to these and other individual questions, it is impossible to be successful in utilizing the GROW method.

As a manager, leader or coach, this phase of the model requires us to elicit from our agents an accurate and concrete acknowledgment of where they are now. How does your typical agent or for that matter, how do YOU handle this part of the process? Keep in mind that what your agent expresses as their reality may not match what you perceive as their current position.  

While some degree of aiming high and having confidence is essential, overestimating ones strengths and fantasizing about how successful one can be has been found to often deliver opposite results, according to researchers.   

So how do you transform the subjective vision your agent may have to one that will help them succeed as a top performer? You must use data, statistics, and numbers – tangible and verifiable measurements.

The first step is to collect the appropriate data and defined metrics and use this to set a baseline. This baseline can then be used along with ongoing data to measure future performance and growth. Without this baseline, it is impossible to know when one reaches his/her defined capacity for growth. The lack of concrete numbers, in fact, may communicate something even more problematic: complacency. 

Any sports fan knows that metrics and measurement is almost sacred ground to management, fans, media and coaches alike. Can you imagine sports without clear measurement?

One nugget of measurement that appeared to elude most people who bet on Denver in the Superbowl (I know, I may not stop with these analogies until April) was that the Seahawks allowed only 16 passing touchdowns all season long. I'm not exactly sure how that went so undetected, but it did. That is REALITY. And the fact that this particular Reality was overlooked became apparent in how the game played out. 

What Reality could you be missing with those you coach; with your own current condition? Once you get those nailed down you'll be ready for the next stage in GROW—- Obstacles and Options. We'll tackle that element of the GROW methodology in our next edition of Coaching Insights. 

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Editor's Note: This article was written by Dr. David Mashburn. Dave is a Clinical and Consulting Psychologist, a Partner at Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle.