Body of Knowledge · Techniques and Models
The GROW model
A coaching structure (Goal, Reality, Options, Will) that gives "ask before telling" a shape a manager can hold in a one-on-one without training.
Evidence grade: practice A widely adopted practitioner model with clear provenance.
Use it when
Any developmental conversation; the default alternative to supplying the answer.
Where it stops working
It structures a conversation. It cannot replace judgment about when a conversation is the wrong tool.
Where the standard uses it
- CC-2Coaching versus directingDeveloping judgment in others.
Sources
- John Whitmore. Coaching for Performance: GROWing People, Performance and Purpose. Nicholas Brealey, 1992. In the bibliography
Used alongside it
- Coaching the coaches practice
- Situational leadership practice
- The learning organisation practice
- The rescue reflex practice
Cite this model
Chicago, BibTeX and licence →Engineering Management Academy. (2026). The GROW model. In Engineering Management Academy Body of Knowledge (Version 3.1, TEC.grow-model). https://www.engineeringmanagement.academy/body-of-knowledge/techniques/grow-model