2 A633.8.3.GA: GROW Model Name OBLD 633 Adaptive Leadership in Complex Environments

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A633.8.3.GA: GROW Model

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OBLD 633 Adaptive Leadership in Complex Environments

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Professor

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Implications of GROW for Leadership

GROW is an acronym for Goal, Reality, Options, and Will. It is a model for coaching and stands by the following precepts.

Define the Goal for positive change.

Understand the current Reality, in relation to the Goal.

Create Options that will accomplish the Goal.

Exert your Will to accomplish the Goal. (Mindtools Content Team, n.a.)

Coaching is an essential act of leadership, where a leader will teach, motivate, and influence his followers toward changes that will maximize their performance (Dexter et al., 2012). It is an intimate expression of leadership where the interaction between and leader and follower is direct, personal, frequent, honest, and intense. Employees’ need for coaching is a constant in any organization, which prevalence depends on the maturity level of the organization. Therefore, a coaching method, such as GROW, is an indispensable tool for any leader, regardless of leadership style.

All the above coaching steps then must be executed by a competent leader, regardless of any of the leadership styles of Goleman (2017). A coercive leader will prescribe the goal, describe the reliability, choose the option, and micro-manage the employee toward achieving the goal. The authoritative will set the visions for the organization and the individual and will let him figure out the best goal that will align with the vision. The affiliative leader will focus first on understanding the personal reality of the employee, and once he gets the trust and rapport, will proceed to motivate to carry out GROW. The pacesetting leader will try to use his high standards for goals to help the employee from similar ones. The coaching leader would use a flexible healthy mix of all of the above. Whatever the style, the use of GROW must result in positive change for the employee.

GROW will also be applicable in any leadership situation, that is often dictated by the current nature of the employee. Obolensky (2010) classifies four leadership situations that are dependent on an employee’s level of skill and will. The latter refers to an employee’s confidence, drive, initiative, and assertiveness, which if combined with superior technical skills, would often spell success.

For employees with low willpower, it is obvious that it is the Will component of GROW that has to be emphasized. For those with low skill, the capability to correctly determine goals based on an accurate assessment of current realities, and the creativity to create solution options may be deficient. The implication is that the skill-building stage of employees must be an organizational strength so the leaders would not be so taxed as coaches.

GROW though, may appear shortsighted if taken in the light of the adaptive leadership approach. The approach prescribes diagnosis and action as the primary tasks of a leader (Heifetz et al., 2009), where it gives a heavier weight to the former, as the basis for the latter. Diagnosis would consider all the levels of the organization, group, and employee.

The assumption of GROW is that goal setting is already in order because the diagnostics part has been settled already. Theoretically, the situation may occur that the positive change for the person may be good for him but not for the group or the organization, or minimal, or even inconsequential. The implication for leaders who use GROW is that a comprehensive diagnostics effort must precede its exercise, to ensure that the organization would also benefit.

References

Dexter J. Dexter G. & Irving J. (2011). An introduction to coaching. SAGE. http://site.ebrary.com/id/10546215.

Goleman D. (2017). Leadership that gets results. Harvard Business Review Press.

Heifetz, R. A., Linsky, M., & Grashow, A. (2009). The practice of adaptive leadership. Harvard Business Review Press.

Obolensky N. (2010). Complex adaptive leadership : embracing paradox and uncertainty. Ashgate Pub. http://public.ebookcentral.proquest.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=3002214.

The Mindtools Content Team. (n.d.). The GROW Model of Coaching and Mentoring. https://www.mindtools.com/an0fzpz/the-grow-model-of-coaching-and-mentoring

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