[Thinking Patterns] Introduction and Usage of the GROW Model: Thinking to Improve the Quality of Actions
In this article, I would like to introduce the GROW model.
The link below explains why the GROW model is effective.
The GROW model is a model often used in coaching, but it is also very useful when thinking on your own.
Once you master this model, you will be able to take effective actions toward the goals you have set.
Because thinking is invisible, it is easy to act in the wrong direction.
For example, it is like a goalkeeper practicing shooting in a club activity.
You might think, "No way, I wouldn't do that," but
there are actually people in the world whose goals and actions are disconnected.
Let's master the GROW model to eliminate the disconnect between goals and actions and make your daily actions toward achieving your goals more effective!
What is the "GROW model"?
The GROW model is an acronym for:
Goal
Reality / Resource
Options
Will (Choice)
which forms the word GROW.
The thinking process is shown in the diagram below.
First, set a goal (1).
Next, grasp your current situation regarding the goal (2), and understand that there is a gap (problem) between the goal and the current situation (3).
After that, identify what needs to be done (tasks) to bridge the gap, and come up with multiple options for what actions to take (4).
Finally, prioritize the options and put them into action (5).
How to use the GROW model
Setting a goal (1)
The important thing when setting a goal is to concretely imagine the state when the goal has been achieved.
Kazuo Inamori, the founder of Kyocera, also compared it to "whether you can see the reality in 'color'."
By strongly desiring the goal and thinking about it every day, you will gain a tangible sense of what you want to achieve and be able to visualize it like a color photograph.
Conversely, it might be difficult to set a goal if you cannot imagine it at all.
If you can visualize it, you will naturally be able to behave in a way that leads to that state.
For example, when you set a goal to be able to give presentations like Steve Jobs, if you watch videos of Steve Jobs giving presentations over and over again, you can imagine how you would give a presentation, and you will be able to naturally embody that image when you actually give a presentation.
It is important to imagine yourself actually being able to do it.
◆ Question list for goal setting
・What do you want to achieve?
・What state would mean that the goal has been achieved?
・How will you feel when you achieve the goal?
・How long do you think it will take to achieve it?
・Where and with whom do you want to achieve that goal?
Grasping the current situation and clarifying the Gap (2, 3)
When grasping the current situation, it is easier to see yourself as you are if you ask yourself, "How is my current situation compared to the image I had when setting the goal?"
It is important to look at what is lacking, but also to look at how much you are currently able to do.
If you only look at what you cannot do, the image of not being able to do it will grow, and your motivation will decrease.
Praising yourself for how much you have been able to do toward the goal is also important for grasping the current situation.
For example, suppose you need a deviation score of 55 in all subjects to pass a certain high school entrance exam.
Currently, a student has a deviation score of 50 in Japanese, so they are 5 points short.
When asked which questions in Japanese they cannot solve, it was found that they were not getting points in classical Japanese and Chinese literature.
Further investigation revealed that if they could increase their score in classical Japanese and Chinese literature by 10 points, they would reach a deviation score of 55.
Once you get this far, you can move on to the next step of thinking about action options.
In this situation, it is also important to understand what is hindering the action, while recognizing that you are poor at classical Japanese and Chinese literature, which led to not studying it.
The reason people often want to clean their room before a test is that while cleaning is usually painful, studying for the test is even more painful.
Since people have a nature of wanting to avoid pain and gain pleasure, it is necessary to recognize what kind of pain you will experience by not studying, or what kind of pleasure you can gain by studying.
I would like to write about the principles of this "pain" and "pleasure" in detail in another article.
I will continue with the explanation of the GROW model.
◆ Question list for grasping the current situation and clarifying the Gap
・What is the situation now?
・So far, what have you done toward the goal, and what results have you achieved?
・Who else is involved or affected?
・What if you had already tried something? What difference would that action have made?
・Is there anything stopping the results?
・What is hindering your actions?
・As a matter of fact, what is happening?
・What do you feel is the problem now?
・So, how do you think about the situation now?
・What percentage of the goal do you think you have achieved now?
・What impact will this have on others or yourself if things continue as they are?
・Which part is the most fulfilling, and which part do you feel is not?
Identify options for actions to bridge the gap (4)
Now that the gap has been clarified, we will generate multiple options for actions to bridge it.
I would like to continue the explanation using the example of a student that I used as a concrete example in the current situation assessment.
A certain student needs to raise their score in classical Japanese and Chinese literature by another 10 points.
They need to investigate which questions in classical Japanese and Chinese literature they are failing to answer correctly (Option 1).
They also need to look for study materials to address the questions they are failing (Option 2).
They can also decide whether to search online or ask someone who can use the materials when investigating (Option 3).
It would also be good to think about countermeasures for the reasons why they haven't been able to take action until now (Option 4).
In this way, we create a list of actions.
I have listed questions for generating action options below.
◆ Question list for identifying options
・If there were no constraints or obstacles to achieving your goal, what would you do?
・What kind of actions are necessary? Is there anything else you can do?
・Is this something you can achieve on your own? Who will you ask for help?
・What have others done that you think might work in this situation?
・What is the best method you have executed so far?
・Are there any new methods you have never tried before?
・What happens if you put a twist on your previous methods?
・What kind of methods are other companies using?
・If you were the customer, what would you want done?
・Are there any other methods?
・If you were the highly capable Mr./Ms. A, what do you think they would do?
Prioritize and take action (5)
Set priorities and deadlines for the action list generated in (4).
The most important thing here is to vow (decide) to yourself by when you will complete this.
There is a clear difference between thinking, 'I hope tomorrow is a good day,' and deciding, 'I will make tomorrow better than today!'
Just thinking about it won't change anything.
By deciding and vowing to yourself, you increase the probability of taking action and continuing.
It may feel like a matter of willpower, but controlling your brain through words is extremely important for taking action.
Achieving goals often involves pain.
How you deal with that pain and take action to achieve your goal is what differentiates those who achieve their goals from those who do not.
The example of wanting to clean your room when you should be studying for a test is the same. Since studying for a test is painful, you choose to clean, which is less painful than studying.
I will not explain the details here, but I would like to write about them in a separate article.
In phase (5), we prioritize the options and actually take action.
Please try it out by referring to the question list below.
◆ Question list for prioritizing and taking action
・On a scale of 1 to 10, what is the probability that you will follow through on the action you decided to take?
・What do you need to do to change that rating to a 10?
・Which solution do you want to pursue? Also, are you prepared to pour everything you have into it?
・What is the very first thing you must do to start moving toward your goal?
・If there is one thing you can do right here and now to start moving toward your goal, what is it?
・Why don't you create a concrete action plan to achieve that goal?
・Where will you start the first step of your initial activity?
・Assuming you proceed with that policy, by when can you do it?
・How far can you get by the end of this month toward your final goal?
・If you were to do it within a week, what would you do?
・How will you feel once you have accomplished this?
Summary
In this article, I have explained how to think by having a 'pattern' (world map) of thinking, while introducing the GROW model.
I think you may have felt that it is close to the flow you usually think about vaguely.
If you consciously think about what you are feeling vaguely, the quality of your thinking will clearly change, so I hope you will enjoy your daily thinking while being conscious of the GROW model.
I hope this article has been helpful to you.
If you have any questions, doubts, or opinions regarding this article, please feel free to leave a comment.
Thank you very much.