The GROW model for mentors
This is a framework to help you approach your conversations with your mentee. It’s intended as a guide so don’t feel it needs to be followed to the letter. We also cover the model in our skills workshop.
There are four areas of focus:
Goals
Useful questions
What do you/your organisation want to achieve long term?
How much personal control or influence do you have over your goal?
What outcome would you like from this discussion?
What would you like to happen that is not happening now, or what would you like not to happen that is happening now?
When do you want to achieve it by?
What does success look like?
What this might look like in practice
Starting with goals creates space for longer term possibilities and prevents going straight to immediate realities. It will help to shape your conversations and the input you give.
The types of things you might want to understand and clarify are:
Reality
Useful questions
How are things going right now?
What have you done about this so far?
What results did that produce
What resources are available?
What barriers do you have?
What needs are most important?
What is the biggest concern?
What this might look like in practice
This is the chance to understand where the organisation is now:
Options
Useful questions
What else could you do?
What if you had more time or money?
What are the options you like the most?
What are the benefit/costs of each?
What this might look like in practice
This is the chance to explore what might be useful next steps for the individual (actions they could take between now and your next conversation) and the organisation as a whole. This is the chance to encourage people to think widely about the options available to them and how they fit with where the organisation is now.
Way forward
Useful questions
What this might look like in practice
The options people pursue may look very different depending on the organisation and individual. It could be:
Whatever the course of action, this is the chance to help mentees articulate and commit to next steps. Understanding what you may be able to do to help.
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