TGROW Model Coaching Guide
- Fern Beauchamp
- 16 minutes ago
- 7 min read
Looking for ways to support your team on a deeper level?
Coaching is a way for leaders to have more meaningful conversations, empower their teams, and build a workplace culture that unlocks value for their organisation and clients.
A simple, practical and effective coaching model is TGROW. The TGROW model helps leaders guide structured conversations that spark insight and action.
This practical coaching guide will introduce the TGROW model, show leaders how and when to apply it, and highlight where coaching fits best. You’ll also find real-world tips and clear usage boundaries.
Contents
What Is The TGROW Coaching Model?
TGROW is a simple, structured coaching model leaders can use to make development conversations more focused, accountable, and useful. It works well in 1:1s, performance meetings, and career conversations when there is a clear, shared intention to coach rather than tell.
It’s an extension of the GROW model, a popular coaching framework created in the 1980s by Sir John Whitmore and colleagues at Performance Consultants International.
TGROW stands for:
Topic: What does the team member want to talk about?
Goal: What do they want to achieve?
Reality: What is happening right now?
Options: What could they do about it?
Way Forward or Will: What will they do next, and what support do they need?
This structure helps leaders keep coaching conversations on track, focused, and impactful; creating space for team members to think through issues, own their solutions, and grow professionally.
By beginning with "Topic" TGROW ensures that coaching sessions start with the other person's agenda – not just the leader’s – to build trust and relevance.
Why Leaders Should Use TGROW
The TGROW model of coaching gives leaders a repeatable process for helping others problem-solve and move forward. Leaders who use TGROW regularly see benefits such as:
Increased clarity: Conversations have a clear purpose from the start.
Balanced structure and flexibility: The model fits a range of contexts – from performance reviews to career paths to team challenges.
Empowerment and accountability: Team members drive the conversation and own their outcomes.
Better conversations: TGROW keeps dialogue open and focused, with leaders practising active listening rather than giving advice outright.
When applied with skill, TGROW helps shift workplace conversations from “telling and fixing” to “listening and enabling”, boosting engagement and growth across teams.
TGROW Model Questions: A Step-by-Step Guide
T – Topic: Agree the focus
A coaching conversation with TGROW begins with the other person’s TOPIC, not yours.
You invite them to choose a topic, then agree together whether coaching is the right way to approach it.
You might ask:
“What's on your mind?”
“Is there a particular challenge on your mind today?”
💡 Top tips:
Use open, simple questions to let the other person lead.
Avoid steering the agenda; let them choose the topic that matters most.
Link the chosen topic to their long-term development goals, if possible.
Stay curious and resist the urge to “tidy up” their topic too quickly.
G – Goal: Define success
Once the topic is clear, shift to clarifying the GOAL.
The Goal stage clarifies what success looks like for this person, in this situation, in a timeframe that makes sense.
Helpful questions include:
“What would be a good result from today’s conversation?”
“What does success look like for you?”
“In three months’ time, what would you like to be different?”
“How will you know that you’ve achieved that?”
Support them to move from vague wishes (“I want better meetings”) to more concrete results (“I want to leave meetings with clear actions and feel more confident speaking up”).
💡 Top tips:
Help visualise the end results: “If this went the way you wanted, what would be different?”
Make goals specific and measurable: “How will you know you’ve moved forward?”
Keep it actionable within the conversation.
R – Reality: Explore what is happening now
REALITY grounds the conversation in facts, feelings, and context.
Help them explore where things stand now - active listening is critical here.
You might ask:
“What is happening right now in this situation?”
“What have you tried so far?”
“What is working better than you expected?”
“What is getting in the way?”
💡 Top tips:
Aim to help them see the system around them, e.g. stakeholders, constraints, habits, and assumptions.
Offer summaries and reflections to show you've heard them, rather than jumping straight to solution mode.
This is also a natural place to invite leadership reflection: “What patterns do you notice in how you respond to situations like this?”
O – Options: Generate possibilities
Only after exploring reality do you move to OPTIONS.
This is about expanding thinking, not forcing a quick solution.
Useful prompts:
“What could you do?”
“What else?” (asked several times)
“If a colleague faced this, what might you suggest?”
“What options might stretch you a little, but still feel realistic?”
💡 Top tips:
Encourage a range of ideas.
Don’t evaluate too quickly and avoid leading questions that smuggle in your preferred answer.
Invite them to generate ideas
Explore pros and cons for each option.
W – Will / Way forward: Commit to action
The final step turns ideas into a plan that the person owns. Here you move from “could” to “WILL”.
Questions might include:
“Given everything we’ve discussed, what will you do next?”
“When will you do it?”
“How confident do you feel about this on a scale of 1–10?”
“What could increase that score by one point?”
Ask about support and obstacles: “What might get in the way?” and “What support would be useful from me or others?”
You can then agree how you will follow up, which anchors TGROW into your ongoing leadership practice rather than a one-off conversation.
💡 Top tips:
Confirm what they will actually do next.
Gauge readiness and confidence levels.
Explore support needs and barriers.
Example: “Given your ideas, which will you implement first and how can I help?”
Keep follow-up motivating and straightforward, and set clear accountability: Example: “When can we check in?” or “Who else could support you?”
TGROW Model Usage Scenarios
The TGROW coaching model can be used in many day-to-day leadership contexts:
Regular 1:1s: Use a light-touch version of TGROW to help team members set goals, reflect on progress, and design their own next steps.
Performance and development discussions: Combine feedback with TGROW questions so that the person explores their reality and options rather than only hearing your view.
Career and growth conversations: Explore long-term direction using TGROW to identify development goals, current strengths, gaps, and concrete moves.
Across all these situations, your listening quality and the way you give and invite feedback matter as much as the model.
Five Practical Tips For Leaders Using TGROW
Listen more than you speak; resist the urge to offer fixes.
Keep questions open and straightforward – avoid jargon.
Use silence; let colleagues process and reflect.
Affirm effort and progress at each stage.
Adapt the conversation length to fit the topic – some TGROW conversations are 10 minutes, others an hour.
Seven Scenarios Where TGROW Is Not Appropriate
TGROW is a coaching model, not an all-purpose leadership tool. There are times when it should not be used, or should play only a small part:
You Have Not Contracted for it
As we explore below, coaching should always be agreed – never imposed.
Ask first: “Would you like me to take a coaching approach for this?”
Crisis, Safety, or Compliance Issues
When there is an urgent risk, leaders need to act and give clear direction, not ask extended coaching questions. When immediate action or clear instruction is required, TGROW may waste time or frustrate colleagues.
Formal Disciplinary Processes
Coaching and discipline have different purposes and boundaries. Do not blur them.
Low Psychological Safety
If trust is fragile, a deep coaching conversation may feel risky. Focus first on building safety and clarity.
No Interest in Coaching
Some people are not ready or do not want to be coached on a given issue. Pushing TGROW can damage trust.
Conflict of Interest
Ensure you can maintain trust and neutrality; don’t coach if you can’t stay objective.
Ethical Boundaries are Unclear
Coaching must be transparent; avoid using TGROW for hidden agendas or feedback gathering that wasn’t contracted for.
Contracting: Do Not “Coach” Without Consent
Which segues nicely to the importance of contracting - just because TGROW is useful doesn't mean it should be used in every interaction, or used on people without their knowledge.
Four Important Principles:
Ask for Permission
A question such as “Would it be helpful if we took a coaching approach to this?” gives the other person a say in the process.
Clarify Purpose
Be clear about why you suggest coaching. For example, “The aim here is to help you think this through and decide what you want to do.”
Be Transparent About Roles
As a people manager, you hold power and accountability. Acknowledge that and be clear when you are coaching versus when you are giving direction.
Respect Boundaries
If someone prefers direct guidance or the situation calls for instruction, do not force a coaching approach.
How To Contract For a Coaching Conversation
Before using TGROW for a coaching leadership conversation, clarify expectations. Contracting sets the stage for psychological safety, clarifies what success looks like for each conversation, and ensures everyone is aligned about the outcomes and process from the very start.
Be explicit about the purpose and nature of coaching.
Seek permission - ensure the team member wants to engage in the process.
Discuss boundaries and confidentiality.
Example: “Coaching is a process for helping you think through your goals. It’s always your choice to participate, and you can opt out at any point.”
Contracting builds psychological safety and trust, ensuring TGROW is empowering - not intrusive.
In Summary
Coaching both as a leadership skill and leadership style empowers teams to unlock their potential, build trust, and drive lasting growth. By integrating frameworks like TGROW, intentional contracting, and consistent reflective practice, leaders create an environment where people develop, contribute, and flourish.
Committing to a coaching approach is not just about adopting new habits – it's about shaping a culture where learning, curiosity, and collaboration naturally drive performance.
