You've learned each piece of the GROW model. Now let's put it all together! In this unit you'll experience a complete coaching conversation and practice being the coach.
Think of this as your coaching conversation rehearsal before using GROW with your real team members.
Engagement Message
Ready to see how all four stages flow together naturally?
Meet Alex, a developer who struggles to balance shipping new features with handling essential maintenance tasks. He's hitting feature deadlines, but system stability is starting to degrade.
As his coach, you'll guide him through a GROW conversation to help him find his own solution.
Engagement Message
What would you want to understand first about Alex's situation?
Starting with Goal: "Alex, what would a good balance between feature work and maintenance look like to you?" Notice how this opens exploration rather than assuming his goal.
Alex responds: "I want to feel confident that I'm not just building new things, but also keeping our system healthy and stable without falling behind on my feature commitments."
Engagement Message
How does asking about his desired outcome differ from asking about his problems?
Moving to Reality: "How do you currently decide what to work on each day?" and "What parts of your process are effective, and where do you feel the tension?"
Alex shares: "I usually prioritize the feature tickets because they have clear deadlines. The maintenance tasks feel less urgent, so they get pushed. I'm good at deep work on a feature once I start."
Engagement Message
What insights emerge when you explore both strengths and challenges?
Exploring Options: "Thinking broadly, what are all the possible strategies you could use to manage this balance?" Don't evaluate yet - just brainstorm with Alex.
He suggests: dedicating a "Fix-it Friday," allocating a percentage of each sprint to tech debt, and pairing with a senior dev to better estimate maintenance tasks.
