The Boss Way to Thinking Strategically with GROW
Why strategic thinking is often less about capability and more about creating time and structure for better decisions.
“Be more strategic.” It is one of the most common requests leaders make. It is also one of the least useful.
The problem is that strategic thinking is not a behaviour. It is a label. And when people only get the label, they start guessing. What does strategic actually mean here? Speak up more? Think longer term? Bring recommendations Challenge harder? Different people fill in the gaps differently.
That is why I often ask leaders a different question: “What do you actually want to see or hear more of?” That changes the conversation quickly. “Bring one recommendation, not only the problem.” “Summarise the decision in two sentences.” “Name the trade-offs before we choose.” “Tell me what you think we should do.” Now we are talking about behaviour. People can act on behaviour. People struggle to act on vague adjectives.
Strategy Needs Time and Structure
One of the ideas I come back to repeatedly is: Strategy = Time + Structure
Most people are capable of better thinking than they currently demonstrate. The issue is often not capability. The issue is that nobody has created enough time or structure for the thinking to happen. A workshop can do that. A planning session can do that. A meeting agenda can do that. Even a simple form can do that.
The structure slows people down long enough to think. Without it, people often default to reacting, solving the immediate problem, or jumping straight to action.
Within That, GROW Is One of the Simplest Tools I Know
The GROW model has been around for decades. In coaching circles it is probably one of the most overused frameworks available. Yet I still find myself coming back to it. Not because it is revolutionary. Because it creates structure.
The model is simple:
Goal What are we trying to achieve?
Reality What is happening right now?
Options What options do we have?
Way Forward What will we do next?
For a simple overview of the GROW model, I found this short video useful:
Simple.
Yet compare that to asking someone to “be more strategic”. One creates a thinking process. The other creates interpretation. The structure forces people to think before they act.
Using GROW In Practice
Most people associate GROW with coaching conversations. I use it much more broadly than that. For example, when reviewing a proposal:
Goal What outcome are we trying to achieve for the client?
Reality What is happening today? What obstacles or challenges are getting in the way?
Options What approaches could help achieve the outcome and address the obstacles?
Way Forward What actions are we recommending and what are we committing to do next?
The quality of the conversation immediately improves. People stop jumping between problems, solutions and assumptions. The thinking becomes more structured. The recommendations become clearer. The next steps become easier to commit to.
The Real Lesson
The lesson is not that every leader should use GROW. The lesson is that strategic thinking rarely appears by accident. If you want people to think more strategically, give them a process that helps them do it. Create time. Create structure. Ask better questions.
Because strategy is not a personality trait. It is often the outcome of people having enough time and enough structure to think clearly.