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Goal-setting frameworks in coaching: GROW, SMART and more

Goal-setting frameworks in coaching: GROW, SMART and more

Coach and coachee discussing their approach

A framework for goals gives you and your coachee a fixed route: from a vague wish to a clear goal, concrete actions and a moment when you look back together. The best-known is the GROW model, often combined with SMART goals. In addition, there are frameworks that are better suited to choices, emotions or complex questions. In this article you will read which frameworks exist, when to choose which one and how to keep progress visible between sessions.

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In brief

  • A framework is a structure for the conversation, not a script. It helps you move from wish to goal to action.
  • GROW (Goal, Reality, Options, Will) is the most widely used foundation. SMART helps you make the goal sharp and testable afterwards.
  • Other frameworks suit other questions: OSCAR for choices, CLEAR for the coaching relationship, STEPPA for emotion and ACHIEVE for complex work.
  • A goal only works if you keep tracking it: a baseline measurement, fixed evaluation moments and check-ins between sessions.
  • Choose the framework based on the coachee, the goal and the phase of the programme, not based on habit.

Table of contents

What is a framework, and what is a model?

In the coaching world, the words framework and model are often used interchangeably. According to the Co-Active Training Institute, a framework gives a general structure or sequence for coaching. A model, on the other hand, describes the philosophy and the core concepts behind your way of coaching.

In practice, that distinction is less strict. Passmore and Tee (2022) note that the word model is often used for structures with an acronym, such as GROW, that indicate a series of phases in a conversation. That is why GROW is called a model at one moment and a framework at another.

For you as a coach, this is what matters most: a framework is a tool to give direction to the conversation. TPC Coaching Academy calls it a structure for a conversation and not a script. The coachee still finds the answers themselves. You safeguard the route.

Why a framework helps with goals

Many coachees arrive with a wish that is still broad. “I want more calm.” “I want to grow further.” “I want to become a better leader.” These are good starting points, but you cannot steer by them yet. A framework helps you become more concrete step by step.

That delivers three things:

  1. Direction in the conversation. You know which phase you are in: exploring, choosing or agreeing. This prevents a session from getting stuck in the story about the current situation.
  2. A goal you can test. In a well-designed programme, goals are formulated clearly and, according to Fundament, also made SMART: specific, measurable, acceptable, realistic and time-bound.
  3. Actions that fit the goal. Fundament calls an action list with concrete actions per goal an important step in setting up a programme. Without actions, a goal remains an intention.

Goals in coaching are not only about performance. They can also be about growing in a new role, taking on new tasks or functioning better in the current role. The framework is the same, the content differs per coachee.

The most important frameworks in a row

Below you will find the frameworks that coaches use most often to structure goals and actions. The overviews from TPC Coaching Academy and TC Academy form the basis.

Framework Steps in brief Strong for Watch out for
GROW Goal, Reality, Options, Will Almost any goal question, as a basis for a session Works best when the goal is already somewhat clear
T-GROW Topic, then GROW Coachees who are still searching for what it is about Take time for the topic before you choose a goal
SMART Specific, measurable, acceptable, realistic, time-bound Making a goal testable Use it to clarify, not to judge
Outcome Model From broad and abstract to specific and action-oriented A desired situation as an anchor for the whole programme Return regularly to that desired situation
CLEAR Contracting, Listening, Exploring, Action, Review Programmes where the coaching relationship is central Requires good agreements at the start
OSCAR Outcome, Situation, Choices, Actions, Review Coachees who need to choose between options The review step must really be on the agenda
STEPPA Subject, goal, emotion, choice, plan, pace, adjust Questions where emotion plays a big role Give emotion room before moving to a plan
ACHIEVE Seven steps from current situation to maintaining momentum Complex questions and longer programmes More steps, so more time per phase

The Wheel of Life is not a conversation route, but a tool to see where a coachee stands across different areas of life. It is a good start for choosing together which area the goal will focus on. After that you can continue with GROW or SMART.

The GROW model step by step

GROW is popular because it is simple and fits into a one-hour session. You can also use it for evaluation conversations. Fundament describes how, with GROW, you discuss the goals, the current situation, the possibilities and the agreements about next steps.

The four consecutive steps of GROW

Goal: what do you want to achieve?

Start with the goal of the session and the goal of the programme. Questions that work:

  • What do you want to know or have decided by the end of this conversation?
  • What does it look like when this goal is achieved?
  • Why is this important to you right now?

Reality: where are you now?

Map out the current situation. This is often where most information comes up.

  • What exactly is happening now?
  • What have you already tried?
  • On a scale of 1 to 10, where are you now?

That last question is handy. A score is a simple baseline measurement that you can return to later.

Options: what possibilities do you see?

Let the coachee come up with options themselves before you suggest anything.

  • What could you do?
  • What would someone you admire do?
  • What would you do if there were no limitations?

Will: what are you going to do?

Make the agreement concrete. Who does what, when, and how do you know it has succeeded?

  • What step will you take this week?
  • What could hold you back, and what will you do then?
  • When will we discuss how it went?

Do you want to use this on paper in a session? Our GROW model worksheet is a free printable template with the four steps and space for answers.

GROW is broadly applicable. It works for coachees who want to grow further and for coachees who are currently doing less well. The difference lies in the goal, not in the route.

Using SMART well in a coaching programme

SMART is not a conversation route, but a test for the goal itself. You usually use it after the Goal or Will phase of GROW. This way you turn “I want to delegate better” into a goal like: “In eight weeks I will hand over two recurring tasks to my team every week, and I will check that in our session.”

This is how you go through the letters:

  • Specific: what does the coachee do differently exactly? Describe behaviour, not feeling.
  • Measurable: how do you see it? A number, a score or a concrete result.
  • Acceptable: does the coachee want this themselves? A goal that comes from the employer must also become the coachee's own.
  • Realistic: does it fit the time, energy and resources available?
  • Time-bound: when will you look back together?

A pitfall is that SMART feels like a reckoning. Then the coachee works for the checklist and not for themselves. You prevent that by continually linking the goal to what the coachee really finds important. So do not only ask “is it measurable?”, but also “why do you want this?”. Some coaches therefore prefer to work with goals focused on progress: not “did I achieve it?”, but “what step forward did I take?”. Both can go well together.

From desired situation to concrete actions

Not every coachee can immediately name a goal. Sometimes there is only an image: “I want work that suits me.” The Outcome Model works well for that. According to TC Academy it works like a funnel: you start broad and abstract and end specific and action-oriented.

An example from career coaching:

  1. Desired situation: “In a year I will be doing work that energises me.”
  2. What does that mean? “More contact with people, fewer reports, more freedom in my time.”
  3. Which goal fits that? “By 1 June I will have had three conversations with people in roles that appeal to me.”
  4. What action will you take this week? “I will send two messages via LinkedIn.”

TC Academy advises returning regularly to the desired situation. That remains the anchor for the whole programme. If an action no longer fits that image, that is a good topic for conversation.

For career coaches it is helpful to see how you formulate career goals step by step. The principle is the same: first the image, then the goal, then the next step.

Measuring progress between sessions

Writing down a goal is the beginning. The real progress happens between sessions. That is often where it goes wrong: the coachee is busy, the action fades away, and in the next session you start over.

A few ways to keep progress visible:

  • A baseline measurement. The NOBCO Coaching Monitor links goals at the start to questionnaires and uses the same questionnaires during and after the programme. This way you see whether the goal has been achieved. A simpler version is a score of 1 to 10 per goal at the start.
  • More than just self-evaluation. According to NOBCO, the coachee can combine self-evaluation with 360-degree feedback or feedback from colleagues. That is especially valuable for leadership goals.
  • Fixed moments of feedback. Outside coaching too, follow-up works when goals are measurable and agreed together. The ILO describes how frequent feedback helps to address problems quickly. For coaching that means: don't wait until the next session.
  • Short check-ins. A few questions halfway between two sessions: what have you done, what went well, what are you running into?

Here, accountability plays a major role. By accountability we mean that the coachee feels responsible for the agreements and that you look back together at whether they have been kept. That requires trust. A good relationship between coach and coachee is the basis for talking honestly about what did and did not work.

Do you want to know how well you are already doing this? With the coaching accountability scorecard you map your follow-up. And in our guide on writing session notes you can read how to record agreements and insights so that you can quickly find them again in the next session.

Which framework suits your coachee?

There is no best framework. The Co-Active Training Institute recommends choosing a framework that fits your own values and style, and what the coachee needs. These questions help you choose:

How clear is the goal already? If there is only a vague image, start with the Outcome Model or T-GROW. If the goal is already reasonably clear, then GROW with SMART is a good choice.

What kind of question is it? Does the coachee need to choose between options, for example staying or leaving? Then OSCAR fits. Is there a lot of emotion, such as in a conflict or after a setback? Then STEPPA gives room for that. Is it about a complex change over a longer period? Then ACHIEVE is stronger.

Which phase of the programme are you in? In the first session, a broad tool such as the Wheel of Life or an intake helps. In the middle of the programme you work with GROW per session. At the end you use GROW or OSCAR as an evaluation: what has been achieved and what is the next step?

Which framework suits your coachee?

What suits you? A framework that you do not master well yourself makes the conversation stilted. Choose one or two frameworks that you really know and use the rest as a supplement. Do you doubt your own foundation? The coaching skills self-test gives you a first impression.

Our view on goals in coaching

We often see that coaches know the framework well, but that the goal fades from view after the session. The goal is in a notebook, the actions in an email and the check-ins in a chat app. After a few weeks, no one quite remembers what was agreed.

That is why we believe the framework should not only be in the conversation, but also in the way you record the programme. A goal, the baseline score, the actions and the check-ins belong together, with the right coachee and the right programme.

That is also why we built Exantur around the coaching relationship itself, and not as a general customer management system. You record session notes as observations, insights, breakthroughs and action points. You track goals and progress, and your coachee sees them reflected in their own portal. This way a framework like GROW becomes not a one-off exercise, but a line that runs through the whole programme.

We think the best coaching arises when you and your coachee can both see where progress is emerging and where extra attention is needed.

Martijn

Goals, actions and check-ins in one place

Do you work with GROW, SMART or another framework and want to stop keeping goals and actions in separate documents? In Exantur you record goals, progress, check-ins and action points per coachee. Assessments such as DISC and Wheel of Life remain linked to the right programme. Your coachee fills in check-ins via their own portal and prepares sessions there. Your data is stored in the EU, in Frankfurt. A data processing agreement is available, so you can record agreements about the processing of data in line with the GDPR (the European privacy law). Exantur helps you handle data carefully, but does not automatically make your practice fully GDPR-proof.

Subscriptions start at Mini for €19 per month or €190 per year. Starter costs €49 per month, Growth €99 per month and Practice €199 per month. View all packages and prices or read more about tracking coaching goals with Exantur.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between GROW and SMART?

GROW is a route for the conversation: goal, current situation, options and agreements. SMART is a test for the goal itself: is it specific, measurable, acceptable, realistic and time-bound? Many coaches use them together. With GROW you explore the goal, with SMART you sharpen it.

How many goals do you work on at the same time in a programme?

There is no fixed rule for that. In practice, many coaches work with one to three main goals, so that each goal gets enough attention and time. For each goal you then make a short list of concrete actions.

How often do you discuss progress on goals?

Briefly in every session, and more extensively at fixed evaluation moments, for example halfway through and at the end. Between sessions, short check-ins help to keep actions alive. At each evaluation, use the same measurement as at the start, so you can really compare.

Can I combine multiple frameworks in one programme?

Yes. You can start with the Wheel of Life or the Outcome Model to find direction, then work with GROW per session and test goals with SMART. At the end you can use OSCAR for the evaluation. Just make sure your coachee keeps seeing the common thread.

What do you do when a coachee does not carry out their actions?

Make it a topic of conversation rather than a reproach. Ask what got in the way and whether the action still fits the goal. Sometimes the step is too big, sometimes the goal has changed. Then adjust the action or the goal together.

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