This week’s blog is written by Metrix Head Coach, Julie Youngblood!

Over the years of owning a real estate business and coaching top agents nationwide, I have led and coached many different types of people and teams. Perhaps one of the most important things I have learned is to ask more questions and give less answers. Frankly, it is exhausting to be the one with all of the answers all of the time.

Understanding this principle has saved me time, empowered my team members, and, all in all, helped me to build strong teams that drive the business forward.

In any business or organization, team members look to their leader for guidance and it is the leader’s duty to guide his or her people to success. However, it is important to recognize the distinction between guiding people and telling them exactly what to do.

Here is what I mean…

Part of a leader’s job is to paint the vision of where the company is headed and provide resources and materials to help team members learn and grow. Understand that it is not the leader’s job to tell his or her team members exactly what to do or say for every situation that arises. 

When a problem arises or a challenge presents itself, rather than solving the issue (because you have encountered this problem before and know exactly what to do), help your team members discover their own solution to the problem. By helping your team members discover the solution on their own, you are empowering them to think for themselves.

I have found that the best way to do this is to ask more, and better, questions. With each question you ask, the team member is going to uncover more and more of what he or she is looking for.

Yes, you can ask a bunch of random questions and eventually come up with a solution. However, as you know, at Metrix we prefer to have strategically outlined plans and systems to follow. That being said, one of our favorite models to follow when helping a team member solve a problem is: the G.R.O.W. Model.

The G.R.O.W. Model

• Goal – What are you looking to achieve? What problem are you solving?
• Reality – Where do you currently sit right now?
• Opportunity/Options – What options are available to help you solve this or to get you from your current reality to your goal?
• Way Forward – Which option makes the most sense to move forward? When do we need to review your progress? 
• Obstacle (Bonus ‘O’) – What could stand in the way of you getting to your goal?

Your job here is to facilitate a conversation by asking great, open-ended questions, such that your team member discovers a resolution. As you move through each set of questions, you will gain more awareness around the problem and a solution will begin to form.

It is important to be patient during this process and encourage your team members to keep working towards the solution no matter what or how long it takes. These questions may need to be repeated multiple times. Don’t cave and share your recommended solution; you could hurt someone’s potential by giving them the answer.

By implementing the G.R.O.W. Model into your organization and helping them understand the why behind it, you will empower your team members to think for themselves and, furthermore, they may come up with a better solution that you could have on your own!