Case of Growing

Last month I focused on change and the forces that keep us from changing. Well, how do we know what we want to change? There is a model we can use to help us and it is called GROW.

John Whitmore (“Coaching Performance,” Nicholas Brealey Publishing, 1991) began his career as a professional race car driver, driving for the Ford team at Le Mans and winning both the British and European Saloon Car championships in the 1960s. So, he’s a competitor. More importantly, though, after running businesses in the UK, Switzerland, and here in the colonies, he has been highly influential in bringing in new approaches to sports and business training. One of these improvements has been the highly respected and often quoted GROW model, which starts with some simple questions.

What Do You Want?

What do you want? Not what do others want you to do, but what do you want to do? You don’t want to be short-sighted here. We know, generally, that printers want more sales, more cash, more free time, or less hassle in running the business. But so what? Those are tactical things that don’t address what you want to do. We must understand that our business is a means to an end; it is not the end itself. We have to lift our heads and see over the turmoil and find out what we want.

Whitmore, with his competitive background, identifies different types of goals. An end goal is seldom under your control. It’s winning a gold medal, or the Indianapolis 500, or being the market leader in your area. But to keep it simple, let’s use the concept of being the market leader in your area. Now, this end goal depends not only on what you do, but what others do and do not do as well.

That’s where the performance goal comes into play. What performance level should you maintain in order to have a shot at your end goal? For instance, do you think to become a market leader you would sell? You know, direct mail, sales calls, Web presence, networking, and any other method you can think of? Or do you think a market leader would not sell, not have a Web presence, not do networking, and not send direct mail or whatever? I think you will agree that it doesn’t make sense if your end goal is to be the market leader, to not sell something to someone.

If your end goal is not to be the market leader; but to maintain a quiet lifestyle with few work impositions on your nights and weekends, should expand into new markets, buy a six-color press, and hire salespeople?

What is your spouse’s goal? If it is security and yours is growth at any cost; there is a lack of goal congruency.

The important thought here is the end goal is the destination and the performance goal will get you there. If you have no end goal, then anything you do is adequate, for there is no victory and no failure.

Dream and Work Goals

Whitmore says that end and performance goals need to be considered along with two other factors that aren’t exactly goals, but they’re sort of like goals.

What’s our dream goal? Why are you doing what you are doing in the first place? Did you start the business because you wanted to be a printer? Did you just grow up in the business and it is the path of least resistance? Or did you always dream of operating a successful small business and having an important role in the community?

Finally, what is the work goal? How hard are you willing to work to achieve the other goals? If you are not willing to work to be the market leader, it is a hope, a wish, or a thought—but it certainly isn’t a goal.

What do you want? What level of performance is needed to have a shot at getting what you want? What is your dream? Why are you doing what you are doing? And how hard are you willing to work to achieve what you want? Truly work through these questions and you will be able to set a clear and measurable goal.

Reality Check Time

Now, let’s do a reality check. You say all these nice things about what you want, and have identified what you need to do. You’ve also said you will work hard to achieve it. Well, what is the reality? What do you do all day, anyway?