From Manager to Coach: Why the GROW Model Emerges with Leadership Maturity

Most people think leadership coaching is about helping someone change their behaviors or beliefs. And that’s part of it. But the primary kind of coaching I do—vertical development, or leadership maturity coaching—goes deeper. It’s about helping leaders transform their identity so they can show up with more agility, vision, and impact.

That transformation becomes especially important when someone feels underwater or in over their head in a leadership role. Often, it’s not because they’re doing anything “wrong”—it’s because they’re leading from a developmental stage that no longer fits the complexity of their context.

Let’s take a closer look at one common turning point: the shift from Stage 3/4 Skill-Centric ("Expert") leadership to Stage 4 Self-Determining ("Achiever") leadership—and how the GROW coaching model becomes far more accessible and impactful when that vertical shift takes place.

The Skill-Centric Leader Focuses on Knowing, Not Growing

At the Skill-Centric (or Expert) stage, managers focus on mastering the rules, refining their expertise, and executing tasks with excellence. They know the handbook. They develop their own technical skills. They strive to be the go-to person, and they expect their subordinates to follow their lead.

This works well in relatively stable, linear environments—like standardized assembly operations, CRM systems, or recruitment and HR procedures. The expert leader can train others in those skills and track productivity with confidence.

But in dynamic, cross-functional, or innovative environments, that mindset quickly becomes a bottleneck.

Why? Because this type of leader:

• Often feels they must do the work themselves to get it done right

• Prioritizes short-term execution over long-term development

• May resist delegation, fearing a loss of control or credibility

• Struggles to collaborate or lead without being the “expert”

  
  

In rapidly changing environments, Skill-Centric leaders feel overwhelmed. The environment demands more complexity than their current stage of development can hold.

The Vertical Shift: From My Expertise to Our Results

As leaders mature into Stage 4 (Self-Authoring / Self-Determining), their perspective shifts.

They start to:

• Think strategically and long-term

• See team development as core to achieving results

• Integrate performance metrics with individual growth trajectories

• Become less reactive, more reflective

• Realize that empowering others is a sign of strength, not weakness

  
  

This is the developmental leap that enables a manager to become a coach. And this is where models like GROW become not just usable—but intuitively aligned with how they see the world.

Why GROW Works Better at Stage 4

The GROW Model—Goal, Reality, Options, Will—is a simple yet powerful coaching framework. Originally designed by John Whitmore in the 1990s, it offers managers a way to guide their team members through performance conversations that lead to action, insight, and ownership.

But here’s the key insight:

The GROW Model lands differently depending on a leader’s stage of development.

At earlier stages (like Skill-Centric), a leader may try to use the model mechanically, or default back to giving an

swers rather than coaching. They may struggle to tolerate ambiguity, emergent ideas, or the non-linear nature of development conversations.

By contrast, a Stage 4, Self-Determining leader can:

• Hold space for others to think critically and generate their own insights

• Align performance goals with broader strategic objectives

• See coaching as a long-term investment in team capacity

• Flexibly adapt the GROW model to real-world nuance

• Balance what needs to happen now with who this person is becoming

  
  

So GROW becomes more than a tool—it becomes an expression of their leadership identity.

A Strategic Orientation to Development

One of the defining features of Stage 4 leadership is a strategic orientation—not just to the work, but to the people doing the work.

That means GROW conversations aren't just about:

• “How do you hit this metric?” But also:

• “What capabilities will help you succeed in this role six months from now?”

• “How does your growth trajectory align with the team’s evolving needs?”

• “What are we learning together through this process?”

  
  

This dual focus—on immediate performance and long-term development—is the hallmark of leadership maturity.

Coaching as Culture, Not Just a Conversation

At late Stage 4, managers begin to realize that coaching isn’t a one-off tactic—it’s a cultural lever.

When they embed coaching conversations like GROW into the rhythm of work, they start to see:

• Teams becoming more self-directed and aligned

• Employees stepping into ownership

• A shift from compliance-driven work to intrinsically motivated problem-solving

• Greater adaptability across changing contexts

  
  

In this way, the leader doesn’t just develop people—they participate in the development of a learning organization, and an environment of continuous improvement in performance.

One Final Note on Trust and Structure

Of course, manager-as-coach still holds authority. They are responsible for performance, compliance, and team accountability. As such, a manager-as-coach needs to carefully navigate this dual relationship. Coaching within a direct report that you have the capacity to hire, promote, and fire must be handled with clarity, boundaries, and trust.

That’s why Stage 4 leaders are better positioned to create the psychological safety needed for growth:

• They can communicate coaching agreements up front

• They can foster transparency and rapport

• They can recognize when to coach, when to manage, and when to mentor

  
  

And because their identity is no longer wrapped up in being the expert, they can hold coaching conversations with openness, curiosity, and strategic clarity.

In Closing: Vertical Development Makes GROW Work

The GROW model is a powerful tool—but its true potential is unlocked by vertical development.

When a leader matures into Stage 4, they gain the ability to:

• See their role as a developer of people, not just a doer of tasks

• Weave short-term performance into long-term growth

• Empower teams while advancing company goals

  
  

And perhaps most importantly, they become the kind of leader who inspires transformation—not just in what people do, but in who they become.

Curious how vertical development can expand your leadership impact—and help you integrate strategic coaching into your everyday management? Let’s talk.

👉 Book a free Discovery Call

This article was published using a combination of the raw impromptu speaking from the below video, as well as ChatGPT for organization and formatting. Watch the video below:

Resources for Further Discussion

If you're curious to dive deeper into the research and frameworks that inform this approach to leadership development and the use of coaching models like GROW, here are some key sources:

📘 Vertical Development & Leadership Maturity in Practice

• Cook-Greuter, S. R. (2004). Making the case for a developmental perspective. A foundational paper on adult ego development and how leaders make meaning at different stages.

• Rooke, D., & Torbert, W. R. (2005). Seven Transformations of Leadership. Harvard Business Review. Introduces the stages of leadership maturity and how they affect effectiveness in complex contexts.

• Kegan, R., & Lahey, L. L. (2009). Immunity to Change: How to Overcome It and Unlock the Potential in Yourself and Your Organization. Offers a clear process for identifying the underlying assumptions that block growth—highly relevant to vertical coaching.

  
  

🎯 Coaching in Leadership Development

• Whitmore, J. (2009). Coaching for Performance: The Principles and Practice of Coaching and Leadership. The definitive guide to the GROW Model, first introduced in the early 1990s. Whitmore was instrumental in adapting sports coaching for leadership contexts.

• Grant, A. M. (2014). The Efficacy of Executive Coaching in Times of Organisational Change. A review of the empirical support for performance coaching in helping leaders adapt, grow, and drive change.[Available via academic databases]

• de Haan, E., Duckworth, A., Birch, D., & Jones, C. (2013). Executive Coaching Outcome Research: The Contribution of Common Factors. Provides evidence on what makes coaching effective, including the role of trust and developmental readiness.

These resources support the view that leadership effectiveness is not just about acquiring new skills—but about evolving the way we see ourselves, others, and the systems we operate within. The GROW Model can be a powerful tool in that evolution—but only when paired with the right mindset and developmental readiness.

Want help integrating this into your leadership practice or team culture? I’d love to explore it with you.

👉 Book a free Discovery Call