Day 135: Management Training Day 4

A.K.A. The Day I Learned To G.R.O.W.

Following on from yesterday, my performance management training continues.
Today we focused on something called G.R.O.W.
Which stands for:

Goal
Reality
Options
Will

We were meant to use this tool to discuss and analyze a problem within our work place. There are many questions you need to ask relating to each word.

I know the problems in my work place and I know the solution.

My problem is that I am still new, still trying to figure out the business and the most efficient and profitable way to run it. The solution is time. The answers will come in time. And I'm a patient man.

I decided to apply the G.R.O.W. method to another problem in my life.

My hair loss.

Written below I have copied the page from my workbook regarding G.R.O.W. and the response's I gave to the various questions.

GOAL--What is your goal? Focus on an outcome.

My goal is to keep my hair, the outcome would be NOT going bald.


What are you trying to achieve?

I am trying to achieve a full head of hair.


REALITY-- Establish the reality of the situation- aim for awareness.

I am aware that baldness is sometimes hereditary, and the reality of the situation is, my Father is bald.

What is happening now?

I believe that I am slowly but surely losing my hair, despite the fact that my Mother promised me this would not happen. It is clearly much thinner than it was ten years ago.

What, when, where, how much, how often?

My hair, slowly but surely, my head, too much, too often.

Who is involved?

Mainly me, and to some extent my Father for providing half my genetic material.

What have you done about this so far?

Used less hair gel, invested in a new hat.

What results did that produce?

Saved money due to buying less hair gel, having hair that looks stupid as it's been kept under a hat for hours on end.

What are the major constraints to finding a way forward?

Genetics/fate


OPTIONS-- Establish Choices- aim for innovation

To the best of my knowledge, my available options include hats, cloning, wigs, hair transplant, acceptance of my destiny.

What else could you do?

Travel back in time and convince my 19 year old self NOT to dye his hair blonde for a bet. I'm sure that's when it all started.


What would you do if you could start again?

See above.

WILL --Establish an action plan

What are you going to do?

Invest heavily in hats now, constantly wear them so when I do go bald, no one will notice as I will be wearing one of my many hats.

What are your first steps?

See what type of hats suit me best.

When precisely are you going to start and finish each action step?

Start immediately, finish once baldness has consumed my head.

What obstacles do you face?

Lack of hat money. Do I really suit hats? A windy day could blow my hat away. A rainy day could ruin a hat if made of non water resistant material like suede, cotton, felt, or straw. Potentially looking like a fucking idiot in a hat.

How will you over come them?

Steal hats? Spend less money on biscuits and more money on hats? Always carry a back up hat in my pocket for potential bad weather days. Won't worry about looking like an idiot, most people think that already.

Who needs to know?

Anyone who has wasted enough time to read all this shite.

What support do you need?

Hat money. Free hats. Everyone else in my life voluntarily going bald at the same time as myself so I don't feel insecure about it?

How will you get that support?

Theft, guilt, threatening people with clippers as they sleep.


So ends the page in my work book.

That took up about 10 minutes in a group discussion. I then made up my own acronym, for a philosophy at work, and just life in general.

D.B.A.D.

Any ideas what it stands for?

Doubt anyone has actually read this far down.

The picture above is my attempt to recreate the drawing of the cup on the left.

I was pretty bored during this training day.

Good news is I'm home now, bad news is I'm in another all day meeting in Edinburgh tomorrow.

Never mind, just got to get through to 12 noon on Saturday and I'm off for a week.

Good times!