Close the GROW loop with session review
At the start of the next session, review what was committed and what actually happened before setting a new goal.
Key takeaways
- What it is: At the start of the next session, review what was committed and what actually happened before setting a new goal.
- Why it works: Without a structured review, the Will stage becomes symbolic — good intentions that evaporate between sessions. Starting the next session with a factual account-back creates accountability without shame: the conversation is about what happened and what was learned, not about passing judgment. This feedback loop also teaches the coachee to notice what conditions led to follow-through versus what led to avoidance.
- Evidence: Established clinical or therapeutic practice.
- Avoid: Starting every new session fresh without reviewing the previous commitment — which signals that the Will stage was never really serious, and gradually erodes commitment across sessions.
Why it works
Without a structured review, the Will stage becomes symbolic — good intentions that evaporate between sessions. Starting the next session with a factual account-back creates accountability without shame: the conversation is about what happened and what was learned, not about passing judgment. This feedback loop also teaches the coachee to notice what conditions led to follow-through versus what led to avoidance.
How to do it
- 1Begin each session: "Last time you committed to X by [date] — what happened?"
- 2Listen to the account without judgment; ask what they learned from whatever outcome occurred.
- 3If the action happened: "What made it possible?" (reinforce the conditions).
- 4If it didn’t happen: "What got in the way?" (diagnose the gap, then revise the Will stage).
What the evidence says
Clinical practiceAccountability review — comparing intention to action and learning from the gap — is consistent with feedback loop research in behavior change and with after-action review practice in organizational settings.
Honest caveat: The specific benefit of session-open review in coaching is practitioner consensus; systematic evidence on the practice as an isolated intervention is limited.
Common mistake
Starting every new session fresh without reviewing the previous commitment — which signals that the Will stage was never really serious, and gradually erodes commitment across sessions.
IX Coach opens each session by surfacing your last commitment and asking what happened, keeping the accountability loop intact across sessions rather than treating each one as a reset.
Practice this with IX Coach →