COACHING
THE FEEDBACK LOOP
This Is the Part of Culture Where Coaches Get Fired
Theresa “ Tree ” Beeckman // True North Sports Team Specialist
The following is an excerpt from the workbook I authored in partnership with True North Sports . To get the full workbook , visit www . TrueNorthSports . net and head to the shop .
The round casing that holds the plug together represents the final part of our culture model : the Feedback Loop . Like a plug , this is the part of culture that holds it all together . In culture , this is the area that serves as the catalyst for growth , and , when done right , is most likely to lead to sustained success over a long period of time . Team cultures by nature are always in danger of forming blind spots and becoming stagnant . The very best cultures are continuously rethinking their own makeup . Without healthy feedback , the important function of true examination becomes impossible .
The essence of great coaching can be found in the timing , nature and tone of feedback . In terms of team culture , in addition to the feedback from coach to player , there is a vital , yet often overlooked aspect of the loop that doesn ’ t get closed . That is the feedback from player to coach and assistant coach to head coach .
Often feedback in athletics only goes in one direction . Furthermore , it is in this feedback loop that leaders often have vast blind spots and can accidentally poison their own cultures . It is in this component that leaders can inadvertently threaten the belonging that people feel they created by all the other components of culture . Therefore , the best cultures employ systems and a mindset that invites and celebrates candid feedback to support continued growth and belonging . A healthy feedback loop within your team culture can continually clean the prongs of accumulated corrosion that , left unchecked , can stop or toxify the flow of energy from its power source .
In his book , “ Creativity , Inc .,” Ed Catmull , co-founder of Pixar Animation Studios , lays out the importance of what Pixar calls “ the Braintrust ” in helping them create masterpiece after masterpiece . The Braintrust is an assembled group of Pixar employees , mostly former directors and other creatives , that reviews and offers notes to directors of films throughout the movie-making process . These people are both highly competent and not a part of the power structure . The latter point is an important one in understanding the difficulty in inviting honest feedback in an athletic team setting . Pixar removes power from these feedback sessions to minimize defensiveness . The goal of this feedback process is to make the movie better . One of the Braintrust rules is that directors are not required to take any of the notes offered . That removal or minimizing of power and hierarchy minimizes the defensiveness that often accompanies hard , but true feedback . With athletic teams , this can be a hard thing to recreate since you , as the coach , have the ultimate authority when it comes to playing time , team roles , scholarships , awards and recognition , etc . However , I believe that with care , coaches can work to minimize the power dynamic that inevitably exists within the coach / player , head coach / assistant coach relationships so a true culture of feedback can be attained .
44 | Soccer Journal