As a sports manager, you need to assess how well your team is performing and what areas need improvement. But how can you do that effectively and objectively? In this article, we will share some tips and tools that can help you evaluate your team's performance and identify strengths and weaknesses.
Before you can measure your team's performance, you need to define what success looks like for your team. What are your specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals? What are the key performance indicators (KPIs) that reflect your team's progress and achievements? How do you communicate these goals and expectations to your team members and stakeholders? Setting clear goals and expectations will help you align your team's efforts and evaluate their results.
Today’s World of sports, word “success” is changed or we should say adjusted; because now success is not just define by your sporting events result but also “financial” stability of your team. You could be win the title of the season as a champion but if you made a bad financial decisions; you are not successful anymore. Setting clear goals and objectives now of days includes financial stability which gives you or your organizatons “sustainability.” So you should adjust your success measuring tools according to this subject.
Having been through an era of autocratic leadership in sport, I find the best way to set goals and expectations in a team is through the senior players. Aligning team goals to board driven strategy can only be done through your players of experience. Involving the whole team in the process gets immediate buy in and an expectation of the behaviours accepted within the environment. Collaboration is key and an amazing captain and coach relationship which challenges each other.
I also think the goal (or perhaps more appropriately termed 'purpose') needs to move beyond win:loss. There needs to be a deeper meaning to why an individual drags themselves through gruelling countless training sessions, through the pain of competition and the highs and lows of a season's campaign.
Longevity of a Sports Team is dependent purely on the stable financial model they are able to create which should be mutually exclusive of the ‘on - field’ results. As a Sports team owner, the very first responsibility is to ensure financial sustainability. While we remain in the era of Saudi takeovers & Qatari Investments, there will always remain players like Fenway Group, with their prudent financial decision making - while the on field teams compete for the biggest of honours. In summary, as an owner , it’s primary to prioritise club’s sustainability & longevity, without losing the sight of what the Team is for - To compete for the biggest and the best of trophies!
Process matters. While results are always a good indicator of where you are going as a team, the first step in many ways is to identify a philosophy and working towards that. There may be shortfalls in terms of the early part of the journey, but as long as you are progressing towards the ideal, you are paving the way for success.
Feedback is essential for learning and improvement, but it can also be biased and subjective. That's why you should use multiple sources of feedback to get a comprehensive and balanced view of your team's performance. These sources can include self-assessment, peer review, coach or mentor feedback, customer or fan feedback, and external benchmarks. You can use different methods and tools to collect and analyze feedback, such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, observation, or analytics.
Individuals need to reflect on their wins and losses to improve. In an era of data driven results I found it important to have a snapshot of the agreed KPI’s giving an overall picture and then drilling down into the individuals KPI’s. Individuals who can leave their ego at the door and bring transparency and honesty, will help the group and individuals improve. During recruitment, the ability to self reflect and welcome feedback are character traits that I want in individuals. Without individuals growing and contributing to solutions,as a leader it’s difficult to get an honest snapshot of the cultural pulse. Self reflection, mentors, group feedback, data driven KPI’s,informal contact and formal catch ups are all relevant and necessary.
Never underestimate the team you work with. I always say you will never be an expert in everything and should always learn from others - no matter the years u have under ur belt. Invest in your team. Listen to their knowledge and experiences and give them ownership. I’m a great believer of creating a culture that everyone is able to be a part of the team. My job is to guide, offer perspective then point the way forward. When testing athletes, I like to stand away from the players to avoid bias in my analysis and evaluation. It is very easy to like some more than others and this subconscious bias can affect the performance results. Benchmarking is best from your own data as u have more reliable data and makes your job a lot more easy!
You should create a I call “feedback pool.” This pool can collect all the varieties of the feedbacks coming from all sources which you listed above. This gives you a objective and reasonable options to pick and use relative feedback from all types of sources. You need to separate or organize all the feedbacks in the pool using management tools to get what is useful to your current or long term situation.
I would add 'reliable' and 'not motivated' sources of feedback to the subject itself. In the current age of social media - the 'team' itself needs to identify 'sources of feedback' that they can trust - they need to weed out the 'sweet talkers' and the 'hidden agenda' protagonists equally, since both can cause a lot of harm to the very spirit of the team and hence the performance. Each team needs to figure out resources from within who could identify the 'feedback givers' actively.
La tecnología es clave para obtener retroalimentaciones de los diferentes stakeholders a quienes debemos "rendir cuentas" sobre los logros alcanzados por nuestro equipo. Un análisis clave es la medición del sentido de pertenencia que tienen los fans o hinchas de tu equipo a través de redes sociales. Uno no debe enfocarse solamente en los likes que reciben por parte de sus seguidores, sino analizar los comentarios positivos, neutrales o negativos que realizan a través de redes, ya que esto permite conocer cuál es la percepción del público externo al equipo, y trabajar sobre estrategias comunicacionales potentes para mejorar o cambiar esa percepción.
When you evaluate your team's performance, you should focus on both the behaviors and the outcomes of your team members. Behaviors are the actions and attitudes that your team members demonstrate, such as teamwork, communication, leadership, or creativity. Outcomes are the results and impacts that your team members produce, such as wins, losses, revenue, ratings, or awards. By focusing on both behaviors and outcomes, you can recognize the effort and contribution of your team members, as well as the value and quality of their work.
Behaviors are the most organic feedback you can have from your team members during the challenging way to win yor objectives. If you focus on your team behaviors and monitor and collect them; this is the most useful tool that you can use for the success of your team. Outcomes are also organic results based on your team efforts on the challenging way of the objectives. They are clear datasets to adjust or reevaluate your approaches or tactics for the current or future objectives.
In high-level sports teams, effective leadership can significantly impact the team's performance. The key differentiating factor of a good leader is their ability to adopt a solutions-oriented approach. This approach involves not just identifying challenges but also proactively finding ways to overcome them. By doing so, the leader fosters a culture of continuous improvement that encourages team members to push beyond their limits and strive for excellence. This approach can help elevate the team's performance to new heights and set them up for sustained success over time. Strong leadership in sports is of paramount importance, as it can be the deciding factor between a mediocre team and a truly great one.
Fan experience, value added opportunities throughout a season with merchandise sales are potential feedback measures aligned with performance. For example. Establish merchandise sales metrics and observe patterns based on metrics such as: Sales of highest ticket items Sales after key games Post season inventory purchases Hospitality purchases
I have seen this time and time again. The ability to do the small things right, day in and day out. This will build the culture for the future success of the team. Without a solid culture base, your team, is just a group of individuals.
Successful organizations and teams have effective processes, procedures, and habits. The behaviors and attitudes of the people in the organization that support those processes, procedures, and habits helps guide performance. That is one way of establishing your culture/environment. Once effective practices are combined with the right people, performance will rise. Look for evidence of growth and enthusiasm for the future. With effective feedback, a loop of performance and growth can repeatedly cycle and new heights can be reached upon the solid foundation that was built.
Feedback is only useful if it is delivered in a constructive and timely manner. Constructive feedback is feedback that is specific, actionable, positive, and respectful. It highlights what your team members did well and what they can do better, without being vague, harsh, or personal. Timely feedback is feedback that is given as soon as possible after the performance, while it is still fresh and relevant. It allows your team members to celebrate their successes, learn from their mistakes, and plan for their next steps.
Re in-action feedback - nothing hits home harder than catching someone doing something RIGHT! I've been guilty too often of being a 'deficit detective!' What's wrong? Where are we poor? Where can we be better? The greatest impact is in the good that we do. Should we spend more time there?
As a former national team rugby player and national team head coach. I was used to the kind of approach I outline below. Use a post match debrief process accompanied with analytics broken down into team, sub unit, partnerships and individual feedback. Achieve clarity with a no ‘BS’ process. Learners want feedback. And so do winners! Adopt a simplified scorecard using a plus/delta for visioning improvement and goal setting for the next growth opportunity. Make the feedback actionable, and delivered so it is easily digested. Couple feedback with learning incentives and see what happens.
The amount of time we have to illicit change impacts on the feedback we should/can give - within the amateur environment where time is limited and change hard to make - I focus on making our strengths stronger so use a lot of positive constructive feedback - we are selected to play not on what we can't do but on what we are good at.
In a high performing team there is trust. With trust you can provide constructive feedback. If a team is high performing, then feedback happens constantly. Athletes always strive for feedback and for it to be effective there needs to be trust, mutual respect and a relationship between the two people. “The situation you walk past is the situation you become”, is a quote I always associate to feedback. Equally important is positive reinforcement and reward of the behaviours you expect.
Constructive feedbacks can be great tools could be use to motivate your team members on a specific objective or goal. It has a great effect on individuals to lift up and show gratitude to your teammates; and gives them trust and show value, which they are part of something powerful. Timely feedbacks could be long and short term time frame. For example, when you are doing one on one with your team’s striker and subject is the scoring goals during the half-time of a soccer (football) mach. It can be very effective to receive an outcome.
Evaluation is not only about measuring performance, but also about improving it. That's why you should encourage your team members to reflect on their performance and develop their skills and knowledge. Reflection is the process of thinking critically and honestly about one's performance, identifying strengths and weaknesses, and seeking feedback and guidance. Development is the process of setting goals and action plans, acquiring new skills and knowledge, and applying them to practice. By encouraging reflection and development, you can foster a culture of continuous learning and growth in your team.
Professional athletes and ex athletes have an amazing ability to reflect on their performances. If an environment can encourage robust conversation and providing feedback is the norm, your players will always be improving in a fertile learning environment. Individuals need to leave their egos at the door and have a growth mindset. The sort of character traits I would definitely look at when recruiting individuals.
Reflection can be done in a number of ways. Be brave and use some or all of the following if you really want to understand what you do and how you make others feel. Pupil/player voice, ms or Google forms Focus groups (player/coaching staff) Peer review Lesson/session observations Journaling to capture feelings/thoughts post session Mentoring (sharing thoughts, feelings and feedback with a trusted other) I use a journalling note book and also voice note my reflections
Self-assessment is a crucial aspect of sport leadership. It enables us to evaluate our coaching performance, identify areas for improvement, and develop action plans to enhance our leadership effectiveness. Here are five ways we can self-assess our performance as sport leaders: 1. Reflect on your coaching practices 2. Seek feedback from athletes and peers 3. Evaluate your communication skills 4. Assess your decision-making ability 5. Analyze your leadership style
Reflection is also contagious, it will have a positive effect on your teammates as well as others. It helps improve individual and also team performance. Development, I think the most important part of the way of sustainable team to achieve goals and objectives. It must be done correctly in a way that, you have a mentality and physically strong team members.
This is an integral part of the success of an organization. Celebrating the wins and learning from the loses. At the end of the day the athletes are humans, not data points on spreadsheets. It's about tapping into the human aspect of athletes that drive and motivate personal achievement.
Finally, you should review and celebrate your team's performance regularly and systematically. Reviewing your performance means comparing your actual results with your expected results, analyzing the gaps and causes, and adjusting your goals and strategies accordingly. Celebrating your performance means acknowledging and rewarding your team's achievements, recognizing and appreciating your team's efforts, and sharing and learning from your team's experiences. By reviewing and celebrating your performance, you can enhance your team's motivation, morale, and satisfaction.
From my experience, setting up smaller milestones to achieve longer-term KPIs works really well. This gives individuals an opportunity to assess if they are on the right track, take corrective actions, and stay motivated. It is like breaking a day's play of Test Cricket into sessions
Assessing the team's performance through statistical analysis and key performance indicators (KPIs) is vital. For instance, in soccer, tracking metrics like possession percentage, successful passes, and shots on target evaluates the team's tactical efficiency and offensive capabilities. Analyzing these KPIs against opponents or previous seasons highlights areas needing improvement. Additionally, considering qualitative factors such as teamwork, communication, and adaptability in different game situations provides a holistic view. For instance, evaluating how well the team executes set plays or responds to pressure situations assesses their overall performance beyond statistical metrics.
As a former footballer, looking back and celebrating our performance was like reliving a rollercoaster of ups and downs. Reflecting on those intense matches and the grind of training, it was crucial to acknowledge the progress we made individually and collectively. Milestones, big or small, were moments for cheers and high-fives, creating a bond that fueled our teamwork. And let's not forget the heartwarming connection with the fans – their cheers were our energy boost. Even setbacks were learning curves, and opportunities to come back stronger. In the end, it's about finding that sweet spot between learning from challenges and celebrating the victories, big and small, that made the football journey truly unforgettable.
Without an acknowledgement and praise your team’s accomplishments and performance; you will never achieve anything in long term. Because, athletes need to hear when and how they do well in a sporting event and organization to self- motivate themselves. It is critical to know also the way of to deliver that to a certain individuals or the whole team, because every athlete is different in their own way. Some people motivated by the winning bonus of the team’s success and achivements, others will be satisfied by having off days or vacation with their family and loved ones. Appreciations does not have to wait for the achievements; could be done by basis of the improvements or the positive developments occur in any day basis.
Team reflection and rewards is a core component of progress and development. Team work building exercises, team success celebrations, team awards at the end of each season, the little things matter.
Ensuring that you understand and are clear on the context in which your team operates in. For example, an amateur team that is struggling for numbers has a different definition of success than an elite professional team. Clarity and buy-in are the next things to nail down.
Before considering how to review performance, it’s vital to understand what factors of your philosophy, style or approach are can be charted and measured, and what resource you have available to do so. Finding a way to measure the implementation of an ultra attacking philosophy in a team sport can be challenging, as it’s about charting behaviours in specific scenarios rather than outcome. The ability to scan for actions aligned to your desired output live in the moment and then retrospectively to chart progress is crucial.
Success, or more specifically expectations, should be measured within the context of the current state of the organization. Just as an expansion team won’t win a title in year one, where are we within the lifecycle? That should be the first gauge where success is measured.
The professional team is a role model! Role model for a whole lot of youngsters, it is their day to say conduct that stands out and screams to their followers about them. They need to set examples off the field - which is as important if not more so than on the field - cause they have the power to influence society. They are the living example of 'with great power comes great responsibility'. The team has to make this count for the overall betterment of those around them.
In order to assess qualitative success, you always need a pre-measure and a mid- or post-measure. Make sure to set clear development goals for the team and for every player BEFORE the season and write them down. Then, during and after the season you can always refer back to what you wanted to achieve and relate it to your current performance.