Coach 'em Up!

The Feedback Loop

February each year we start the football year off with a parent meeting. Attending are veteran parents - those who have young men who are already on the team, and the parents of rising freshmen - their kids are in 8th grade, but they will be playing High School football in the upcoming season. We go over a few things that most all parents are expecting to hear, but we also drop some new, big truths truths on them, to include:

Don’t schedule a vacation during fall break. We will most likely have a game that Friday night and we will practice.

If we are still playing at the end of November, we will practice on Thanksgiving morning

And most importantly (for the purposes of this article), if you have a question about your sons playing time or his position, talk to your son first - He will have the answers. If you aren't satisfied with his answers, then let’s schedule a meeting (But never, ever immediately after a game).

One of the many responsibilities a coach has to his players is to be a truth teller. We have a responsibility to let our guys know where they stand on the position hierarchy (the depth chart), why they are there and what they must do to move up and get meaningful playing time of Friday nights.

Truth can be painful. Everyone wants to be? #1, but the essence of being? #1 means there can only be……1, #1. So we deliver the news daily. Actually, the drills we do and the repetitions we rep are the ultimate decider of the depth chart. Football, like most all sports, is a game of meritocracy. And the best at each position is usually demonstrably obvious. So, when we “coach” our players, we tell them WHY and HOW. It’s never a surprise to one of our guys if they are suddenly not starting on Friday or if they have ascended into a starting role.

The same should be true in the office. Most roles come with clearly defined metrics regarding daily activities and what results those activities should lead to (results). Many companies even post those results, so where you are on the depth chart should be no surprise.

Operational roles can be less clearly defined. Leaders, these questions are constantly swirling around in the heads of your operation, support teams:

How am I doing?

Am I hitting the objectives?

Is my manager happy??

Is my role in jeopardy?

How do I measure up against my peers?

Make sure you are providing the feedback your team needs. If you have a person on the team that is struggling, coach them. Give them the feedback they need in order to be successful in their role. Make sure that you have provided them tools and support they need in order to excel. Inspect their progress and provide a cadence of follow up.?

If there are concerns about performance, this should be addressed immediately. A root cause analysis should be done to determine why performance is lagging and regularly scheduled coaching sessions should occur to discuss challenges and obstacles to success. This type of oversight and attention is necessary to help someone out of a slump. If the path is clear and the coaching and guidance aren't working, then it's time to clearly articulate a "if/then" scenario. If these results are not seen by this date, then.....Call it what you will - a PIP, a written warning, whatever. But this should be clear - although the PIP may be required as the last step before a termination, it is not the goal. If PIPs are a part of your company's requirement, then your responsibility as a leader is to pour yourself into your "athlete" to assure success. If someone on your team doesn't make it at your company, don't let it be because you didn't do everything in your power to help. That is the job of a coach.

Everyone on your team should know exactly where they stand with their performance. There are no exceptions. If you have to let someone on your team go for performance issues, and it’s a shock to them, you have failed to communicate clearly. Don't be that coach.