Measure To Know…and Grow
In my last post, we wrapped up the DEFINE stage of Crafting Your Team Culture, during which leaders outline the elements of their ideal team. To recap, these steps include:
- Compose Your Coaching Philosophy
- Build Your Team Vision
- Describe the Ideal Athlete
- Draft Your R4 (Roles + Responsibilities + Routines = Rhythm)
- Establish Team Standards, Rewards, and Consequences
With this post, we shift to the DISCOVER stage, during which coaches seek to learn the true identity of their teams. This is what we refer to as the real. This current reality provides a snapshot of your team — the good, the bad, and the ugly. Areas in which the ideal team and real team are consistent are considered strengths. Areas in which the ideal team and real team are dissimilar reveal opportunities for growth.
The first step in the DISCOVER stage is to Execute Consistent Prospect and Player Assessments. Specifically, we encourage coaches to evaluate players across 5 distinct dimensions (physical, mental, technical, tactical, and behavioral). This holistic approach is tied directly to the critical factors for the ideal athlete described in step 3 above. This way, not only are we SELECTING the right players for our program, but we are also intentionally DEVELOPING them into the ideal athletes for our team.
While coaches consistently assess current players through game grade outs and film reviews, formal evaluations should occur at the end of key training periods (e.g., immediately following the end of the season, upon completion of Spring Ball, at the end of summer workouts, etc.). The best time will be defined by the sport’s life cycle and should be clearly marked on the team’s calendar. A good goal is 2–3 formal assessments per year.
Player assessments include evaluations from coaches, peers, and the self. These three distinct points of view are combined to offer multiple perspectives on the rated player. Is their rater agreement? Is there unanticipated variance? What do a player’s peers see compared to his coaches? Remember, players know before coaches. Assistant coaches know before head coaches. The use of regular and standardized assessments keeps a staff aligned and generates the feedback essential for growth and development. To put it bluntly — without intentional evaluation, there can be no deliberate feedback, a topic we’ll cover in a later post. Remember, the ultimate goal is to improve player self-awareness and identify performance gaps between where they are and where they could be.
In my next post, I’ll introduce the concept of behavioral observations, an important tool to gauge progress, establish priorities for future development, and establish a common reference for performance counseling.
For more tips on achieving extraordinary performance, visit our website at www.horizonperformance.com.
