Becoming a Self-Aware Coach: The "Triangulation" Method

Hi Coach,

Before you dive in, two quick notes:

In today’s issue…

To truly grow, coaches need an accurate picture of their strengths and weaknesses.

In my conversation with Alan Keane on episode 134 of the podcast, he suggests "triangulating" feedback through three methods:

Take time to write down what you think your strengths and weaknesses are as a coach.

Write down specific moments from your coaching experience that support your assessment.

Additionally, consider taking some sort of self-assessment, personality, or leadership assessment. The 5 Voices, the Enneagram, or the DISC are all good options that can give you valuable insight into how you operate as a person and leader.

Honest self-reflection is essential to effective leadership and growth.

This one is the hardest of the three because if most of us are honest, we care too much about what others think about us. Praise from peers can feel intoxicating and criticism from peers can feel crushing.

However, if we’re willing to humble ourselves enough to ask a trusted peer for honest feedback, it can produce invaluable insight.

Ask another coach if they’d observe you in practice and/or game and debrief with you about it after.

Keep it simple, ask them to watch for things they thought you did well and things they think you can get better at.

If you don’t have someone near you who could come in person, record your practice, mic yourself up, and send them the film.

Lastly, if you have assistant coaches, make this a normal part of your staff culture.

Ask them for feedback on what they think your strengths are and where you can grow. You can do it in a 1-on-1 meeting or a written survey

As a staff, I’d also recommend having a quick 3-5 minute AAR (After Action Review) after practices and potentially games. Evaluate the team’s performance and the performance of the coaches.

This is another vulnerable and courageous thing to do as a coach.

Ask your players for feedback on your strengths and weaknesses.

You can do this during 1-on-1 meetings or through written feedback in a survey.

An anonymous survey is probably the best way to get the most honest answers from your players, some of which might be hard to hear. Many young athletes simply wouldn’t have the courage to be totally honest with an adult coach in a 1-on-1 meeting.

After you’ve received feedback from your players, analyze it for common themes that connect to an area you can grow as a coach.

A thought on how this could apply in your coaching or leadership context…

This newsletter was inspired by the below podcast episode. If you enjoyed the read, you’ll love the conversation.

🎧 Listen Now 👉 Spotify | Apple | YouTube

📝 Download the Notes (located inside the Better Coaching Community) 👉 Free PDF

Thanks for reading, I hope this serves you on your journey.

To your growth,

Luke Gromer, RYG Athletics | A NIKE Sports Camp Provider

P.S. If you’re interested in becoming one of our NIKE Sports Camp directors or hosting a NIKE Camp at your school or club, reply “NIKE” to this email, and we’ll get on a call!

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