Written by Carol Dweck is acclaimed for her work on Growth Mindset. It has provided material for educators and coaches for years. However, there is one area of research that I want to bring back into focus today, that has a direct impact on effort, focus, and confidence for athletes. How we utilize feedback. After all, feedback is just information that we use to learn, so how can we make it most useful?
Our own dictionaries define feedback as “a corrective action” or a “method to improve”. This is the myth we want dispute in leadership. We want to use feedback in a way that keeps both effort and confidence higher. We can do this by using feedback in two ways:
- Balanced Feedback
- Strategy/Skill Based
Balanced feedback. This is critical to fighting our own negativity bias. When we typically think about feedback we think about criticism (what went wrong and how can I fix it). We have found that it is equally important to recognize what went well and why. If I know why I did something well, I can repeat it again. This helps promote a more accurate appraisal of performance over time. It becomes easier for athletes to maintain perspective because we are keeping our negativity bias in check.
Strategy and skills. This is the second part of what makes feedback useful. When it comes to criticism, we aren’t the worst at it. We typically will tell someone how to fix a mistake, but when it comes to what went well, we are overly generalized. For example we may tell someone, “great play” or “that’s a great athlete” which is great in the moment, but when the teaching takes place, we want to point out what they had control over. That was a great throw because you looked the safety off, or you did great on the test because you studied with flash cards.
“The way we provide feedback creates a way of thinking for athletes. Habits over time.”
– Russ Flaten
Ultimately, feedback is just information, but it’s more than just pointing out flaws and trying to fix them. Feedback can be a way to create Habits Over Time in how we we think. By having a balanced feedback, we maintain objectivity and by focusing on specific skills and strategies we improve our confidence and problem solving skills. If you have never taken this approach before, start simple with balanced feedback. Next time you talk to your athletes about their performance, ask them:
- What went well and why?
- What’s an area to improve and why?
You will learn a lot about their mindset!