Learning Development in Sports: The Continued Progression of an Idea

           About a year and a half ago I wrote about an idea for a position of Coaching and Learning Development Coordinator.  In addition, I wrote up a proposal for the position and sent it to about 25 baseball organizations.  I got a few really cool noes.  A couple of teams called to thank me, and one general manager wrote a really nice letter.  Mostly, it got ignored (insert shrug emoji).  Well, a lot has changed over the last year and a half.  For starters, the baseball world is completely different as a result of COVID.  Organizational staffs have been cut because of loss in revenue and minor league contraction.  From an individual perspective, my view of the position has shifted as well because of conversations, experience, and learning more from my degree program.  Something that hasn't changed is the thought that coaching and learning development are essential to any organization that hopes to be its best.  With that, here are some thoughts.

           A year ago, the idea for the role was to focus on coaches.  I wrote about different groups of coaches and their great importance in player development.  While I still think that is the case, I think focusing solely on coaches limits the position.  More importantly, it does not create a learning organization.  It creates a silo of learning.  For a learning organization to exist, there needs to be an emphasis on continued improvement for all in the organization.  That emphasis means expanding the idea of learning development coordinator to help other staff as well.  I'm aware of some mental skills coaches within organizations doing some really cool work to help in the area.  In my opinion, although commendable, helping to foster a learning organization is a full-time job.  That's not a knock on the mental coaches and what they're doing.  It's more just a recognition of all that goes into learning and development.  As of now, I know of one organization that has two people in full-time learning development roles.  Their titles are Learning Development Coordinators, and they work across the organization.  In my opinion, positions like those should be expected rather than the exception.

           One shift for me has been in the approach of the position idea.  Last year, I didn't share a great amount of detail in the blog, but the actual proposal centered around different initiatives and services provided.  An example was to help coaches create individualized coaching development plans.  The idea comes from two very different areas.  The first is pro baseball and hearing about how organizations have meetings with minor league players (I think at the end of a year typically) with various staff to help create a plan for players' offseason development.  The second is our school's teaching and learning coach.  Instead of there being one meeting at the end of the year, she meets with teachers at different points of the school year.  The multiple meetings provide chances to check in, celebrate successes, and alter plans.  It's good coaching and another chance to remind everyone to get outside their niche to learn.  Although I think the plans are a good idea, I've realized jumping to initiatives first is backwards.  What needs to happen first is determining need. 

            Prior to hiring someone full-time, the first thing an organization could want to do is see where they currently are in learning and development and, at least as importantly, decide where learning and development fits into the organization as a whole.  Something I've learned, the hard way, is an idea's quality is only as good as how it fits into the organization as a whole.  A project that fits into the way of the organization, part of  working towards something bigger than the project itself, has a chance.  One that doesn't fit is like sewing on an extra arm to the body of the organization.  No matter how strong that arm is, isn't going to work if it doesn't connect with the "brain" (culture) of the organization.  Eventually it'll wither up and be useless.  Looking at what currently exists and for potential need would mean a variety of methods of collecting data.  Surveys could be used to get a lot of feedback quickly.  Undoubtedly, there would need to be a lot of conversations with people across different departments (individual interviews, informal discussion, focus groups are all possibilities).  Some questions for those in leadership:  What do you do to help staff learn?  To help them improve?  How does it work?  What kind of feedback have you gotten?  How does it fit into the goals and values of the organization?  How do you show value for people improving?  What do you have to show it's been helpful?  What would you do differently if you could?  What would make it better?  You get the idea.  For coaches and others:  How have you gotten better in the last year?  How do you know?  What do you do to continue learning?  What does the organization do to help?  How does the organization show it values staff working to improve?  What's the most helpful thing the organization has done to help you improve?  What's something you wish it could do?  Again, you get the idea.  Regardless of the methods chosen, something that is really key when you're getting feedback is to explain to people why you're getting it and how it's going to be used.  This helps them understand the feedback is to help the organization, shows you value them, and also helps with organic buy-in when they see the feedback being used.  It also helps the likelihood of any initiatives being successful and sustainable moving forward on multiple fronts.  Sounds like a lot of work, right?  It is.  Maybe they should just hire a learning and development coordinator to do it- ha!

             There's certainly a lot more that would go into helping to create an improved organization of learning and development, but the initial steps provide a start I hope you can resonate with regardless of your role in whatever you currently do.  Finding the blend of action to start and having purpose behind the action itself is something I'd guess we are all still trying to figure out.  Once you think you do, you'll likely be humbled.  All part of being a lifelong learner.

- Ben

3 Questions to Consider for Your Year as a Learner

           There's a quote from Ray Dalio that goes, "If you don't look back on yourself and think, 'Wow how stupid I was a year ago,' then you must not have learned much in the last year."  There's so much to like about the quote.  For starters, I think the ego can often prevent us from developing as coaches and leaders.  "If I subscribe to this new way, it means admitting I've been doing it wrong for all these years."  Well, yes, and no.  There is no "right" when it comes to personal mastery.  There's only getting it as close to right as we can.  That is a continual process.  To change simply means you've found a way to evolve to a better "close to right."  My measuring stick for a book involves being able to answer three questions affirmatively:

*Does it reinforce something I already do/think? I know I just mentioned ego, but it's nice to know smart people I just spent $20 on agree with some of what I believe and/or do.  As an example, I can remember reading Harvey Dorfman's work when I was just getting started learning about the mental side of performance and feeling empowered when my thoughts aligned with this legend in the field.

*Does it give me something new?  I want something to be excited about trying or taking in another direction.  An example was after I read Creativity, Inc., we implemented The Braintrust idea with our girls soccer team.  Without going into too much detail, it allowed for a lot more player voice in what we did.

*Does it make me question something I do/think?  I want something that checks the ego.  Make me ask if there's a different way I haven't considered.  An example that comes to mind comes from Insight.  Before reading, my favorite question was "why."  Insight taught me "why" can actually lead us to getting stuck, at times, and a variation of "how" can be much more helpful in shaping action moving forward.

           Anyway, I think my book questions can apply to our overall experience as learners and livers.  So often, we tend to keep going on the hamster wheel of the process, with our eyes on the prize, chopping wood and carrying water, that we miss out.  We miss out on a blending of opportunities to celebrate and appreciate.  Celebrate the successes we have had.  Enjoy the lessons learned.  Both are there in every experience if we care to look.  The beginning of a new year will bring an onslaught of ways to be a "new you."  While I appreciate the challenge to grow, before you kick the unwelcomed guest that has been 2020 out the door, look at how you've grown from its stay.  Hopefully, you find yourself thinking you were stupid a year ago and appreciate the journey that's led you to that thought.  It means you're better, and those you serve are better for it as well.

- Ben

A snippet of my answers to measuring stick questions for 2020:

*Did it reinforce something I already do/think?  Yes.  In many ways.  An example of this was in our High Performance Educators group I recently wrote about.  I already thought those of us in education could benefit from mental performance coaching.  I still feel that way, thanks to everyone who participated in our group.

*Did it give me something new?  Yes.  Again, in many ways.  As teachers, we've had to challenge ourselves to do things differently.  I actually think that's been really good for me.  Without going into too much detail, I've changed my approach to teaching our sport/performance psych class and how content is delivered.  The latter has been through making short videos.  It's challenged me to simplify, which is helpful for any of us.  I'll still use elements of this new way whenever we get back to some normalcy.  

*Did it make me question something I do/think?  Yes.  Once more, in many ways.  Probably the most important that comes to mind is courtesy of some wise words from my mom.  We talked about the upcoming school and sports year back in August, and I was sharing my anxiety about how we wouldn't be able to do things the ideal way.  Her message was to let myself let go of ideal for the year and just do the best I can.  It made me think of the legendary Dr. Ken Ravizza's, "Have a good shitty day."  What she's said has really helped me through a good shitty year, and I'm grateful for the recalibration.

High Performance Educators 2.0

             Sport psychology isn't just for athletes.  It's really performance psychology, and we're all performers, one way or another.  That's one of the things I most value about the position I have at our high school.  As much as I love sports, my role and experience would be incomplete without everything else I get to do.  I've spent time with academic classes (every level- self-contained through AP), performing arts groups (choir, band, dance, theater), and a random assortment of others (student government, tech and learning coaches, teachers, rifle team).  The time has led to some of my favorite connections with others at our school and has allowed me to learn from being a guest in their cultures (What can I say?  I'm an anthropologist.).  If you're a coach and only learning from other coaches in your sport, you're missing out on great opportunities to improve yourself and your team.  I'm a better mental coach, teacher, and person for all I've crossed paths with.  The role and environment we have at our school also allow me to "just do it."  If I have an idea, I'll run it by our principal or athletic director, but I don't think I've ever been told, "No."  I value that freedom and support quite a bit.  One such idea was to work with a group of staff, and I'd like to give you a glimpse into why we did it, how it was set up, and what we did.

             About 3 years ago, we did a High Performance Teachers group.  It went really well overall but became a program that didn't make the cut for me moving forward for where my time and efforts would best be invested.  One of the most common  pieces of feedback I got from that group was how they enjoyed getting together with other teachers in a low-pressure environment and sharing their experiences. This shared learning was one of my favorite elements, as well.  Over and over, I've learned mental coaching, done well, is a two-way flow of knowledge.  In the past spring, however, COVID hit our school and turned it upside down.  Colleagues shared that one of the most challenging aspects of the experience was missing the connection with others.  We no longer had the stop-and-chats in the hallways, the lines to the copier, or the lunches in the breakroom.  And we missed it.  Coupled with a never-ending feeling of needing to do more, the lack of connection was an opportunity.  The "why" of the group was born.  We'd do a High Performance Educators (wanted to expand it to be more inclusive of any staff).  The purpose would be to provide staff a chance to connect with others and learn about performance elements that'd help them perform and enjoy.  

            Next, the "how" was going to be really important.  We were virtual at the start of the year so the meetings would take place on zoom.  One of the most critical steps in the process was, after sending an email to see who was interested, getting feedback on what participants wanted.  I think that's important with any group you work with as a coach or consultant.  It's essential in working with adults.  They don't want to be told what to do, and that's a significant shortcoming of many professional development initiatives.  Using the feedback, I decided we'd meet every other week.  We initially had about 35 people say they were interested, so I split them into two "teams."  Something a few people mentioned in pre-planning was how they liked knowing ahead of time what to think about to be prepared for a session.  Others mentioned wanting ways to participate outside of the live sessions.  From both of those ideas, I created a Slack group.  A few days before sessions, I'd send the topic and two to three questions to contemplate and share thoughts.  This was helpful early on and led to some fun interactions.  Unfortunately, it fizzled out once we were back at school.  Slack was blocked by our district for some reason.  The help provided at the beginning was still well worth it.

            The last important element of the how was the plan and setup for the sessions.  The topics were based on feedback from the staff who showed interest, and I decided on the theme of "Control What You Can Control:  And How to Do It."  "Control what you can control" is such a buzz phrase in coaching, but it falls short, in my opinion.  We need help with how to control what we can control.  Also, my coaching why is, "Empowering others to perform and enjoy."  There was a fit.  A lesson learned over the years is if you don't feel like the work will allow you to be who you are as a mental coach, it's likely not going to go well for you or those you're hoping to help.  The sessions' actual setup involved wanting to blend opportunities for participants to share with each other and provide relevant applicable info.  In the feedback I'd gotten from our original HPT group a couple years ago, 23/24 responses were all super positive.  This made me feel good.  One was pretty scathingly negative.  After getting over my, "Well, why the hell did you keep coming if you thought it was so bad?" amygdala-triggered response, I realized the person made points worthy of consideration.  They'd felt the topics were too obvious and didn't give enough specifics about implementing them in the classroom.  This made me better.  With that feedback and continued learning over the years in mind, I really wanted to deliver and stay true to who I am and what I believe.  I tried to include tangible ways and activities to apply the learning before, during, and after our sessions.

              So, what did we do?  We ended up with seven sessions throughout the fall.  The topics were An Intro to the Program/Your Why, Self-Awareness, Values, Confidence, Stress, Communication, and Process.  All relate to the general idea that the more we understand and take responsibility for ourselves, the more we "control what we can control."  In total, probably about 28 people ended up attending at least one session.  There were around 12 who made it to just about every session.  As much as I'd have loved for everyone who signed up to make every session, the reality of the fall made that unrealistic.  I actually built into the description of the group that any level of participation was welcomed because I really didn't want people to feel like they had to do it.  The smaller groups actually ended up being one of the most common positives in feedback afterward.  People appreciated the chance to get to know the group members more.  That wouldn't have happened with larger groups--a great lesson learned to file away.  I really tried to mix things up as much as possible while keeping some of a basic structure.  We had activities, scenarios, video clips, and even a guest instructor for our stress session. Thanks to my good friend Zach Brandon for that.  I ended up needing to wait an extra week after his so people would forget how great he was so it wasn't a letdown to get back to me!  

            Now, to what is really most important.  What did participants think?  I decided to send a request for feedback to those I knew came at least somewhat regularly.  Should I have sent it to everyone?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  I felt like if they came to at least two or three, they'd have enough of a feel for what we did that it'd be helpful to hear from them.  In all, that meant seventeen people, and sixteen responded.  Participants had the option to share their name or not.  I let them know it was to help me reflect on the fall and plan potential next steps forward.  Of those who responded, the feedback was very positive.  Here's a summary:

Did you learn from coming to the sessions?  100% Yes

Did you enjoy the sessions?  100% Yes

Did the sessions help your performance in any way as a teacher?  100% Yes

Did the sessions allow you to enjoy what you do a little more as a teacher?  100% Yes

Did the sessions allow you to feel a little more connected with colleagues?  100% Yes

Did the sessions help with navigating the uncertainty of the fall?  75% Yes, 25% No

Would you recommend other teachers attend sessions similar to these?  100% Yes

Would you be interested in more sessions at some point in the future?  100% Yes

            There was a time where I'd apologize for posting positive feedback like that.  Now, I'm mostly just grateful.  I'm grateful to teachers investing so much time in something extra.  I'm not an administrator.  There was no offer of continuing education credits or certifications.  Attending meant more on their plates, not less.  These teachers came because they wanted to be there.  That means a lot, and I think it's an important element of adult learning.  I'm also grateful for all I learned from the educators who took part.  Getting to sit back and listen to how these elite educators apply the concepts we talked about was cool.  I found myself wanting to listen more and more.  Finally, I'm grateful the sessions went well.  A lot of time and effort went into them.  The group was reflective of far more than the last few months.  It makes me feel good knowing experiences, both purposeful and random, allowed for creating something to help other people.  Plus, it was fun.

            Finally, where do we go from here?  My hope is we do more.  When I say we, I mean we as the fields of education and mental performance.  It's no secret there is a real crisis when it comes to teacher recruitment and retainment.  The past ten months did not create the problem, but, like so many others, it's magnified the issue.  I have grown in realizing the importance of people in political positions of influence (sorry for being late to that party).  I think expecting more from them will only be helpful over time if it's blended with helping teachers to better help themselves.  That is where mental performance comes in.  Educators are elite high performers.  Consistency and understanding what makes us good are requirements, not luxuries.  We need support and coaching.  Teachers need to better understand ourselves and how we perform.  More schools need to be willing to take a chance on doing something different..  In reflecting on some of the other ways districts have spent on professional development in the past, I think it's a chance well worth taking.