5 things to consider in a critical friend
I recently spoke to my coaching bestie Andy Stevens. He gave his tips for any coach wanting to add a critical friend into their support network
1. Find someone who agrees to check and challenge
You don’t have to lay down any ground rules, but you need to acknowledge the need to check and challenge each other. That’s how we all grow.
A relationship like this works when it’s done with the best intentions. That’s when you can help each other to improve. Every exchange or message sent has the potential to positivley impact both of you and make you reflect.
2. No echo chamber
You don’t want to be in an echo chamber, however you do need someone who’s on a similar wavelength to you. Ideally, you need to be coaching in different environments.
Look for someone you can get along with and trust your gut.
3. Look at how they interact with people
I look at how people intereact with players. Are they getting the best bit out of the players? How many fist bumps do they get at the end of the session? Are the players going to them or are they going to the players?
How they interact or talk about their players can help you understand if you’re a good fit for each other
4. Consider looking outside of your sport
Looking for a coach outside of your sport can be useful too. I spent some time chatting to a hockey coach. He came and watched some of my sessions.
We often spoke about the different ways to interact with players and he would give some feedback
5. Sometimes distance can be helpful
If you were in the same environment, it might be difficult to remove bias. Having some distance between you and a coaching bestie can be helpful.
When having a discussion, particularly about an activity, it helps to have distance so that you can focus on thinking about the idea and giving feedback.