When I read the title for this post, I feel there is a negative stigma that comes with it. If you get the same feeling, I want to be clear that my goal is the exact opposite. An effective coach evaluation system makes everyone better from the front office to the coaches to the players by increasing accountability, transparency and results.
In one of my classes this spring, we went over a 6-step process of "Effective Performance Management" and it dawned on me how much it could be implemented into baseball. I will outline the 6-step process I would implement, and then give some additional thoughts as to how this can be effective over time.
Step 1: Define performance outcomes
How are coaches evaluated? Are coaches evaluated on wins? Are coaches evaluated on GPA scores of their team? Are coaches evaluated on how well they develop players? Depending on the level of baseball, the answers will differ. The problem is not necessarily the answer to that question, but more so the lack of clarity many coaches get (or don't get) to that question. I will be primarily focused on the development aspect because I feel if players are developed well enough, the rest of those questions will solve themselves.
Clear goals need to be set for every coach and the players he is responsible for developing. I see there as being two subdivisions of development: in-game performance, and practice-setting performance. In-game is pretty self-explanatory and the most important, but the practice performance could possibly indicate better future results. The practice metrics would include Rapsodo/Trackman, Blast Motion/Diamond Kinetics, Hittrax, weight room numbers, etc. These metrics serve as strong objective goals to work toward and focus on the process of improvement, rather than the end result. Like I said, game results are the only thing that truly matter, but they could also be indicative of a bad process and good result which is usually unsustainable. Performing well in practice is far from proving yourself in a game, but it could be indicative of a good process and bad result, which to me is more sustainable.
Define proper performance metrics and everyone will be happier.
Step 2: Develop coach goals, behavior and actions to achieve outcomes
What are the coach's motives? Is an individual player's success enough for them? Do they want to be a head coach? Do they want to get into pro ball? Do they want to move up from an affiliate to a coordinator role? Much like working with a player to formulate their goals, coaches need to understand what they are chasing, as well. This could be a time consuming process, but overall should significantly increase the buy-in, especially if the goals are non-conventional.
Set goals collaboratively and give coaches autonomy to accomplish the step 1 goals.
Step 3: Provide support and ongoing performance discussions
Just as players want or need support from coaches, coaches should get similar support from their leaders. This could come in the form of offseason coaching clinics, some certifications such as the Driveline Pitch Design certification, or in general just instilling trust in the coach throughout the season if their process is in line with their goals, which makes Step 1 that much more important. Some coaches may not necessarily "hate the analytics" so much as they hate that nobody has explained them properly.
Make sure your coaches are getting the proper resources to carry out the goals.
Step 4: Evaluate performance
This is where things have the potential to go haywire. As I said before, performance can be a result of both good and bad processes. I think the biggest key here is for the performance evaluation to occur frequently. Traditionally, job evaluations occur at the end of the year in whatever industry you want to think of. In my opinion, they need to be done on a recurring basis in order to understand what is going on and why there may or may not be improvements, which will be covered in Step 5. Below is a mock hitting coach performance evaluation that would recur on a bi-weekly basis. At the end of the year, there should be no surprises as to a coach being promoted or fired if they have been given constant feedback throughout the season.
Step 5: Identify improvements needed
This step is why it is so critical to evaluate performance regularly. As we all know, playing careers are limited. By not evaluating what is going right or wrong regularly, careers are put in jeopardy. Say a player is doing everything a coach asks of him, but the player is showing minimal improvements. This would be a great time to figure out what improvements are needed. Are the coaches' teaching methods not working? Is the player going through something mentally outside of baseball? Is the player not eating properly? Eventually, if you start asking enough questions you will get to the bottom. It's possible you are doing everything "right" but the results just have not shown yet. At the end of the day, the answer could also be the harsh reality that the player is just not good enough. Anything other than that is an opportunity to improve the process.
Another positive to this step is maybe as a coach your head is in the right place, but you're really struggling on improving something. By identifying what you're struggling with and communicating that with other coaches, they could have suggestions on what has worked well for them and their players that can be backed up by their frequent performance evaluation.
Evaluating performance often allows for quick adjustments to be made and increases transparency in the long-term.
Step 6: Provide incentives or consequences for results
Step 5 and step 6 should occur almost simultaneously after the performance evaluations. If everything is running smoothly, organizations can move straight from step 4 to step 6. While I recommend having frequent performance evaluations, the incentives or consequences are more for the end of the season. This could come in the form of a contract extension, promotion, contract not being renewed, or possible demotions. After step 6, the process returns to step 1 and everything is repeated.
Additional Benefits of a Coach Evaluation System
In a perfect world, that process is followed and implemented perfectly. With more information, your organization is in a place to put coaches in a position to succeed. At the college level, there are often 2-3 hitting coaches on staff. Say, for example, one of the coaches has a proven track record of successfully implementing a bat speed program and another hitting coach has a strong track record of helping players with their in-game approach. Coaches with their respective "specialty" should spend more time with the players who are looking to improve in one of those areas. The same can be said for a minor league system. A player may be better off working with a coach at a lower level because he specializes in a certain area, than if he were to be playing at a higher level where the coach has a different specialization. Knowing a coach has a proven track record could increase the buy-in from a player, as well. There just needs to be a consistent message of what is happening and why, and how it will ideally benefit the player in the long-run.
To review, I believe there should be a 6-step process implemented to evaluate coach performance. It starts with defining specific goals and requires a recurring feedback loop. The planning of this is easy, the implementation and follow-through is where the money is made.
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