First, let’s unpack this. Starting with a definition.
I included all 3 definitions because out of 3 good ones, I want to create one better one.
Iteration is improving our aim through repetition with adjustments.
Imagine you’re aiming for a bullseye on this target board.
Let’s say you get three shots. Your first shot ends up in the 1-point ring. You adjust your aim and intentionally change what you’re doing. Second shot, 8 points. The feedback is you’re getting closer to your target, this next adjustment is more subtle. 8 to 10 requires more precision.
3rd shot is in the 10-point bullseye zone. You did it.
Notice the terminology I chose:
Adjust
Intent
Precision
Some things can be met with just working harder. But we often don’t know how to think any deeper than that, so we fall back on that advice every single time.
But hard work isn’t on that list.
And a second tweet will get us to why.
We love to overprescribe hard work to our players and ourselves in this profession. We signal busyness but incur hidden costs for doing so. Let’s explain how this happens in another field before we tie it back in.
Can I Get Some Hard-Work Pills Doc?
Medical school doesn’t teach young doctors fuck-all about nutrition. They get something like 6 hours of nutrition education in like 8 years of higher education. To quote from my tweet, doctors are “clueless” about nutrition so they overprescribe the things they know well. Pills.
And just like in the show Dopesick which chronicles the opioid crisis, when patients aren’t sure why something isn’t working, the doctor just gives them a higher dose of the pill.
If you’ve already made the connection to coaching, you can skip this part.
Coaches who come at every problem their players have with, “you just need to work harder” are the doctors that are to blame for the opioid crisis. That’s a tough pill to swallow.
“Coach, why don’t I get an opportunity on our powerplay? What can I do to get a chance?”
There are 2 replies. The one you’re giving, and the better one.
You just have to work harder Johnny.
You’re struggling to make plays under pressure right now, let’s take a look at some clips. Here we need you to catch and shoot right away but you jam yourself because your hands aren’t away from your body. Instead of a scoring chance, the puck blows up on our stick. Or some version of a depth answer that doesn’t involve you copping out to, “work harder kid.”
When he still isn’t on the powerplay in a month, he’s coming back to your office. Will you up the dose and tell him to work even harder?
Or will you be able to sit down and doctor his game like the true professional that you claim to be?
Become Aware
If the problem truly can’t be met with hard work, stop saying it to yourself and your players.
Instead, say to yourself in a moment of pause before giving dogshit advice:
Does this situation call for hard work or iteration?
You owe it to yourself and your players to give them valuable coaching interventions. Telling a kid to work harder leaves him with more questions:
What does working harder even mean?
What does that look like in my opinion?
What does that look like to you Mr. Coach?
How will I know if I’m making progress towards “working harder”?
Are there any checkpoints to make this more attainable?
Do more. Be more. Coach better.
If all you have is “work harder”…
Retire.