Good leaders know how to coach people, but great leaders show people how to coach themselves. And it's evident in the feedback they share.

Instead of trying to force outcomes, these leaders use feedback to frame possibilities. It's a technique used by Rusty Komori, who coached his high school varsity tennis teams to an astounding 22 straight state championships, a record that still stands to this day. How did he do it? Rusty dropped by I Wish They Knew to share coaching strategies that bring superior results, and his method can be used by managers to build the capacity of others to succeed.

Make a plan for adjustment

Leaders aren't always available to give the just-in-time feedback others need. As a tennis coach, Komori can't swoop in during sets to offer corrections. Instead, he trains his players to envision and plan for potential scenarios that might occur during a match. Feedback should come with a similar contingency plan. By guiding others to describe how they might address related challenges in the future, leaders can help them prevent mistakes of the past. Try this pivot: "Imagine you're facing a similar situation again. What would do differently to get better outcomes?"

Build ownership through trust

When people feel valued, they're more likely to take ownership of their development. As Komori says, "If you can build trust and respect, and others know that you have their best interest at heart, then they're going to commit to the purpose and process of improvement." Leaders can do that by using feedback as a way to shape another person's sense of progress. Question prompts such as, "What are your goals here?" or "Tell me more about how you plan to achieve those results" can help others uncover these answers for themselves and strengthen trust along the way.

Clear a path for progress

Too often, feedback stays focused on the unchangeable past. Shifting the tone and direction to future opportunities clears a path for progress. When giving feedback to his players, Komori pushes a "victor" mindset that focuses on their future performance instead of past results. This forward-looking approach emphasizes choices that can still be controlled (like their effort and attitude) instead of actions that can't be changed ( like a bad swing or poor positioning). In my own work with leaders and teams across the globe, I've found that this switch from past to prologue makes feedback fearless and provides others with more room to improve.

<< Watch or listen to my conversation with Rusty Komori >>

Developing a coach approach takes time and intention, but when we share feedback that empowers others to lead the way to change, everyone wins.

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