By Kevin Broene

Rolling out a new tool—especially one that gathers feedback—can be a delicate process. Coaches often feel like they’re already under a microscope, so anything that smells like “evaluation” can be met with hesitation or resistance.

But when launched the right way, Grit Leadership isn’t just another tool—it’s a game-changer for growing connection, leadership, and team culture. Here’s how to talk to your coaches in a way that builds trust, clarity, and even excitement.

Pre-Work: Start With a Trusted Coach

Before launching Grit to your full staff, invite a coach you know well and trust to preview the platform and process with you. Here’s how they can help:

• Review the survey questions with you and share candid feedback.

• Discuss implementation strategies and how it might land with other coaches.

• Be a voice of trust in the launch meeting by doing a short, honest interview with you in front of the group.

• Ideally, ask them to run a trial version with their own team ahead of time so they can speak from real experience.

Their perspective and voice can go a long way in building buy-in. Each season you use Grit Leadership will build you more and more positive voices to testify to the value of the program.

Launch Meeting: Set the Stage with “Why”

Begin your launch meeting with a simple but powerful question: “Why do we coach?”

You’ll hear variations of the same answer: for the kids. That’s your launchpad.

Here’s how to frame it:

“If we coach for the kids, then we should also ask them how we’re doing at serving them. This isn’t about judgment—it’s about learning, improving, and making sure we’re living out our why.”

Remind them that:

• This is non-evaluative. No data is used punitively.

• But let’s be real—coaches are already being evaluated every day by everyone: parents, players, fans, admin. This just gives us real data to grow, advocate, and improve.

• We want to use this data to defend and support coaches. When a parent says something vague or inaccurate, we can point to real trends in student experience. (We won’t show them the data, but we will use it to advocate.)

Framing It for the Students

Let coaches know how you’re introducing this to the athletes:

• You’ll remind students that coaches want to learn, just like they do. That they coach to help students, and we do sports for students, so we want to hear from them.

• They’re being given an opportunity to make a positive difference, so they should treat it with care. That coaches who push them and care for them are the best coaches. They should take the whole season into account, and treat this opportunity well. That

• Explain the scale (especially the middle range):

  • A 5 is solid, average, normal.

  • A 10 is exceptional—not every answer should be a 10 and probably no answer will be a zero.

• Their feedback is anonymous to the coach, but they are accountable to the AD.

Offer Midseason Feedback Opportunities

Let coaches know that they have the option to:

• Run a midseason version of the same survey to see how things are going. We will send the end of season questions during the midseason so we can learn now and make changes before its too late.

• Or use Grit’s midseason check-in tools to get quicker insights (this is an “add-on”).

The real magic happens when coaches take this data and tell their team:

“Here’s what I heard from you. Based on that, here’s what I want to do differently.”

That’s how students know they’re seen, heard, and valued. That one act builds enormous trust and satisfaction.

Final Word: It’s for Growth, Not Gotcha

When you take the time to do the pre-work, the meeting work, and the midseason work, Grit Leadership stops being scary. It becomes a trusted ally—something coaches feel is done for them, not to them.

By leading with why, modeling trust, and offering ongoing feedback tools, you set your coaches—and your culture—up for lasting growth.