Reflection Only Works If We Use It Everywhere
Sometimes you watch your guys on the field or the court and they do something that is so close to the version of them you know they can become. You point it out to your staff, you tell yourself, “There it is. He’s right on the edge of getting it.” That’s the feeling I had reading this post.
I love what Coach Lanning is doing — having his players write down what they did well and what they need to improve before any coach gives feedback. That’s real self-awareness work. That’s reflection as a tool, not a buzzword. It even made me think of our own TeamsOfMen mantra shirts — Self Reflection + Self Interrogation=Self Awareness— because that’s exactly what this is.
But here’s the part I can’t shake: How many coaches will repost this and completely ignore the next logical step?
If reflection and self-awareness help solve problems and unlock growth on the field, why wouldn’t the same be true for everything else in a young man’s life?
Why aren’t we carving out space for reflections in the team room about their humanity — not just their performance? Why aren’t we asking them to journal about their day as a man, not just as a player? Especially at the Power 4 level, where coaches already control 12–14 hours of these guys’ daily schedule. We can’t find ten minutes a week for them to check in with themselves?
If we really believe reflection drives ownership, then it has to expand beyond football.
Otherwise we’re just teaching them to solve problems on the field and stay lost everywhere else.
COACH PROMPTS
If you value reflection, where in your program do you provide structured time for it outside of performance feedback?
What’s stopping you from asking your players to reflect on their humanity as intentionally as they reflect on their game?
How might a weekly self-awareness routine change the emotional climate of your team room?
PLAYER PROMPTS
When’s the last time you thought about your day as a man, not just your performance as an athlete?
What did you learn about yourself this week that no box score could ever show?
How much better could you get — on and off the field — if reflection became part of your routine?
