Accepting Feedback Graciously

 

When receiving feedback from a fellow official or an evaluator, it is very important that feedback be accepted graciously. When someone gives you input, they are trying to help you improve as an official.  They are not trying to bring you down.  

If we are all trying to help each other improve as officials, there will be many times when others give you some advice or an opinion on something that you are doing on the floor.  These interactions are an opportunity for you to see your own officiating through the eyes of another referee.  Even if you don’t agree with what is being said, the gracious thing to do is just say "okay" and think about if you can apply it to your game.  

Here is one thing that I was told at the first camp that I ever attended:  "If you hear something from one person you should think about it.  If you hear the same thing from two people you should really look at it.  If you hear the same thing from three people you better apply it."  

I have received feedback that I did not agree with in the past.  However, I make a mental note of it and try to see if it is valid the next time I go out on the floor.  Several good college officials keep a journal and write things down feedback that they receive from other officials and evaluators.  They also keep notes on things that they did in a game that they did not like and things they did in situations that worked well. This will also help you with game management issues that arise during games.  

There is nothing worse than trying to help someone to improve and all you hear from the person is “yea but”.   Most of us are out on the floor because we love the game and a crew is only as strong as the weakest official. We are the third team on the floor. If someone that I am working with or observing does something that doesn’t make sense to me, I will ask him/her about it and give suggestions of what I would have done.  I would hope that they will listen to what I have to say without interrupting me and accept the feedback.  

This is equally important in a camp situation because if every time a clinician comes and talks to you, you say “yea but,” they will stop giving you feed back and they will talk about it with other clinicians.  If you are not getting feedback in a camp situation then you are basically paying to referee games. I know that when someone pays to go to camp they go to learn and so you are just wasting your money if you will not listen to what is being said.  This also occurs in our local association when a certain official gets a reputation of resisting all feedback they receive.   Eventually, all our other officials will quit giving input to that official because it is just a waste of time.

As officials, we need to be sponges and soak up as much information from each other as possible.  We have so many years of experience in our association.  This is especially important now that we have implemented 3-person mechanics and not everyone is as comfortable working in 3-person crews.  We need to take advantage of the resources within our organization to make us all stronger.

We all can learn from each other no matter how much experience that we have.  Newer officials are getting so much information at the beginning of their career, they may see something that you are doing that others are missing.  A veteran official may be so used to seeing you do a certain thing that they miss it or don’t say anything.  However, the newer official may pick up on it right away.  You should at least listen to what they have to say and be gracious.   Get yourself videotaped occasionally and see if you can notice yourself on tape doing some of the things that other officials have been noticing.   In my second year, I went to watch one of my mentors officiate a Pac-10 game and I noticed him do something that seemed odd.  I asked him about it over dinner after the game and he said that he would take a look at it.   A week later he called me and said that he saw it and he hadn't even realized that he was even doing it.  My input helped him correct something that he was doing and it made me feel good that I was able to help an NCAA Tournament Official.  It was very empowering for me.   

I know that we all would not feel comfortable as a "rookie" official giving a "veteran" official feedback, but it is important the we do encourage this as an organization because it will only help us improve.  It is even more important that if a younger official does give you feedback, that you listen to them and respect what they have to say.   The younger officials learn from watching the games and asking questions, just as much as being on the floor.   I am proud to say that I am an official with in Snohomish County because I know that we have quality officials and we are respected around the state.