Today I got my car inspected.

During the wait in line, a thought occurred to me. Car inspection is nothing more than a form of feedback. Here’s what happens:

You take an action (bringing your car in)
The car gets observed.
You learn if the car’s condition is adequate.
If it is not, you receive specific instructions on what you must improve (there are check marks on why you failed.)

It’s a basic, wonderful format that can — and should — apply in your gym.

Players need feedback. They take action, you observe them, and you give them specific information about their performance. If it’s good, tell them why. If it’s not good, tell them why. Then they try again.

This is the same format that children use when they are learning to walk and talk. They try, they get a result, then they try again. In this case, the feedback comes from within instead of from you.

Make sure that feedback is a huge part of your program.

By the way, my car passed. It’s good for another two years!