Late-Lee I’ve been thinking about football season. It’s upon us and with it comes all of the cookouts and cheers! While everyone cheers for the great plays, I’ve been paying close attention to the sidelines. Coaches don’t just stand with their arms folded. They pull players aside, break down what just happened, and point to what comes next.

That immediacy matters. A quarterback throws an interception and the coach is there seconds later, “Plant your foot before you release. Slow down your read. You’ve got this! Let’s try again.” It’s specific, focused, and built on the belief that the player can grow and improve the next play.

Classroom teachers deserve the same. But simply saying, “Leaders should give feedback,” isn’t enough. Feedback without a frame can feel random or overwhelming.

Here’s a coaching frame that works at every level including district leader to principal, principal to teacher, and teacher to student.

Name the strength. Start with what worked. Growth sticks best when confidence is affirmed.

Name the focus. Identify one small, high-leverage move that will have the greatest impact. Don’t try to fix everything.

Model or describe the adjustment. Show it by giving a clear example of what it should look like in practice. Make sure the person receiving the feedback is clear about what it should look like by having them share their understanding in their own words.

Practice or plan the next step. Have the person try it immediately with you and plan for when they’ll implement it next.

Follow up. Circle back. Feedback without accountability fades quickly. Observe the implementation of the feedback to close the feedback loop.

For the coaching cycle to be effective, leaders must calendarize the work. Observations need to be on the calendar as should the feedback sessions. By calendarizing the feedback session with the teacher, the accountability for ensuring the observation takes place is built in.

The truth is a football coach doesn’t have to have played every position to recognize what effective plays look like. In the same way, leaders don’t have to have taught every grade level or subject to spot strong instruction. What matters is staying focused on what grows people, not just what checks a box.

The part leaders sometimes miss is feedback isn’t criticizing someone for not doing it the way you would have done it. Coaching isn’t about creating replicas of ourselves. It’s about helping others refine their craft in ways that make student learning stronger.

For feedback to work, there has to be a growth mindset on both sides. The player has to be open to hearing it, and the coach has to be intentional about giving it. In schools, that means district leaders coach principals, principals coach teachers, and teachers coach students. Each layer invests in the next.

Champions are made when feedback is expected, specific, and used.