Know the Secret of Goal Setting

When asking the majority of people before a contest, whether it be a rugby match or a spelling bee, what they want, they will inevitably say, “I want to WIN.”

Who doesn’t?

I have yet to meet anyone who competes that says they don’t care if they win as long as they have fun.

Note I said someone who competes. I don’t, and have never, like competitions. I quit ballet when my teacher asked me to compete. It’s been a recurring action in my life.

Anyway, that was fine when we were six but it isn’t going to cut it now. So, how do we do it, how do we win?

The answer that you are looking for may be found in goal setting.

The reason most people overlook goal setting is because they assume that everyone on the team wants the same thing; to win, and the responsibility to win is placed squarely on the shoulders of the coach and so is goal setting.

Let’s be clear:  winning is not a goal, it is the outcome or result of achieving the goal(s) we set as a team.

In order to get the maximum results from the goals that we have set we must follow a few basic principles; the S.M.A.R.T. principles which stand for:  S – specific, M – measurable, A – attainable, R – realistic, T – time.

• S: specific. In order to achieve a goal it has to be specific. Please keep in mind that this must be a goal that is agreed upon by every team member.

• M: measurable. Can our goal be measured? If we are using the goal of winning 50% more games, then the answer is yes it can be measured by the number of wins and losses we achieve. If we said that we want to play better as a team, even though we can feel if we played better, it isn’t something that we can measure. Playing better isn’t measurable, but winning 50% more of the games is.

• A: attainable. Can this be achieved? We have to remember that everyone on the team has to believe that it is attainable, not just the coach or a select few. Without the collective agreement of the team the goal may not be achieved.

• R: realistic. The biggest problem most are faced with is the reality of the goals they are striving to achieve. The team must believe that the goal can be achieved or they will not buy into it. We have to make sure that we set a goal that everyone thinks we can reach. If we don’t the mentality will possibly be, “why kill myself for something that isn’t going to happen?” On the other hand if we set our goal too low we will get the same effect, “I don’t need to put in much effort to achieve that goal.” When we set a goal that everyone on the team thinks we can achieve, they will all put in the effort necessary to achieve that goal.

• T: time. A big problem that arises when goal setting is that we don’t set a specific date to achieve the goals we have set out.

I have only used one example to show team goal setting, but don’t stop here.

In order to achieve this goal we must devise the proper strategy and action plan.

This SMART method is widely used and lived worldwide.

Give it a go next time you are setting goals

Xo S