I’ve have talked at considerable length in several posts the importance of goal setting and using the SMARTER formula.  I’ve described outcome goals, i.e. wining the game vs. process goals, i.e. improving batting swing.  One thing I have not talked that much about is accountability.

One the defining characteristics of great athletes are the ability to hold themselves accountable for their own goals and progress, instead of depending on or requiring another teammate, athlete, or coach to hold them accountable.  The best athletes place the responsibility for their goals, training, and results squarely on their own shoulders.

In order to reach peak athletic performance you must to do the same thing.  Holding yourself accountable is essential to peak performance and mastering your specific sport skill.

Measuring your progress is one way to do that.

You can hold yourself accountable by making your goals, expectations and action plans known to other people you trust, like your coaches, parents, or close teammates or anyone in your support network.  They can help hold you accountable by inquiring about your progress and being supportive of your desire to reach your goal.

Knowing When You Achieve Your Goals 

Let me ask, exactly how will you know when you have reached your goal? This may seem like a simple question, and in reality it often isn’t.  Goals need to be measured.  For example, you can easily measure of outcome goals such as “I want to lead the team in tackles this season”, but it’s more difficult to measure a process goal such as “I want to improve my confidence.”

For every goal set you need to have a method of measurement.  This way when someone from your support network asks whether you’ve achieved your goal… or better yet, when you ask yourself whether you achieved your goal…you’ll be able to answer yes or no and have the data to back it up.

If you don’t measure your goals, you’ll never know if you achieved them and why.  You’ll simple be plodding along a path without any course or direction.  When you measure your progress, you get to see and feel success. You’re able to make adjustments, and this empowers yourself to reach your goals more efficiently and effectively.

Be courageous; don’t limit yourself to goals that are easily measurable.  You can set mental strength goals and measure your progress just as well.  For example you can use a rating scale from 1 to 5 on specific mental strength skills.  You can track your progress in your performance journal throughout the preseason, and yes…even in the off-season.

Think of your goals as living and breathing – they can change as needed.  Occasionally, you’ll set a goal and then go out and achieve it sooner than you anticipated, or you may encounter obstacles, such as injuries or bad weather, that forced you to adjust your goals.

Successful athletes adjust their goals when they need to, and they don’t apologize for it.  They realize they aren’t perfect and that life, training and the season can be unpredictable.

Adjusting your goals doesn’t mean you failed, it just means you’re changing the course slightly or changing the timeline.  Although having to adjust your goals can be frustrating, it’s a natural part of success in athletes and life.

Common Mistakes In Setting Goals

Goal setting isn’t easy.  In fact I’ve seen many athletes make the very same mistakes when setting goals.  Following are some of the most common mistakes.  Pay attention to them so you can avoid them when you set your own goals.

1. Setting Too Many Goals: Athletes and coaches tend to set far too many goals, which results in their accomplishing none of them. Sure goal setting can be motivating; it makes sense, but too many may confuse the brain and defuse energy.  Instead, pick the goals that are most important or relevant for you and then tackle them one at a time.  Measure and complete one goal and then move onto the next one, instead of trying to accomplish four or five goals at the same time.

2. Failing To Set Process Goals: Setting outcome goals is fun and exciting.  You want to win the conference championship, hit a certain batting average, achieve a number of assists or goals, or obtain a college scholarship.  Outcome goals go straight to the heart and excite us!  The challenge is thinking about the process of HOW to make those goals become a reality.  What will you have to do to make sure you give yourself the best chance of reaching those outcome goals?  Most athletes stop short of this, which is setting process goals, because the task feels too overwhelming or too confusing.  Just remember that if you don’t put your primary focus on your process goals, your desired outcomes won’t happen.

3. Leaving Your Goals In Desk Drawer: Many athletes spent a lot of time before the season setting outcome and process goals.  Some teams even take a one or two-day team field trip just to focus on the goal setting process.  As the season gets going, however, these goals seem to fade to the background.  As athletes and coaches get caught up in the day-to-day grind, they lose focus on their goals and why they want to accomplish them.  Goals need to be living, breathing parts of your team mission.  Think of them as a living plant and take them out in the daylight.  You need to tend to them, monitor them, and adjust them throughout the season.  Remember to revisit your goals the least once a week, so you don’t lose sight of what you’re working so hard for.

4. Focusing Too Much On Ego And Not Enough On Mastery: When I talk about ego goals, I’m referring to outcome goals, like winning.  Mastery goals, on the other hand are about improving skill and performance, regardless of the outcome.  You can easily get wrapped up into thinking too much about ego goals and not enough about mastery goals.  When you focus on the process of skill mastery and continual improvement, you’re always getting better, even if it might not produce the win.  You’re still improving quantifiably and been successful.  And when you’re successful in this way the wins will follow.

To learn more about goal setting and developing the mental strength required for peak athletic performance pick up your copy of Mental Strength Training For Athletes.

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