Leading goal setting researchers Locke and Latham (1990) have identified 4 different mechanisms that goal setting does to move a team in a common direction:
1. Goals direct your attention and focus
2. Goals increase effort and intensity
3. Goals promote persistence when faced with adversity
4. Goals foster the development of problem solving strategies
When setting goals it is imperative that you recognize the difference between a goal and a desired outcome. A goal is something you can measure, record, and adjust. A desired outcome is something you wish or hope will happen.
My challenge to you is to set three realistic goals you have leading into the upcoming season for basketball. Maybe these are things you have been working on for a while. Please share these goals with me at mrbsilk@gmail.com
I approach everything step by step....I had always set short-term goals. As I look back, each one of the steps or successes led to the next one. When I got cut from the varsity team as a sophomore in high school, I learned something. I knew I never wanted to feel that bad again....So I set a goal of becoming a starter on the varsity. That’s what I focused on all summer. When I worked on my game, that’s what I thought about. When it happened, I set another goal, a reasonable, manageable goal that I could realistically achieve if I worked hard enough....I guess I approached it with the end in mind. I knew exactly where I wanted to go, and I focused on getting there. As I reached those goals, they built on one another. I gained a little confidence every time I came through.
-Michael Jordan
excerpt from I Can't Accept Not Trying
