By. Coach Danny Carrillo
Setting ambitious goals should be encouraged and we should not be afraid of taking a step back to add elements that might seem small but will ultimately make a big impact on achieving what we set out to do!
The concept of using a process oriented approach is based on my own experience, as well as learning from one of my favorite resources, The Language of Coaching by Nick Winkleman.
Goal setting brings purpose to your daily learning environment and ultimately, helps to define what you pay attention to in your surroundings.
Think about the last time you set a goal. Was it a short-term or long-term one? Was it focused on a single aspect of your life (i.e. health, career, personal development, etc.)? Was it focused on the achievement itself?
Odds are your goal fell under one of the following categories, and more likely the latter:
- Process- Oriented Goal
- Outcome- Oriented Goal
In our daily lives, we tend to set outcome-oriented goals because they can oftentimes feel like they’re easier to measure. For example, losing a certain amount of weight, or lifting a particular amount at the gym. However, I challenge you to start breaking bigger goals down into smaller process goals, so that you feel like you’re making regular, consistent progress. You may be wondering– why would that make a difference? Let me give you an example:
If the goal is to lose or gain 5 lbs and we only focus on a loss or gain as the measurement, we can get disappointed in not seeing progress regularly. Instead, if our goal is to visit the gym for 4 days throughout the week we have more flexibility. Going to the gym is part of the process. That way, the progress towards your goal can be attributed to the consistency of going to the gym, rather than taking drastic, unsustainable measures to hit your desired outcome.
This doesn’t mean timelines aren’t important when pursuing an ambitious goal, but I believe that taking a process-oriented approach makes the journey a lot more enjoyable since it provides you more flexibility on the journey.
These types of goals are also present in the context of strength and conditioning. A process-oriented goal is one that relates to a specific feature of the motor skill being practiced (ex. squatting). Whereas an outcome-oriented goal, is one that focuses on the results of the motor skill practiced (ex. Squatting with the intention of transferring the skill to learning how to jump to catch a ball).
As a coach, it is my responsibility to ensure that the goal/desired outcome my athletes are working towards is appropriate for their current skill level. It is also important to remember that once I have taught the desired skill, I need to take a step back and let my athletes figure things out for themselves in a safe and encouraging environment.
By taking a step back, I allow my athletes to embrace their own process in learning the skill while making sure to provide them the opportunity of becoming more confident in themselves and their abilities!
Ultimately, I believe that it is important to keep yourself accountable, but life happens, and goals may take a bit longer to achieve sometimes and that’s okay! I believe a process-oriented approach can extend to other areas of our lives because it not only lets us achieve everything we set out to do, but it also allows us greater learning opportunities and makes the journey that much sweeter.
