Mission POSSIBLE
Everyone has heard of goal-setting at one point or another and everyone generally understands the concept. The value of goal-setting appears pretty apparent in determining direction on an individual, team, and/or organizational level; most people can identify the purpose of going through the process. However, there still seems to be an unenthusiastic, dull, going-through-the-motions demeanor whenever goal-setting needs to be put into practice. Why?
My theory is goal-setting becomes unappealing and ineffective because the process is typically very predictable and linear. Most conversations and sessions directed at setting goals typically carry the same procedures of “If x, y, and z are complete, the goal will be achieved.” I think this process loses people because, not only is it boring, it’s not even realistic. Rarely, if ever, is the path to our target a linear process. The path usually includes significantly more assessing, readjusting, and improvising; it’s fluid and ongoing, not singular and definitive.
Because of this, I like to think of goal-setting as more of setting a Mission strategy (Ravizza & Hanson, 1995). While this change is entirely semantic, I think it does a better job of accurately depicting what the actual process is like, therefore increasing engagement and productivity when developing a target to aim for. It addresses the need for contingency plans for the inevitable and unforeseen obstacles that are guaranteed to show up along the way; it acknowledges that the pursuit will be imperfect and will likely change, but it also implies there is still a call to action to accomplish objectives and complete the Mission. Here are 3 steps to develop a solid Mission strategy:
1. Set a Mission: It is always important to give overall direction to your vision of success (Ravizza & Hanson, 1995). Therefore, the first step is to determine what your Mission is. An easy way to go about setting the Mission is to decide upon a reasonable time frame, whether it be by season or annual benchmarks, or the timing of a specific event (e.g., National Championships, Olympics, an Invitational, etc.) and ask yourself what it is that you specifically want to accomplish. Another question I like to pair in conjunction with the accomplishment question is, “What does success look like for you?” More specifically, trying to get at what the success looks like externally, how it makes the individual feel, and even consider what the individual may be hearing from within and from others. Initially, it may appear that these questions would yield similar responses, but most times I find that the second question actually helps paint a more holistic picture of what the mission is and why it’s important to the individual.
2. Develop Objectives: It’s no secret that determining direction by developing the Mission is important and logically, the first step. However, it is arguably as important to make sure that objectives are decided upon as well because these are the steps it takes to accomplish the Mission; all objectives must be complete in order for successful completion of the Mission. To use an analogy, I like to think of the Mission as the book title and objectives as the chapter titles throughout. Now this is really where there seems to be a more apparent deviation from traditional goal-setting because this is typically where more of the specific, outcome-oriented goal markers are placed, but I disagree. It would be ignorant of me to state that outcomes don’t matter because they absolutely do, however, I would argue that understanding the process that contributes to a successful outcome is much more beneficial than simply stating the desired outcome. Here is where I would pose questions to get more understanding of what those processes for success are by asking 1. What are you doing that you should continue doing? 2. What are you doing that you that you should stop doing? And 3. What aren’t you doing that you should be doing? (Sua, 2018). Whatever these questions generate should guide the development of your objectives.
3. Create Contingency Plans: A piece which traditional goal-setting typically does not do a great job of addressing is what happens when things don’t go according to plan. Getting derailed from an outlined process or established plan can often be a debilitating cross-road for those who are unable to work around adverse circumstances. Hence the third component of including some form of contingency planning; it is okay to make mistakes and it is even okay to fail at things because it will happen. However, the pivotal aspect is making sure failure doesn’t impede action. I prefer to address adverse situations by utilizing a version of a Performance Readiness Plan (PRP), similar to the one developed by sport psychologist, Alex B. Cohen (Aoyagi et al., 2018). Now I say I utilize this tool for contingency planning, not in the sense that I leave use of the PRP solely for when the pieces stop falling into place, rather I use this as a proactive measure to collaborate with my clients ahead of time to understand what their intention is, what obstacles may get in the way, and create game plans for what they can do when obstacles arise in the form of “If…, then….” statements in order to remain on track with their intention(s). Even if the individual doesn’t experience the exact issue they have outlined in their PRP, they already have experience in developing awareness of when things go astray and worked creatively to develop solutions. They are therefore more likely to be successful at creatively problem-solving in the moment.
These are the 3 steps I use with my clients to establish direction and set a foundational understanding of what it takes to achieve their Mission. I feel this information is important to share, not because I’m trying to reinvent the wheel or because I think this is the only way to do more effective goal-setting, but instead to exemplify a different way to operationalize it based on what feels most productive for me and my clients. As long as there is an identifiable direction, notable steps of what it will take to get there, and pragmatic understanding that obstacles will appear and rerouting will almost always be necessary, find what works best for you! Be on a Mission for meaning in what you do, how you do it, and most importantly, WHY.
“If you can’t stop thinking about it, don’t stop working on it.”
AUTHOR: Stephanie Hale
References:
1. Ravizza, K., & Hanson, T. (1995). Heads-up baseball: Playing the game one pitch at a time. Indianapolis: Masters Press.
2. Sua, J. (April 2018). Re: Increase Your Impact [Audio blog comment]. Retrieved April, 2018, from https://increaseyourimpact.libsyn.com/
3. Aoyagi, M. W., Cohen, A. B., Poczwardowski, A., Metzler, J. N., & Statler, T. (2018). Models of performance excellence: Four approaches to sport psychology consulting. Journal of Sport Psychology in Action, 9(2), 94-110.