If you want to achieve something, you have to be willing to work extremely hard for it. That's how it works in the business world, but certainly also in elite sports. Have you actually ever made this connection? Prof. Dr. Nico W. Van Yperen, professor of sports psychology, writes about it on his blog sportscience.blog. We spoke to him about goal setting.
Direction and perseverance
" Setting goals motivates. That is, goal setting impacts the three different components of motivation: it energizes and inspires, it gives direction, and it strengthens your perseverance (especially in the face of setbacks). For example, trainers, teachers and employers sometimes complain that their athletes, students or employees are not motivated. However, people are almost always motivated, but not always in the direction you as trainer, teacher or employer desire. For example, athletes certainly want to train but don't always feel like doing an endurance run, and employees really want to work but may have their focus on another task. Motivation, then, involves, in part, motivators focused on the right goals. Is that not working? Then maybe it's time to do something else," van Yperen says.
Setting the right goals
But how do you do that, set the right goals? Van Yperen: "The dream of achieving a beautiful result or outcome (such as, for example, becoming a champion or achieving a certain turnover) is an indispensable source of energy and inspiration, but it must then be given substance and direction." By this he means that you can say you're going to be a champion, but if no action or steps are taken afterwards in how you're going to achieve that goal, you're not going to get there. In elite sports, these goals are often more unambiguous than in the corporate world. After all, it is easier to determine who is the best high jumper, swimmer or tennis player than who is the best teacher, manager or nurse, but in both cases, van Yperen says you can achieve these goals through outcome, process and performance goals. "For top athletes, the result goal is often the most important. This goal relates to the big picture: 'why' are you doing top sports? For top athletes this is usually becoming an Olympic champion, but it can also be, for example, qualification for a tournament, a top 10 position or not being relegated. So you can actually also think of this as your ultimate dream, your BHAG, with the goal of inspiring, energizing and giving direction above all. Performance goals have relations to "what" you want to achieve concretely, independent of the performance of others. For example, a long-jumper who wants to jump further than 8 meters, or, for example, a salesperson who wants to achieve an increase in sales percentages. They are actually the building blocks of an outcome or result goal. The third, the process goal, refers to "how" you plan to achieve your objective. This includes, for example, training and preparation.
Don't lose
In addition to the various goals mentioned above, van Yperen says it is important to work with target goals rather than avoidance goals. "What do you think of when I say 'don't lose'? Right, about losing!" Van Yperen explains that thinking this way significantly increases the likelihood of defeat. The same is true in the business world. If the focus is on how to avoid failure, it is more likely that you will. So put the focus on how you are going to achieve the goal and what actions (process goal) you need to take to do so.
Talent, hard work and opportunity
When setting your goal, of course, it must fit your talent and skills. "So it shouldn't be too difficult, but it shouldn't be too easy either," van Yperen says. "In addition, you must have and see the opportunity to achieve your goals. After all, talent alone does not make you a champion. You have to be willing to train very hard and leave a lot behind. So it's a combination of talent, motivation, hard work and an environment that provides all the opportunities for you to perform at your best."
Better never stops
The process of goal setting, of course, is continuous. "If you want to get really good at a certain part, then when you reach a goal, you set a new goal to get even better. Better never stops! Research also shows that "wanting to improve yourself" leads to the best performance anyway and it is more fun and more motivating when you actually get better. Didn't achieve your goal? Then you adjust the result goal or process goal. For example, you choose a different strategy, approach or method or you focus on other elements. Have you got the ascending line? Then the victories will naturally follow!"
Want to read more on this topic? In our goals magazine we give you tips & tricks for setting goals, read an interview with Dr. Alex Klein (speaker & researcher) and René de Jong (purebred entrepreneur & marketing expert) and much more. You can download the magazine here.