You will have heard about goal setting and SMART goals, but to develop excellence you need to go one step further. These additional steps involve flexibility, challenge and breaking down big tasks into small manageable tasks. Theses extra steps not only increase motivation, but also focus attention, enhance self-regulation, provide direction and develop a sense of purpose for the performer involved.

One additional factor of effective goal setting, which is often forgotten about is self-reward when you achieve a goal. Praising yourself is not always easy but with practice, patting yourself on the back will become a vital part of this skill.

Learning outcomes

In this mindset masterclass, you will learn to:

  • the strengths and weaknesses of your current goals

  • about outcome, process and performance goals

  • how to effectively use SMART goals

  • the role of control in goal setting

  • how to structure goals

It’s a really good idea to set some long-term and short-term goals for success. So, through the competitions, not only were you thinking about the end goal and what it is you want to achieve, but also, throughout each step of the journey, what you have achieved as well. So we actually wrote a little bit of a timeline … just saying, like, all the things that actually got you to this . . . so that you’re not necessarily getting to a point where all you’re thinking is, “That. I just want that” you know, this part in between – this journey in between – doesn’t then become lost in that big outward achievement.

Tonicha Roberts, WorldSkills UK Skills Champion: Chemical Laboratory Technician

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