Question: "How do you set goals that have impact on the field that don’t revolve around winning. What do those look like? And can they be measured with metrics? Like, I always pick up an opposing team member from off the ground? Or I’m going to do that 3 times this game? It’s hard to measure a goal about character that doesn’t involve winning."
Answer: These will vary depending on the values/character traits you chose to focus on this season. Here are some examples that might help:
Sportsmanship/Respect
- Goal: Help an opposing player up from the ground at least once during the game or genuinely thank opponents after the game has ended.
Teamwork/Cooperation
- Goal: Pass the ball to a teammate at least __# of times during the game.
Resilience/Perseverance
- Goal: Maintain a positive attitude and encourage teammates when the team is losing.
Kindness/Empathy
- Goal: Compliment at least one teammate for their effort or performance during the game (preferably someone who doesn’t often receive praise).
Integrity
Goal: Play the entire game without committing any intentional fouls.
Options for Implementing and Measuring These Goals
- Coach-Tracking: Take note of players who are meeting the goals
- Self-Reporting: Encourage players to self-report their achievements immediately after the game. This can be done through a simple checklist or verbal confirmation.
- Team Debrief: Conduct a brief team debrief session after each game where players can discuss how/if they met their goals. This promotes accountability and reflection without extensive tracking.
- Recognition: Acknowledge players who consistently demonstrate these character traits during team debriefs to reinforce positive behavior or provide incentives (give a character award after each game for the person who demonstrated the most character—giving ample opportunity for multiple players to be recognized). I heard an example of a team that had a funny item (could be a silly hat, stuffed animal, etc.) that they passed around as the character award after each game—be creative; this should be fun!