Improvement in sport or any profession is rarely linear. It is an iterative process, a cycle of intention, clarity, focus, organisation, and mindset. The Total Ownership model provides a practical framework for performers who want to take responsibility for their growth and performance be it in the sports arena or in the workplace. Grounded in performance science, it offers five guiding questions that every performer can use to fuel their journey.
1. Clarify What You Value and Aim For
Question: What do you truly VALUE and AIM for as a person and as an athlete?
Performance starts with clarity. Research on goal-setting shows that performers who connect their daily training/work to deeper values and long-term aims demonstrate higher levels of motivation and resilience. This isn’t just about what you “want” it’s about defining who you want to be, on and off the field, or in and out of the workplace.
2. Define Your Role and Habits
Question: What is your role, and which daily HABITS best enable you to deliver that role at your highest level?
Every role in the game/work requires specific actions, behaviours, and rituals. By identifying the ones that matter most, athletes/employees create a blueprint for performance. Habits around preparation, recovery, and execution are not optional extras; they are the foundation of consistency.
3. Focus Where It Matters
Question: Where must your FOCUS be to optimise performance? Awareness creates choice.
Attention is a scarce resource. Research shows that performers who know what to focus on and train their focus under pressure are better able to deliver in critical moments. Self awareness is the starting point but choices generate actions: you cannot change what you don’t notice.
4. Build Consistency Through Daily Disciplines
Question: Do your DAILY DISCIPLINES reflect the consistency required to perform?
Excellence is not built in one-off moments; it’s the product of what you do every day. Structure and organisation turn intention into action. Performers who manage their time, energy, and rituals with discipline create an environment where higher performance becomes inevitable.
5. Shape Your Inner Narrative
Question: What STORY are you telling yourself and does it empower your best self?
Performance is not just physical. The stories we tell ourselves about our abilities, challenges, and identity shape our confidence, motivation and actions. A positive, empowering inner narrative allows performers to access their “champion self” when it matters most. Cultivating this mindset requires deliberate practice, but it is as trainable as any physical skill.
Why This Model Matters
The Total Ownership model is not a one-off exercise. It’s a cycle a way for performers to continually reflect, realign, and refine. Each of the five questions helps performers take responsibility for what they can control, while building the habits and mindset required for sustainable growth.
- For athletes and employees, it is a self-reflection tool a way to stay grounded, motivated, and intentional.
- For coaches and managers, it provides a simple but powerful framework for conversations about performance.
- For teams, it offers a shared language around personal standards, collective ownership and accountability.
Final Word
Getting better as a performer means owning your journey every thought, action, and habit. By asking the right questions consistently, performers can fuel their mind, sharpen their focus, and step onto the field as the best version of themselves.
Total ownership is not to suggest that those who are more consistent performers are infallible. They are, however, more likely to own their setbacks, adjust their perspective, and move forward leveraging the experience to their advantage.
Ownership also means engaging with external feedback loops whether from coaches, teammates, or reviewing performance data which enhance the iterative cycle of learning. At the same time, it is important that ownership does not slip into self-blame, setbacks are not always purely personal failures but may also reflect structural or situational factors that are outside the performer’s control.
The process is iterative. The responsibility is total. The opportunity is yours.
Gary Keegan, CEO Uppercut
