Dream BIG + Pick a career goal to hone your focus this year
Last week we talked about setting goals for work - your business of Talent Development - based on what you've identified you need to accomplish during the year for your business units. Read more about that in these articles:
This week we're switching gears to talk about a very important topic - YOU! You are going to deliver great things for your customers this year. I know you - you put a lot of heart in what you do for your business every day. Let's not forget to take a breath and point some of that energy inward, so that you are making headway on your personal BIG dreams. Even if we are content in our role or with what we've achieved, let's not rest on our laurels. Pick a career goal that improves a strength you already have or make this the year you're available to mentor another. Not one of us has arrived, so pick something to develop or hone this year.
I like this advice by Brian De Haaff, CEO of Aha!, in this article on Inc.com:
I suggest that you come up with a career sentence - the overarching vision for your professional life. Your sentence could be specific, such as "Help build software that changes the way people interact with their doctors." Or it could be more wide-sweeping, like "Create positive, lasting education opportunities for disadvantaged youths." Once you have set your destination, you can focus on the goals that will get you there.
I often advise people to set a pin somewhere on the map of their career. It's hard to pick a next step if you don’t have an idea of what the end goal looks like.
Identify One Thing & Share it with a Buddy
Once you've set your compass, identify one thing - just one thing - that you can do this year to make forward movement. Maybe that's a skill to develop based on what you've learned you'll need for your end goal. Maybe it's taking action to find a new role. Write it down and put a date on it.
Then I'm going to give you one more step - share it with another. We need accountability. In his book, Atomic Habits, James Clear writes: "An accountability partner can create an immediate cost to inaction. We care deeply about what others think of us, and we do not want others to have a lesser opinion of us." (p 210). Someone who will ask how it's going on a goal, especially if they are great about asking regularly, is a good friend to have. They can ask with genuine care and because we regard them highly, we'll likely want to avoid the feeling of "letting them down." Heck, I even care what my weight tracking buddy thinks about my weekly progress even if I don't know her. Somehow I care that she'll think I'm not taking this seriously or judge me for not shedding a pound or two.
Word of the Year
If you're not so much into goal setting, I get it. I too prefer a more fluid goal-setting process. I really like choosing a word of the year that captures what I'd like to develop / do better / focus on / do more of for the year, personally and professionally. But, I also pinpoint a goal to move my career or personal development forward.
Would you like some help setting a word of the year? I have a worksheet just for you! Sign-up for our newsletter here, I'll share the worksheet with you.
This is the Year
Make this the year that you set a goal and make progress - significant or not, any progress is a step in the right direction. Utilize the momentum at the beginning of the year to set a direction and plan for a forward step each month. Give it a date. Make it SMART (here's a good refresher from Indeed.com on SMART goals). It should be stretchy, but realistic. And I'll say it again, write it down. Then post it in your planner, on your mirror or somewhere you'll see it daily. Keep it top of mind so that it's rolling around in the back of your mind all the time. I bet you'll find plenty of opportunities unfold this year to develop, practice or work on your goal once you have it clarified.
I'm already looking forward to celebrating with you at the end of the year to see what you've accomplished!
This is the time: Dream BIG for yourself + then set a realistic goal. I'd love to hear where you're headed. Take a minute to post and let us know what you're tackling.
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