 |
Career Goal Setting:
|
If your plan doesn't include career goals, then you might as well abandon it. Goal help you focus, they give you something to shoot for... and—when written correctly—they are a ruler against which to measure your career success.
But how do you go about writing career goals?
The First Step in Career Goal Setting
It's important to set short-term, incremental goals. Work up to larger, more complex goals in your career development plan later on. Never put yourself under the gun right from the get-go, or you'll just end up sabotaging your future career success. If you do... discouragement will be right at your doorstep. You’ll quit! Remember your New Year's resolutions?
Next, be sure to set incremental time frames. Short-range goals are very important. Begin the first month and increase a little bit each succeeding month. Don’t give up too early in the game... give yourself a chance to succeed.
Set up too big a goal and you know... nothing happens! Most of us throw in the towel rather than work slowly to the next plateau. Remember all those BIG goals in the past... how long did they last?
Career Goal Setting Tip #2: Small Bites
Shoot for achieving career success in small bites. As you move step-by-step through your career development plan, your confidence builds. If you fall down... get back up. Miss the target and make the correction. Go back again with renewed enthusiasm and determination.
Your motivation can fall away in small bites, too. Don’t lose heart in what you are trying to accomplish. Set a daily time to reflect on your goals and each day's accomplishments.
Keep Your Career Goal Setting Reasonable
Are your goals reasonable? Is your career development plan reasonable? Many times, we are not reasonable in setting goal limits. We seem to think more is always better. While, it is OK to stretch, do you really expect to achieve total career success on the very first day? Of course not!
Career Goal Setting Should Also Be Reachable
Forget about being a superstar for now. Dreams are great, and they have their place in your career development plan, but don't shoot for the moon, unless you're sure you can get there with hard work, determination, and maybe a little luck. If the dream is impossible, you'll only end up frustrated in the end.
Career Goal Setting Is All About Decisions
Big ones. Little ones. Everyday we are making decisions. Some are very important and can even be life threatening. Others make little difference over the long haul. Do you live by the rule - "don’t sweat the small stuff and believe that EVERYTHING is small stuff"? I like that one! Not a bad philosophy either.
Why is life such a challenge? You would not like it any other way. Sports (football, baseball, basketball, hockey, and soccer) are all competitive. Players are challenged to win and thrive on the competition. Business is a challenge too. Trying to beat the odds and increasing profits every quarter. Achieving that next promotion or getting that next pay raise.
In many parts of the world, there are NO challenges. No jobs. No opportunities to earn a decent living. Poor conditions are rampant everywhere.
In America and other parts of the world, there is prosperity and growth in the marketplace. Challenge brings out the best in us. Our competitive nature rises to higher levels. Our goal is to win. A win/win goal is even better.
When you're working on career goal setting, remember that specific, measurable, and achievable goals must be in place to move your career to the next level... to fully implement that all-important career development plan and ultimately to achieve the career success you crave.
You must challenge yourself or you will not grow and exceed the expectations set before you.
ACTION TIP: Set reasonable and reachable goals for your personal life and for your career. Don’t expect to reach the moon in a Piper Cub.
Begin at your level to work on career goal setting and your career development plan for the NOW. What you do today will have an impact on your career success tomorrow.
Top of Career Goal Setting Page
