What do you do if your goals don't align with your boss's expectations?

Most of the time there is a hard or soft skill gap when you are misaligned with your boss. So you initiate a discussion to evaluate appropriate coaching, training or mentorship to plug this gap. In some other cases, it is a misunderstanding which needs to be clarified. So you need to open up with your boss, preferably outside work area over a lunch or dinner and if your boss' time does not allow, over a drink or appropriate beverage. Majority of the time in my career, when similar situation arose, one of the two worked. Only few times it did not. So I moved on to a more suitable assignment matching my skills and temperament inside or outside the enterprise I was working for.

Flexibility and patience are crucial when aligning your personal goals with a boss's expectations. We must recognize that immediate alignment might not always be possible. By being adaptable and showing a willingness to support short-term projects, I've built trust and demonstrated my commitment. Over time, this approach can create opportunities for my long-term strategic interests to be integrated into my role. As I learned in the military, semper gumby (always flexible).

The best way to align with your manager is to work with them and identify the gaps and actions to bridge those gaps. It is essential to use data to confirm or disconfirm the gaps and to eliminate biases and anecdotal information.

Reflect on whether the misalignment is due to a temporary situation or a fundamental clash of values, in which case you should evaluate if your personal and professional goals align with the organization’s mission and culture. Assuming is not an issue of principles and values, try to match your and your boss's goals to create gap map that you can use to guide your alignment efforts.

Patience and perseverance. It's important to avoid falling into the trap of feeling "victimized" or "resentful". This is, after all, a business with multiple objectives, and it's not there to serve any single individual. You and your boss mutually need each other, so don't hold back on generating value for the business (and for your boss), even if it's at odds with your personal goals sometimes. No good deed goes unrewarded eventually. And by using your time and actions to learn new skills / hone existing skills, this will prepare you better for your next big leap.

Talking is essential, once you've a clear picture of what the gaps are, initiate an honest conversation with your boss. Share your perspective and listen to theirs. Seek commonalities and propose potential compromises.

As always, an open conversation can really help here. Discuss the gaps you observe and suggest how best you can add value. Be open to listen to your manager's perspective as well. You might need to adjust your expectations a little based on this conversation. However, a complete misalignment will be a red flag.

Exploring alternatives should not be considered solely as a means of overcoming challenges - it's about widening your own perspective! Beyond finding a new career elsewhere, exploring alternatives can provide fresh ideas and insights into your current situation. This broader view can help you discover win-win solutions for the apparent mismatch between your goals and your boss's expectations.

Sometimes the best alternative is change, consider lateral moves within the company, or explore opportunities elsewhere. Perhaps a change in role or organization can better align with your goals.

Define a long-term goal and plan to achieve it. Identify milestones and actions needed, align your daily tasks with these strategic goals.