You want to take your career to the next level. How can you set realistic goals and timelines?

I am not a fan of the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) concept, contrary to the fact that it is a widely used goal setting scheme. I believe that SMART goals often lead to setting goals that are too narrow and short-term, ignoring the big picture or long-term planning. Strict adherence to SMART criteria mostly discourages taking risks or seeking innovative approaches. In addition, a focus on measurable results can overlook qualitative aspects of success, such as team cohesion or personal growth. While the SMART framework can provide a clear structure for setting goals, its effectiveness can vary depending on the context and how rigidly it is applied.

Setting realistic goals and timelines is paramount. Employing the SMART criteria offers an approach to goal-setting: Specific goals provide clarity, Measurable ones offer benchmarks, Achievable objectives ensure feasibility, Relevant targets align with aspirations, and Time-bound deadlines instill a sense of urgency. By adhering to these principles, one can craft actionable plans tailored to their career advancement, fostering focus, motivation, and ultimately, success. For instance, transforming a vague desire like "being a better leader" into a SMART goal like "completing a leadership program and applying for a managerial role within six months" brings clarity and actionable steps to the goal enhancing the likelihood of achievement.

Absolutely! Setting SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) is key. Break down your big-picture career vision into actionable steps with clear deadlines. This keeps you focused and motivated.

The 80/20 rule (Pareto principle) is important and similar to the Eishenhower Matrix, in that it helps identifies tasks that are important versus not important. You can be busy doing a lot but are you focusing on high value tasks or wasting time on things of low value and no importance such as excessive research or Netflix and time on social media. If you need to upskill and learn a new skill you may want to invest in courses rather than just a few videos and podcasts. Practicing your new skills as you go along will help you to master them. Getting a career coach will help elevate your career to the next level with their expert guidance, support and knowledge.

The Eisenhower matrix is a brilliant way to help proritise your tasks and help map out a plan that achieves your goals faster. Rather than simply writing a do-list write out your tasks in one of the four quadrants: 1. urgent and important 2. urgent but not important 3. not urgent but important 4. not urgent and not important You'll quickly discover that tasks in quadrants 3 and 4 can simply be eliminated, delegated or automated! Tasks in quadrant 2 are where you want to spend most of your time, before they become critical and move to quadrant 1. Getting accountability in managing these tasks from a coach / mentor will elevate your career fastfold.

Setting realistic timelines is helpful, however, what is realistic to one person is not to another. If you're seeking a career change then expecting it to happen overnight is probably unrealistic. Having smaller milestones to aim for will help keep motivation up. Find a tool that you can use to help you keep your goals forefront of mind. This can be as simple as having a few post stick notes visible to project management software to track your process. Remember to remain flexible and adaptable and enjoy the process. Celebrating successes along the way is important!

You can often do a lot more than you think in a year but a lot less than you think in a week. With this in mind, I like to think BIG while keeping expectations manageable. For where you're at right now, how can you invest in yourself to move up? Could you improve your training, education, smarts, or even your communication skills? Setting aggressive timelines is important but manageable with where you're currently at. I highly recommend writing down what you want to accomplish and by when. Deadlines are very important to staying action-oriented!

To elevate your career, setting realistic goals and timelines is key, but maintaining focus and motivation is equally crucial. However, identifying your purpose and vision is where you really need to spend some time to understand why these goals matter to you. Are your core values still in alignment with your career goals and aspirations. Define how they enhance your life and benefit others. Establish rewards for milestones to fuel motivation. Seek guidance and support from coaches/mentors, colleagues, and friends/family. Their feedback and encouragement can help you navigate challenges and stay committed to your path.

Taking Career to the next level requires a lot of planning, preparing & execution. And that definitely requires good clarity on what is the next level and why is it I would want that. There are many options in the market and many opportunities, But are all right for me? What do I see myself doing in the next level career? Is this next level career helping me in the long run? These are a few important questions to be asked and these could lead to numerous ideas. That's okay. Now to narrow down the ideas, I would use the 5/25 rule. Note the 25 things on your mind and highlight only the top 5 ideas. And move with it on planning. Once these ideas are completed, then move to the next 5.

We live in a fast-paced world. And often society wants results yesterday, not tomorrow. I think getting into something you're passionate about with a long-term vision is critical. I got into aviation flying helicopters at 18 and hit a ton of turbulence early on. My career goals that I thought would take a year or two took over a decade and more... Sometimes life has other plans than your own. Know that you can pivot and make changes on the fly. It may not go exactly as planned, but sticking to your priorities will help you get there faster!

To set realistic goals and timelines for advancing your career, as an expert coach, begin by reflecting on your long-term aspirations and breaking them down into specific, measurable objectives. Prioritize these goals based on their significance and relevance to your career trajectory, considering available resources and potential constraints. Develop a timeline with achievable milestones and deadlines, allowing flexibility for unforeseen circumstances. Regularly review and adjust your goals as needed to stay on track and ensure continued progress towards your career objectives.