New Year, New Goals. Crafting Professional Goals for the New Year.

Crafting Professional Goals for a Growth Mindset in the New Year

Happy New Year!

It’s time again for contemplative self reflection and future “next steps” planning. Setting sights on professional growth and achievement, here are three actionable tips to help define compelling professional goals for the new year:

1. Feed the Fire

Professional goals such as "get a promotion" or "be more productive," are overly generic. Do they actually motivate you to dig deeper or bore you to read? What truly ignites your professional fire? What skills do you yearn to develop? What projects would motivate you to jump out of bed each morning with enthusiasm? Do these include opportunities to master a new technologies, demonstrate leadership, or tackle an industry challenge? Once you identify your passions and motivators, goals become less like chores and more like quests, fueling your drive throughout the year.

"To be successful, you have to have your heart in your business, and your business in your heart." — Thomas Watson, Sr.

2. SMARTer Goals

Pure passion just isn't enough. The S.M.A.R.T. framework turns ideas and dreams into reality.

• Specific: Get targeted and specific about what you’re going to attain.. Instead of, "improve communication," define what that means for you. What action(s) can you take – join a public speaking club, give presentations at meetings, or complete training.
• Measurable: Set quantifiable milestones and metrics than can be measured and reported. Unfortunately, "being awesome" isn't measurable but complete two public presentations by the end of Q2 and increasing audience engagement by 10% is.
• Attainable: There’s nothing worse than being held to unrealistic and unattainable goals. It can be a brutal experience. Set ambitious goals that challenge but remain realistic. Stretch your abilities but goals should remain achievable with dedication and effort.
• Relevant: Your goals should align with overall career aspirations. Learning coding might be exciting, but if your future career path is in non-technical management, it might not be the best use of your time. Developing technical leadership and project management skills may be a better focus.
• Timely: Set deadlines! "Someday" and “sometime” is a recipe for procrastination. Achieve goals by specific dates, creating a sense of urgency and focus to the timeline.

"I don't focus on what I'm up against. I focus on my goals and try to ignore the rest." — Venus Williams

3. Accountability

Build your support system. Who holds you accountable? Your peers? Your leaders? To a point, you can hold yourself accountable, but don't go it alone. Share your goals with trusted colleagues, mentors, or even a dedicated accountability partner. Their encouragement can keep you on track and focused. Additionally, collaborate with others who share similar goals. Partnering on projects can provide invaluable support, resources, and even friendly competition.

"Ninety-nine percent of all failures come from people who have a habit of making excuses." – George Washington Carver

Growth Mindset

An annual goal setting exercise is a great way to hone your growth mindset. Remember, goals are a part of a journey that adapt over time, not immovable destinations. Be flexible. With your passion, a S.M.A.R.T. approach, and accountability, you'll achieve remarkable things in the year ahead.

"Not realizing what you want is a problem of knowledge. Not pursuing what you want is a problem of motivation. Not achieving what you want is a problem of persistence." – John C. Maxwell