How to Set Goals for the Career You Want

Dec 2, 2020

 The new year is right around the corner, and for many people that means setting new goals, but have you considered setting new goals for your career? At the intersection of goal setting and productivity, you will find a successful career path that you can start down today. In today’s episode, Thom Singer is joined by author and executive consultant Dr. Mary Kelly to discuss how to plan your career, how to set goals, and how to move forward to execute those goals. She shares some of the reasons that planning your career goals can be difficult, how to combat the obstacles that are keeping you from the career you want and action items that will get you where you want to be, starting with just five minutes. 

 

On today’s podcast, you will learn about:

 

Common career planning mistakes 

• Too many people don’t focus on networking, which results in a limited understanding from others about what you do. 
• Keep your supervisors and peers up to date about the work that you are doing.
• It is your professional duty to communicate clearly with others about the work that you are doing.
• Take ownership of your career path by clearly defining your goals.
• Run a cost-benefit analysis of the work you are doing and what you want out of your career. 
• If you want to advance your career, stop thinking about yourself and start thinking about other people.

 

How to set the right career goals

• Identify the work that you want to do by shadowing leaders in your field. 
• Solicit constructive criticism and take action accordingly. 
• Make your boss a partner in your career path. 
• Delegate the work that you don’t need to be doing to free up more time to spend on strategic career planning. 
• Contact three people a month to solicit advice from the smart people in your network. 

 

How to meet your goals

• If you want to accomplish something, put it on your calendar, not your to-do list. 
• Identify the obstacles that might get in your way and brainstorm a solution for every obstacle.
• Set small action items that you know you will accomplish. 
• Review your efforts monthly and pinpoint the work that you still need to do to meet your goals. 
• Find people that you can be accountable to make a habit out of your goal. 
• Write down action items that you can cross off your list. 
• Organize your time and identify what you can accomplish in just five minutes. 

 

Do you have an example of extraordinary efforts or innovation during these unprecedented times? We would love to hear your story and possibly interview you for an upcoming episode. Please reach out to us at www.DigitalEnterpriseSociety.org

 

Productive Leaders 2021 Success