Setting goals is essential to advancing your career and feeling fulfilled at your job. In this article, you’d learn to break your career goals into simpler bits of easily achievable milestones toward the overarching objective.
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So you have a career and aspire to make your way up the corporate ladder — to become a manager someday and possibly, a top management executive. To make this lofty dream of yours a reality in the shortest possible time, you’d have to break up your career goals into a bunch of smaller objectives. You can set small/simple, and time-bound career milestones and as you achieve them, the closer you get to actualizing your professional goals.
Generally, a rule of thumb for achieving goals is by adopting the SMART framework. You have to set goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely. To attain your goals, they must be specific and clear, achievable within a specified space of time. People set far-fetched and unpragmatic goals that don’t, by any stretch, appear attainable.
Others don't give their goals an actualization date. It is vital to set time-bound goals toward making their actualization possible. Create an action plan that clearly states what goals need attainment and a deadline to make it a reality. Goals that are not measured may never be achieved.
How to break down your career goals and achieve them
Pursuant to the S.M.A.R.T framework, your career goals should be:
Specific. You need to decide what exactly you want to achieve in precise terms. The essence is to define one particular goal at a time to work towards its attainment.
Example: I want to complete a professional course and get certified by January 2023.
Actionable. Think about what you can do to achieve your goal.
Example: To achieve my goal of building better relationships with higher-ups, I will participate in my company’s mentorship program.
Measurable. Find a metric that would clearly demonstrate success. This could be a sales target, the amount of time you will dedicate to a goal, or the amount of money you want to earn.
Example: To achieve my goal of increasing the number of clients we have, I will set up three meetings a week with existing clients to talk about referrals.
Realistic. Don’t go overboard. The idea is to be able to achieve the goals you set. You should be able to visualize how you will complete them.
Example: To achieve my goal of being promoted, I will work with my manager to build out a two-year timeline.
A step-by-step plan for achieving your career goals
The goal-setting process is crucial. For you to get results, you have to follow and commit to this process. It might be difficult to achieve a goal without practical strategies. Before you set a goal, you need to assess your previous objectives, overcome procrastination, reassess and understand your success and failure models. The steps outlined below are important to making your career goals a reality:
1. Having no accountability partner
One of the reasons people don't achieve their goals is not having someone to be accountable to and not getting encouragement when they are slipping on their goals. You need to have someone to routinely check in on your progress, motivate, propel and give you that extra push of support when you need it. Lastly, you have to be courageous enough to approach people who can guide you on your trajectory.
2. Setting too many goals at once
You cannot set too many goals and expect to achieve them all at once. Prioritize. What is the most important goal that you need to achieve right now? Make a priority list and follow it to achieve your goals. Every career person wants to be a success. However, only a few practice the fundamentals of achieving career success. No matter your career path, there are critical goal-setting guidelines you have to follow to achieve career success.
Write down your career goals
The benefit of writing down your goals can never be over-emphasized. Writing down your goals has proven to have a psychological effect in making one spring into the actions required to achieve set goals. Goal clarity comes from writing down your goals; it helps you become more effective in your chosen career field. When you don’t clearly outline goals, they become unstable and could depreciate over time. Writing your goals engages your mind and attitude, and more importantly, it empowers you to create that successful career you have envisioned for yourself.
1. Set realistic goals
Set goals you know you can accomplish within a stipulated time; goals you can achieve. Make sure your goals are compatible with your strength and career skills. Also, look at your current environment, situation, and how you have fared generally in the last couple of years; use this as a yardstick to set realistic goals for yourself in 2022.
2. Let your goals be specific
Everybody wants to make a ton of money in the course of their career, but stating the specific amount of money you intend making, makes the "Money Goal" valid. When you outline the results you plan to achieve from your goals, it validates your goals and makes them measurable. Do not set vague goals; you cannot be better in 2022 if you do not precisely state what you want to achieve. Set a date to accomplish your career goals: Despite writing down your career goals for 2022, you need a specific date to attain that goal. Be specific; do not say: "I want to get certified in 2022." It should be: "I want to get certified on or before October 31, 2022." Put a date to your career goals to make them a reality.
In conclusion, you need to break down your goals to avoid having a hard time achieving them. If you follow the above guidelines, you’ll be equipped with the right setup for making your career goals a reality.
