Chapter 8: Navigating career growth
Clarity reduces anxiety. Clarity leads to action. Set clear goals to move that action towards what you want.
Be strategic. Think short-term and long-term. What are the goals that will help you reach what you want?
Use the SMART framework.
Read through these tips and then set your top 3 goals.
Exercise:
Vision. What’s your long-term vision of what you want? For your career? For a project? For a relationship? For, anything? Get clear on this vision.
Break it down. What will it take to achieve this vision? What knowledge, skills, network, or experiences? What resources, such as time, money, people, etc.? What deliverables or milestones? Which actions?
Set SMART goals. Define specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound goals. You may have heard this before, but the more specific you are, establishing the definition for success, giving it a measurement, and assessing whether it’s attainable and realistic, and in what time frame, will empower you to achieve it.
Identify your top 3 goals to achieve your vision. Write them down. Make them visual. Share them with someone that can help hold you accountable. Block time on your calendar to do the work. Block time on your calendar for the specific milestones.
Track and monitor your goals. On a weekly or monthly basis, review where you’re at with your goals. What’s working and what needs to be improved. Modify your plans as needed.
Ask for help. If you need support in accomplishing a goal, ask for the help you need, it may be information, it may be support with completing an action, it may be an accountability partner, or something else. Ask for the help so you can increase your chances of achieving the goal.
Celebrate. When you achieve your goal(s), celebrate. Acknowledge what you did. Pat yourself on your back. Celebrate in a way that means something to you.