
The act of setting work goals is not limited to one conversation at the start of the performance period. Would it make a particular project flow easier? Would it allow the team to work together more effectively? The image of a goal achieved will keep you motivated. Go beyond those basics and visualize what goal achievement would look like. You know the basics: A good workplace goal is specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. Get clarity on what goal achievement would look like Related: Set Goals That Really Matter for Your Career 6. The knowledge of how different parts of the company fit together will prove useful and may set you apart from competing candidates.įinally, if you see yourself growing into a management or client-facing role, Toastmasters is a fantastic way to sharpen your public speaking skills. If you would like to move into a VP or a C-suite role in the future, consider looking at rotations in other departments.
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Add professional seminars and other educational opportunities to your goal list, because continued learning is critical to your ability to expand your responsibilities and get promoted. Your growth as a professional is bigger than productivity and proficiency at your desk! Career progression often requires a broad scope of skills and experiences. Go beyond immediate tasks and think of the big picture What is your ideal next professional role? What qualifications and skills do you need to qualify? Which success stories will make you a suitable and impressive candidate? Line up your personal goals for work in a way that allows you to gather those accomplishments and learn the skills. Think about your career path in the long run It is smart to have a plan to coordinate the month-end close with other departments, remind them of the deadline and keep the communication lines open - but you must have a plan and an accountability agreement in the event they fail to deliver. Success will depend on the skill and collaboration of your accounting department (something you can contribute to and control), and on the ability of other departments to deliver critical data on time (something that is out of your control). Let's say you set a goal to shorten the month-end close timeline by two business days. Imagine that you are a supervisor within an accounting department in a hospital. Be clear on the distinction, and have a plan for what to do if the out-of-your-control factors don't line up. Focus on what you can control and have a plan for the restįor every workplace goal, there are factors you can control and factors that are out of your hands. Having a frank conversation about how you can support your boss will go a long way towards defining your workplace goals. Think of it as an opportunity to be of service. No matter what your job description says, your job is really all about making your manager's life easier. What can you do to make their job easier and make them look good? Get the mapping right, and you will be able to identify specific and measurable things you can do better to help processes and projects run smoother. In a practical sense, every team serves as a supporting unit and a consumer of support at the same time. Get clarity on your team's structureįirst things first - you must understand the functions and interrelationships of your team in order to set workplace goals that will make your team more productive and helpful to the rest of the organization. Here are 10 things to keep in mind before setting goals at work and filling out that goal sheet. If your manager genuinely understands the power of goal alignment and setting and achieving goals, you have a great opportunity to use the conversation working towards your career growth. The good news is that even if you work for someone who approaches the annual goal-setting session as a necessary evil, there are things you can do to get some value out of it. Otherwise, goal-setting is just a rote, check-the-box exercise.Īn additional complication is that certain companies (and managers) are better at helping their employees set and achieve work goals than others. On the other hand, they must be your own. On one hand, your workplace goals must support the company mission. Setting goals at work is an interesting balancing act.
