Got Goals?: 3 Reasons Your Career Might Thank You if You Do
Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash
I used to love those "Got Milk?" commercials. Not because I drank a lot of milk, I didn't – I'm lactose intolerant, but because it asked you a question that caused you to think about your priorities. Are you getting enough calcium? How does calcium help you? What's milk's role in calcium. Is all of this helping you live a better life? In essence, it was about more than just milk; it was about analyzing your life and understanding if you were setting yourself up for success. That's a pretty profound way to start at 5 in the morning!
To be fair, I woke up this morning about an hour earlier than I wanted because I had an idea for an article. The article was on my mind because I had a list that I had written earlier in the week of things that I wanted to accomplish. There were about ten things that I wanted to complete this week. Naturally, I tried to complete everything on the list in one day, but alas, it was not to be! So here I am, four days later, trying to check the last item off of the list, which brings me back to the original point – setting goals. I realize that I'm a goal setter. I'm a list creator. I like checking boxes off. I'm not sure if I've always been this way or a habit that I developed over time. Whatever the case, in reflecting on why I'm out of bed, yawning, and trying to ensure that my "I's" aren't exclamation points, it hit me that setting goals is an essential step in managing your career.
Why do we have deadlines? By a show of hands, how many of you like it when your boss sends you an e-mail with a list of items to complete? "Bueller?" That reference probably dates me, but I'm relatively sure there weren't many hands raised. Just in case, let me check one more time. Do you get excited about leaving a meeting with eight more "to-dos" when the discussion's point was to eliminate one? I can't speak for everyone, but it's probably safe to say that no one looks forward to additional work, especially when the amount of work has to be completed in a short amount of time. Yet, it's what happens day after day in companies because it's effective. If I ask my kids to take out the trash while playing video games, there's a 1% chance it'll get done this decade. If I ask for it to be done today, the odds of completion go up quite a bit! We're given deadlines at work because they push us to accomplish the company's goals in a fairly scheduled manner. This has relevance in our careers as well.
How many of you have a career goal written down somewhere? It can be on a napkin, a Post-It Note, or an official document. In many of the development conversations I have with people I coach, the answer is, very few. Just like the goals and deadlines that companies help us drive company performance, so does setting personal career goals. Once you make your intentions known to the world, it has a way of creating action. If you write it down and tell and friend or co-worker, the odds go up further. And if you write it down, tell someone and give yourself a deadline, it's incredible how likely it is to get completed! Now, I'm not going to ask you to set a goal of where you want to be in five or ten years, though feel free to do this. No, I'm merely going to give you three reasons why I think that setting career goals will put you on a path to success. I can sum up the reasons in three words: intention, motivation, and inspiration.
Intention
Simply put, it's important to announce your career intentions. Make them known. You don't have to tell everyone, but it's good if you tell someone. Until you share your intentions, they're just ideas floating in your head. When you put them down on paper and then share them, it sets a starting point. That point is the moment that creates momentum.
When it comes to your career, it's a point of reflection. You get the chance to ask yourself questions about where you are going? Questions like:
What do I want to accomplish this year?
Where do I want my career to go?
Am I on the right path to achieving my goals?
Do I have any specific career goals?
Are my goals mine, or did I accept others' expectations? Am I okay with that?
Whatever the case, once you ask these questions, you get the chance to answer them, and that's where the fun begins! I say it's fun because you are in control! You have the opportunity to decide what you want to achieve. You can set outrageous and outlandish goals, or you can set up practical and milestone-based goals. Whatever the case, it's your decision. But, just like companies, it's important to set a goal, write it down, create a deadline. Doing so will create intentionality, and that will put the first step in place to achieve it. There is a famous Chinese proverb that reads, "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." When it comes to your career goals, I have found this to be very accurate.
Motivation
Once your goals are set, you get to start the process of achieving them – Yay! Well, you may not be that excited, but you've taken the first step, which is announcing your goals. You've shared them with at least one person. The more people you share them with, the better – in my opinion. I recently read an article indicating that couples who set workout goals are more likely to achieve them if they do the workouts together. It noted that it created accountability and motivation between the pair, which increased the likelihood of success. The reason to share your career goals with someone is not simply to have others help you hold yourself accountable, but it also invites others on your journey. Four years ago, I told my wife that I wanted to write a book. Along the way, I asked hundreds of people to join the journey with me, and it took many of those individuals to help make this goal a reality. I set the goal and wrote it, but so many people provided me with motivation, support, guidance, and feedback to make the dream a reality. Your career can work similarly. Find someone or several someones you trust who can give you advice, support, and motivation to help you achieve your career goals. I find it's important because we can all attest that some days are better than others. Some days it isn't easy to take that next step forward even if you are highly motivated. That's when having someone there to walk on your journey with you to help pick you up for those next few steps. And, you'll be surprised how many people will join the journey if you ask.
Inspiration
I find inspiration everywhere in the world. In a world of COVID, political divisiveness, and social awareness, it can be challenging to see the "forest through the trees" at times. However, if you take a step back, there are so many examples of positivity, growth, and encouragement. In your career, I find this to be an essential exercise – the step back. Too often, we set goals, put forth efforts to achieve them, and are motivated to achieve them, yet we don't achieve them in the timeline or manner in which we thought we would. It can be deflating at times, but that step back is important. When you take a moment to reflect and look around, you can see signs that point you in the direction and tell you to keep moving forward. Have you ever been driving on a trip, gotten lost, and frustrated? When you pull over to get your bearings, you look around and see that you are sitting amongst a grove of trees or in the mountains or looked up to see the clouds and realized how much beauty is around you? Your career works the same way. Sometimes you get frustrated, but when you look around, you see examples of others achieving their goals or blazing new paths forward, creating the inspiration you need to move forward. I sat in a Sales meeting and listened to a 23-year-old recently graduated student share with seasoned professionals his journey starting a multi-million dollar global business in a matter of a few years. I find that refreshing! It helps me realize that seemingly impossible things are possible, with goals, vision, timing, motivation, and maybe a little bit of luck, anything is possible!
I find these concepts; intention, motivation, and inspiration interchangeable in their personal and professional life application, but specifically, when it comes to your career, I've found them invaluable.
Now with that, good luck! Go forth and conquer! Drink lots of milk . . . or at least write that career goal!
Coach Ha-Keem
You’re Worth It!
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