Here is advice for setting meaningful work-related goals:
- Lean on your strengths
- Measure what is meaningful to you
- And aim to finish in 90 days, not a year
For example:
Alright, I’ll elaborate with an example. Say your goal is to increase your visibility with senior leaders. I can imagine at least four ways to do that.
- You can ask VPs with fascinating career paths to tell you their stories. Maybe you set-up coffee chats.
- Or you can help VPs you’re linked to in the org chart. Maybe you do some research for them.
- A third option is to participate in VP-led events like town halls and fireside chats. Maybe you send follow-up notes of your key take-aways.
- And lastly, you can engage with the company’s strategic plan. Maybe you recap meetings with ties to key objectives.
Four lenses:
We all navigate the world with 4 lenses:
- connecting with people
- understanding systems
- taking action, and
- reflecting on purpose.
One of these four will have a stronger energy to it. It will feel like your homebase. My advice when you are designing a goal, is to do it from your homebase.
I was awkward asking for lunch dates!
I remember seeing colleagues setting-up coffee chats and lunches with ease and charm.
I wondered what their secret was given how awkward my attempts were. When I finally inquired, I was surprised that they wondered how I became a “go to” who found key information with ease. We simply had different homebases.
When you pick how you’ll measure your progress to your goal, do it from your homebase.
Growth doesn’t need to be extra hard by picking a measure that feels daunting.
Do you want to measure: Conversations? Offers? Notes? Insights?
Pick one and go from there.
At your 90 day finish line, notice what you’ve accomplished. Learn from what was easy and what was hard.
And consider what advice you would give someone on day 1 of a similar goal.
TL:DR
- Any goal can be approached at least 4 ways.
- Pick the way that energizes you.
- And celebrate what you accomplish over 90 days.
