We are all sitting somewhere on a metaphorical bar chart.  Each aspect of our life is a bar, imagine – spiritual life, emotional life, our personal relationships, our social life, professional life and career – and we are at different levels on each bar. Not everything goes swimmingly all the time – that is fine, and to some extent expected.   In this article, I want to just talk about goal setting for professional purposes.

January is coming – and again, there is that opportunity to consider our professional plans for the next twelve months. A core life skill is setting a goal and sticking to it.  (Don’t regard it as a fixed thing, though – be prepared to change the goal itself, if that is what the environment or a sudden change in executive capacity demands. That is worth saying before we even start.)

As we’re just over a week away from 2023, now is a great time to start preparing if you haven’t already.

So, how can you prepare for the New Year?

1. Set your goals or targets

Goal setting can improve your organisation, motivation, and increase the likelihood of achieving your goals.

Setting goals is something that most people do each January – there’s much literature about people resolving to reduce common habits such as smoking – the NHS site has a whole section on Living Well. Not denying that personal care is and should be everyone’s first priority. 

However, it’s important to set professional resolutions too. This time next year, what do you want to have achieved, professionally speaking?

Setting SMART Goals or Targets

We keep hearing this – but what does it mean, really?

In this diagram, we look at the nitty gritty.

(Please don’t write to me to say that the ‘w’ on the word ‘where’ is missing!! I have noticed that often, and now I leave it in, just to be perverse!).

It’s worth taking a bit of time now, because that will reduce the feeling of disappointment if things don’t work out the way you initially envisioned.   Documenting the process of setting these goals in some way is also useful. 

I often find that I don’t quite recall why I decided something 6 months ago.  Having a record of the process helps. 

And that bit in the diagram about reviewing your targets is really important.  Keep in mind that goals, in this environment of uncertainty, cannot but change.

2. Freshen up your public profile

 Going into the new year, it’s important to consider your place in the market amidst your competition. Go over your paperwork – and your internet profile.  How do you look?  Get a friend to comment on this.

Is this (still) how you wish to appear?

I find myself asking - What do I offer to an organisation or an individual which is of value to them?

Tangible, or intangible? Core or peripheral? Test out your offerings.

Am I using LinkedIn to portray myself in the best possible light? (The answer in my case is no, not really, because my focus has changed.)

Here is a summary of how the different aspects of the LinkedIn algorithm actually work.

It makes for interesting reading.  It is actually almost 2 hours work to assimilate just this, and come up with a set of actions to take on LinkedIn.  Don’t skimp on the time, if you want to do this well.

3. Jot down a practical action plan – and place it on your desktop

Setting your goals for 2023 is a great start – but how are you going to get there?

Approximately 93 percent of people cannot turn the goals they have set into action, I read somewhere – and it is no surprise.  Setting out grand goals is fine – but setting out small steps of action is the crucial step between creating concentrated focus, and a rapid diffusion of interest in and engagement with your own ‘goals’ document.

Avoiding being overwhelmed

It is easy to get overwhelmed at what you set yourself out to do .  It all looks too big, all too often.  So, before you even start, decide to make a parallel note of what each goal means in terms of action. If it starts looking too big, maybe it does not qualify as a smart goal, because you already know that it is not achievable.

Make a list of the tasks and activities you must do to achieve each bit of the goals you have set.

The word ‘specific’ comes into its own at this stage

o   outline the exact steps you need to take in order to achieve a task

o   decide what collateral you may need, and what you will do to line these up

o   what deadlines do you have in mind?

I always put in a checkbox, for when when it is done. That sharp sense of joy, as I tick off a box is something I find difficult to let go of.

No separate checklist

Your action plan then becomes your checklist to ensure you’re meeting your objectives and working towards your overall goal – step by little step.  I wrote about doing things in small steps once, about changing habits.  The same principle applies.

The biggest plus about creating an action plan is that you have put some time aside to think it all through. 

It gives you a chance to set down where the twists and turns on your road are, and because you have anticipated it, you will most likely avoid the overwhelming feeling of stress that often comes with taking actions on plans.

But don’t look away from it – do set some time aside and put pen to paper. 

An open foolscap notebook works for me.  A goal on the left, broken down bite-sized actions on the right.

One of mine is to set up a new account on stck.me for my business partner, and upload his articles and books to it myself. I haven't been able to get him to move by himself.

Let’s see where I get with this. 

Start small.  It’s the only way I can do it. 😊