The HARD Question…..am I Achieving My Career Goals?

When setting goals, people try to ensure that they are setting SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Timebound). While it is good to focus on what to do, it is also important to focus on what NOT to do when setting goals. Have you ever considered that there is actually a wrong way to set goals? If you are not attaining your goals, or if you are not happy after attaining your goals, perhaps you are setting goals the wrong way.

Jennifer approached the Wilbanks Consulting Group (WCG) after she realized her career goals weren’t being met. After a few coaching sessions, she quickly realized that the goals she had set for her career, as well as her personal life, were actually not the right goals for her to pursue. Read more to find out what she was doing incorrectly when setting her career goals, and what YOU can do to ensure you don’t make that same mistake.

Setting Goals for Success

Setting goals is an important part of success. In fact, there is a famous quote from Zig Zigler that says “if you aim at nothing, you will hit it everytime.” Goal-setting is a normal part of life, whether it involves setting a daily goal to accomplish certain tasks, or a life goal to achieve certain ambitions.

I’m sure you know that there is a right way to set goals. Since goal-setting is such an integrated part of our lives, many people spend time researching the correct way to set goals. And while there are many different thoughts on the perfect way to approach goal-setting, most often the experts agree that goals should be SMART. This means that they should be specific, as opposed to ambiguous, and measurable. If you can’t measure your goal, you won't be able to determine if you have met it. They should also be attainable - you don’t want to set goals that are too lofty, or you will lose the confidence needed to achieve them. Finally, your goals should be actionable and time-bound (they need a due date).

While you have likely considered these factors in setting goals, have you considered that there are things to avoid when setting goals? Especially as you consider your career goals, you want to make sure that you don’t fall into the pitfalls of incorrect goal setting.

What to Avoid when Setting Career Goals

Goal-setting is important, whether you are setting personal goals or career goals. While not specifically focused on career goals, Full Focus has detailed 10 mistakes people make when setting goals. These include:

Not writing down goals
Creating too many goals
Setting goals for only one area of life (e.g., focus only on career)
Not ensuring goals are specific
Not making goals measurable
Forgetting to set a due date (e.g., not making goals time-bound)
Not keeping goals visible
Not creating stretch goals
Not ensuring goals are personally compelling
Not including the “next step” to achieve goals

While this list is focused on mistakes made for any type of goal creation, it definitely rings true with career goals. Some of these “mistakes” are focused on failing to create SMART goals , but the author also details many other mishaps to avoid when setting goals. For instance, if one lacks to write down the goal, it just exists as a “wish.” And if too many goals are set, it becomes overwhelming to focus and achieve any of the goals.

How Personal Goals Support Professional Goals And Vice Versa

When setting goals, consider that our careers are just one part of our lives, and thus our career goals should be inclusive of our entire lives. This means consider family commitments, personal desires, and financial obligations when setting career goals. If you set lofty career goals that will take you away from your children if achieved, will you ultimately be happy that you achieved your goal? Or if you set career goals that bring “happiness” while ignoring financial obligations, will you endure extra stress?

After setting career goals, don’t just keep them tucked away in a drawer. It is important to keep them visible - make sure that they are in a prominent place where you will take notice and continually assess how you are progressing toward them. Also ensure that you are stretching yourself (without setting unattainable goals), so that you are developing additional skills and growing as an individual.

Individuals who do not ensure their goals are personally compelling will not choose to progress them. They need a vested interest to ensure the goal is met. And finally, by setting goals without specific steps to achieve the goal, it is likely the goal will not be met. Take the time to determine what should be done to achieve the goal.

Keeping Your Goals Specific, Yet Flexible

While this is all practical advice, Forbes also gives specific advice for career goals. Many people set goals that are too rigid, so make sure that you are cautious about setting inflexible career goals. The more rigid your career goals, the more you stifle creativity and flexibility. You might miss out on the perfect opportunity because it does not align with your career goals. You might also increase your stress and anxiety levels because you are so focused on achieving one goal or path. It could even stifle your career path or your networking opportunities because your focus is too rigid and narrow.

We have all heard that a well executed plan often produces the desired results. And a well executed plan starts with a strategy. When setting your career goals, think holistically about your career strategy. Spend the time to develop the correct career goals to help produce the desired results.

Moving Forward…

As mentioned earlier, Jennifer reached out to WCG when she realized she wasn’t attaining her career goals. She quickly realized that she had developed SMART goals, but they weren’t balanced with her personal goals. Every time she tried to advance her career goals, her personal goals of balancing her family life were compromised. Through focused coaching, Jennifer reassessed and set more balanced goals that provided career success with family focus.

If you need help setting your career goals, reach out to the experts at the Wilbanks Consulting Group. Whether you are looking for a new job and need help establishing a Job Search Strategy (complete with realistic goals!), or you are simply in need of personal and/or Leadership Development coaching and goal setting, we are ready to partner with you! Reach out today for a free 30-minute consultation, and let’s discuss your career goals.

The WRONG way to set Career Goals!