 ...
who never wants to be bored on the job.
...who wants focus in his or her professional career.
...who wants to excel in the administrative support profession.
If you meet any OR all of those three criteria, you're ready to learn about
goal setting. It's a trite short phrase. But if set and implemented correctly,
goals are what will give you satisfaction on the job. Professional goals
are the reason you will not just get out of bed to go to work but rather
the reason you will get out of bed to go to work "with eager anticipation".
Really!
"Setting and achieving career goals is a key requirement to career satisfaction," confirms
Debra Behler, owner of Kick Start Careers in Fort Thomas, Kentucky. A former
20-year administrative support professional, Behler now coaches administrative
professionals in resume and career techniques (www.kickstartcareers.com).
Develop an Attitude
Get excited about goal setting. Don't dread goals or the goal setting process.
It's all about attitude and perception. Perceive goals as simply new challenges
and adventures that will keep you from getting bored on the job.
And when you succeed in completing a goal, you'll find it personally satisfying
to say "I did it"---even if it's just to your spouse, a friend
or yourself. And every time you complete a goal, you'll feel more serene
internally too because goal completion boosts your self-confidence (and
even your self-esteem sometimes).
Develop the Right Goals
So just what type of goal gives you this "high"? Well, it's not
necessarily the kind of goal completion whereas your boss says "I
want the xyz project draft completed in two days." Sure that's a goal.
And you have to set specific objectives to meet it. And if you complete
it on time in two days, your reward is you get to go home on time (and
keep your job for another day). But completing the xyz project draft for
your boss is a specific project goal.
The goals that are going to give you the warm, fuzzy feeling (and possibly
the chance for advancement in your career) are of a different sort (not
necessarily project goals though meeting those is important too in order
to retain your job). Here are several goals that Behler suggests will keep
you progressing in your career:
 Earn
a certification relevant to your field, such as CPS, CAP or MOUS.
Earn
a college degree. Investigate applying any CPS, CAP and CEU credits toward
that degree. [And don't use age as an excuse if you're not freshly graduated
from high school; these days the nontraditional age student is fast becoming
the traditional college student.]
Assume
a leadership role in an organization on a work team. For instance, have
you ever considered joining and participating in the International Association
of Administrative Professionals (www.iaap-hq.org)?
Become
bilingual. For example, learning Spanish could make you indispensable in
your current or next job if many customers or employees there only speak
Spanish.
Find
a mentor. Then meet with him or her bimonthly to discuss your career development.
[And as you learn, reach out to take on the leadership role of mentoring
someone else.]
Revamp
your image, literally. An image consultant can advise you whether or not
you look the part of a contemporary business professional and if not, how
to look more so. A professional appearance speaks volumes on the job.
Meet
X number of people annually that you normally wouldn't encounter. How?
Attend a Chamber of Commerce or other business organization networking
event. [Some of these people even could be your next boss or mentor.]
Attend
at least six conferences, seminars or dinners with a keynote speaker whom
you admire professionally.
Enhance
your presentation skills. One way to do this is by joining Toastmasters
International (www.toastmasters.org). Presentation skills help you to communicate
better with others, whether as team leader or project manager.
Update
your resume (at least annually). You'll be prepared if a new career opportunity
presents itself.
If any goal stated above fits into your professional (or personal) development
scheme, grab it and run with it. But feel free to add other goals to that
list too. For instance, your goal may be related to how much money you'd
like to earn over the next five years or where you'd like to be standing
(or seated) literally in three years. This is YOUR goal list. Take ownership.
Now for the Hard Part
Goal setting is the easy part. Were you one of the many who stood up in
elementary school and
 |
| More than a third of all adults hit their
alarm clock's "snooze" button each morning — an average
of three times before they get up. |
responded to the teacher's question about your future career with a response
such as "I'm going to be president of the United States" or "I'm
going to be a millionaire"?
If you were, you're not alone in that response or that unmet goal. Again,
goal setting is the easy part. It provides you with a chance to dream and
visualize about what you want to be or know or do in life. But you've got
to have a plan (objectives or small specific steps) that enables you to
meet the goal. So do a big brain-dump with your initial goals. But then
apply yourself to setting and meeting your ultimate goals. Here's how:
STEP 1: Develop a professional goal that you can control. "Goals
should be 'SMART'--specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and trackable," Behler
says.
STEP 2: Put it in writing. "A goal not written down is just
a dream," Behler says. "Unless you clarify what it is that you
want to achieve, it remains kind of nebulous. You don't think about the
steps that you need to take to prepare for that goal. For example, saying
'I want to be promoted to executive assistant' or 'I want to get my degree
so I can move into management' won't help you see what needs to be done
to get there."
STEP 3: Make a timetable for your goal. "For example, 'I
want to get a college degree someday' becomes 'I want to get a college
degree within the first six months of year 2006,'" Behler explains.
STEP 4: Break your goal into manageable bites [objectives]. For
earning a college degree in 2006, a bite might be "I will investigate
the requirements for attending two local colleges and one Web-based college
to help me make an informed decision about where I want to earn my degree," Behler
says.
STEP 5: Review your progress. Earlier, you made a timetable on
a spreadsheet (or just wrote a list on paper). Where should you be in three
months toward earning that degree? And now it's three months later; have
you even registered for classes? A timetable that includes your goal, objectives
and actual progress enables you to track and see if and how you've advanced
toward achieving that goal, Behler explains.
STEP 6: Share your goal with others as suitable. Telling someone
about your goal may provide you with accountability (just as writing your
goal on paper made it real and concrete). If you've got a friend or mentor
who will prod you periodically [hold you accountable in meeting your goal],
that's great, says Behler. But if you just have a friend or mentor who
says "gee, that's a great goal," move onward, she advises. That's
a nice and supportive response but not helpful in the long run. You want
someone who will occasionally ask "what have you done toward your
goal?" says Behler. And you don't want anyone not in your camp, she
warns. Not everyone wants you to succeed, even if their intent is not malicious.
Don't choose to share your goals with a naysayer or skeptic (even if you're
related to them).
When do you set Goals?
Now. Year round. Goals don't have to be set and ready on January 1. Goal
setting should be a flexible plan. If you miss a goal, start again. Every
day is a new day. If your plan (objectives) isn't working, regroup, rethink
and revise it. It's okay.
And don't be surprised if when you start reaching some of your goals, heads
turn and associates try to pinpoint why you seem different to them. When
you meet goals that enhance your professional (or personal) development,
it shows from the inside out.
About the Author
© 2005 Karen Fritscher-Porter
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Help With Staying Focused on Your Goals Here. Free Trial Period.
Karen Fritscher-Porter is the publisher and editor of The Effective Admin,
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practical tips to advance their career and simplify their daily job duties.
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