No one would argue that having career goals is important, but how to get there is another story. At PRIER, we strive to help all employees become all they are meant to be both inside and outside of PRIER. One of the ways we accomplish this is by helping employees establish and maintain career goals.
1. Determine the Big Picture Goal
It is important to discover your personal “why” for doing what you are doing. Knowing why you are personally working at what you do is vitally important for personal success and satisfaction in your position. This may be something as simple as providing for your family, or something as personal as your passion lies at the heart of what your company is doing.
When you are developing your goals, you have to start first with the big picture. This tends to be more of a long-term goal, or overall mission for why you are taking the smaller steps. For example, your big picture goal may be to become a nurse so that you can care for disadvantaged kids.
2. Make Mid-Range Goals
Now that you have a bigger long-term goal in mind, the next step is to break it down into smaller, more manageable pieces. Some long-term goals may take several years to accomplish, and some people may become discouraged at the length of time it can take to get there. In the meantime, accomplishing smaller goals on the way to the bigger goal can be equally satisfying and provide the drive and determination needed to keep going. The timeline for completing these goals should be about 1-2 years. For example, if your big picture goal is to become a nurse, your mid-range goal toward that big picture goal might be to graduate with a degree in nursing.
3. Make Short-Range Goals
The next step would be determining the day-to day tasks that need to be accomplished in order to get to the mid-range goals. For example, if one of your mid-range goals is to graduate with your AA degree in Nursing, your short-range goal should include applying to the school, registering for classes, and doing lots of homework.
4. Make them SMART!
All goals that you set should be SMART. SMART is an acronym by George T. Doran which stands for Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. If your goals follow these guidelines and you use the steps above, you should be well on your way to accomplishing anything!
We would love to hear what goals you are reaching for, or any other tips you might have on creating goals and sticking to them! Feel free to leave comments below.
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