Setting Your Professional Development Goals

2017 is here and now you have an opportunity to hit "reset" and create new professional development goals. If you think back on missed opportunities last year, do not fret, God has allowed you to make it to this year and therefore take this gift and do something with it!

Many organizations offer free professional development opportunities through employee-centric learning management systems and often both private and government organizations provide limited funding for career and professional development. If you are are not sure about available training and training funds check with your local Human Resource point of contact.

I have personally witnessed a plethora of professional development opportunities being offered in my organization and yet employees fail to take advantage of the opportunities available to them but at the same time, annually they ask for "more training". And there are those employees, who consistently set professional development goals and achieve them.

What skills are you interested in developing? What new projects will you be tackling this year, and are you prepared? Will you be starting a new career? If so, are you prepared or are there parts of the job that will require you to stretch and grow? If you're accepting a new position, the goal is to accept a position that requires stretching and growing, otherwise what's the point of taking a new job when you could have stayed where you are if you were okay with knowing everything about the job!

When setting your professional development goals, consider using the SMART model.

Your goals should be:

S - Stretching & Specific

M - Measurable & Motivational

A - Achievable & Action-Oriented

R - Realistic & Rewarding

T - Timely & Trackable

To quote renowned American philosopher and writer Elbert Hubbard:

Many people fail in life, not for lack of ability or brains or even courage, but simply because they have never organised their energies around a goal.

If you are a supervisor/ manager, there is something powerful about showing interest in and discussing career and professional goals with your direct reports. It shows that not only do you take interest in their career progression, but that you simply care about them as as person. Talk to your employees and get to know their career aspirations, their motivations and their desires. You'll learn a lot and it will do wonders for their morale. You have to not only listen, but commit to supporting them whether it be through approving training funds, or opportunities to performing job rotation assignments for experience in other job areas. I personally feel that while each individual person is responsible for their own professional development and ultimately their careers, managers should be held accountable for the fostering, ongoing communication, guidance, counsel and support of employees on career development matters.

It's never to late to set goals. What are you waiting for? It's your career, own it!