Page 10 - Planning And Prioritizing Time Management Manual

and other educational opportunities to your goal list, because continued learning is critical to

your ability to expand your responsibilities and get promoted.

If you would like to move into a VP or a C-suite role in the future, consider looking at rotations in
other departments. The knowledge of how different parts of the company fit together will prove
useful and may set you apart from competing candidates.

Finally, if you see yourself growing into a management or client-facing role, Toastmasters is a
fantastic way to sharpen your public speaking skills.

6. Get clarity on what goal achievement would look like.

You know the basics: a good workplace goal is specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and
time-bound. Go beyond those basics and visualize what goal achievement would look like. Would
it make a particular project flow easier? Would it allow the team to work together more
effectively? The image of a goal achieved will keep you motivated.

7. Schedule periodic check-ins.

The act of setting work goals is not limited to one conversation at the start of the performance
period. Any plan must be flexible in order to retain its usefulness, and professional goals are no
different. Sit down with your manager to talk about status and progress throughout the year.
These conversations can be formal and regular (at the end of every quarter) or more ad-hoc. No
matter which frequency you choose, the important thing is to keep the communication channel
open, so that your goal plan can adapt to reflect today’s reality and priorities.

8. Ask for support if you need it.

Superstar performers in sports and at work don’t have to do it alone. Moreover, they know that
they can achieve more and do it quicker with the help of a mentor or a coach. If you wanted to
get better at golf, you would probably hire an instructor who would help you improve your
swing. Your career is no different. Look for allies, both within your company and outside of it, and
build a network of professionals who care about your success. Talk to them, ask for advice and
listen carefully.

9. Do a periodic comparison of your annual goals with your to-do list.

Setting goals at work is great for mapping out big-picture targets and wins for the year. The
unfortunate reality is that fire-drills and urgent reassignments can make it difficult to focus on the

things that everyone had agreed were important. Continued professional education is a good
example. Everyone knows it is valuable for your expertise and proficiency. It is also a requirement
for retaining many professional certifications and licenses. However, continued education so
often falls by the wayside because of client demands, deadlines and last-minute assignments. If

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