Career advancement – Susan Ascher

Your Go-To Guide for Setting Business Goals

how to set business goals

Business goal setting is a necessity for growth. A recent study from Harvard Business School found that only 14% of the population actively set goals – and those 14% were 10 times more successful than those who did not set any. Based on this data, we can see that setting written business goals is essential for getting (or remaining) ahead of the competition. Like so many other things, approaching your business goals smartly can help set you up for success.

Make Your Goals SMART

We didn’t use the term “smartly” by coincidence. All goals – whether personal or business – should be “SMART” – specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-phased. In other words, all goals should be quantifiable and realistically accomplished within a certain time frame. Consider the two following examples:

“We want to leverage new technology to drive business success in 2020.”

Versus:

“We want to use our three social media channels to create campaigns that increase conversions by 30% by the second quarter of 2020.”

See the difference? The first goal doesn’t reference anything specific and provides little direction. The second one lays the groundwork for a viable business goal – the company wants to bring in new customers and plans to do that by funneling more money into social media campaigns in hopes of increasing conversions. This goal lends itself to the creation of objectives that will ultimately increase the likelihood of successfully accomplishing the goal.

Commit to Your Goals

Once you set a goal, make sure to commit! This looks a little different for every company – some put their plan in motion by holding weekly stakeholder meeting to assess progress, while other collaborate over virtual means like Slack. No matter which method you choose, it is important to begin promptly on the execution of the goals you choose. As you move along, you may find that your business goals or objectives need to be adjusted based on certain realities of the business landscape. If you find your original goals seem likely to fail on budgetary constraints or business demand, adjusting them should not be considered a failure.

Be Public About Your Goals

Another surefire way to maximize the success of your business goals is to make them public. Make the goal-setting process collaborative and invite several different team members from different departments to brainstorming and business-mapping sessions. Once you agree on goals together, disseminate information to the rest of the organization. This creates a level of accountability that can be motivating for managing, while increasing buy-in from multiple levels of your organization. The exact role others in your organization will play is up to you, but take steps to make sure that your organization’s goals are public.

Goal setting is an essential part of advancing your organizational mission. It is important, however, to exercise deliberation when creating goals as an organization. Use SMART goal -setting strategies in the creation and execution of your goals, and remember to get multiple levels of your organization involved. By following these tips, your business goals have a better chance of success.

Additional Resources:

How to Get Out of Your Career Rut

how to deal with a career rut

It doesn’t matter if you landed your dream job right out of school or worked ten years to get the promotion you’ve always wanted; everyone eventually suffers career burnout, and even the most exciting job in the world can turn into monotony over time. If your job feels more stressful than it used to or you’re starting to second-guess your career choice, you may be stuck in a career rut. Instead of uprooting your entire life, you are a few steps to get out of it more easily.

Step Outside Your Comfort Zone

Doing the same things the same way day after day will eventually bore anyone in virtually any job. Instead of sticking to your usual day-to-day routine, start looking for things to improve things in your working environment to streamline your processes and increase your comfort level at work, within reason. A few suggestions for shaking things up include:

Clean and reorganize your workspace. This isn’t just hygienic, it’s also good for your mental health. It can be interesting to change things up and rearrange your daily surroundings occasionally.
Get the right tools. How many days have you made do with the tools at hand because it was more convenient but ultimately less efficient? Take an inventory of what you have and what could be better, then make those changes.
Change your routine. If you do certain tasks in the morning, try working on them in the afternoon for a different perspective.
Ask for help from colleagues. Sometimes, we become too self-contained in our workplace. Asking for some help from others builds bridges in the workplace and can transform your workplace experience.
Keep up with technological changes. The digital workplace is changing all the time. If you use specific systems for specific tasks, consider whether better technology has replaced older systems.

Set New Goals and Create a Strategy to Achieve Them

Once you’ve considered these ways to shake things up, start thinking of new goals to set for yourself. These goals could pertain to specific work processes, personal goals, continuing education, or advancing your career in a new direction. In many cases, a career rut is just a career track waiting to happen; all it takes to start the process is motivation and dedication to making change happen. Outline action items, milestones, and a timeline for the goals you want to accomplish in your career, from single projects to yearly goals and career track advancement.

Look for Opportunities and Don’t Be Afraid to Take Risks

Stretching yourself is the best way to break out of a box if you’re starting to feel trapped by your career. Look for opportunities to show your skills and experience and don’t shy away from risks. Perhaps your company recently posted a job listing that was more of what you hoped to land when you accepted your current job. Even if you have doubts about your qualifications, apply anyway. It never hurts to try, and taking a leap like this could be incredibly rewarding in the long run.

Ask for Advice

There is no one answer for how to get out of a career rut. Almost everyone will eventually feel some type of burnout from work, and the key to overcoming it may be as simple as changing your perspective. Input from others can be incredibly helpful, too. Don’t be afraid to ask colleagues and supervisors for their advice. Friends and colleagues with similar jobs at other employers may offer useful tips, too. You may know someone with a position similar to yours who has experienced the same burnout, and a sympathetic ear can be just what you need to change your perspective and escape your career rut.

Additional resources:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ashiraprossack1/2018/12/22/career-rut/#78981453564a
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ashleystahl/2018/05/24/5steps-to-break-out-of-a-career-rut/#523a5fb3602e
https://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/articles/2017-07-17/stuck-in-a-career-rut-heres-how-to-make-your-next-move

Career Career advancement Career coaching Coaching

5 Essential Tips to Advance Your Career

nj career coach

In years past, an employee could start off on the bottom rung of a company, and through hard work and persistence, move up the ladder and eventually retire with a pension and a gold watch. Those sorts of jobs are now few and far between.

Companies employ head hunters to find great employees outside the company, and promotions are rarely based solely on seniority. To advance your career, you’re going to need to do more than just hang around with one company. Use these five tips to start taking action now to advance your career.

Set Career Goals

Deciding you want to advance your career is a start, but unless you move beyond vague ideas, it’s unlikely you will make much progress. Start off by setting concrete goals for what you want to accomplish in your career. Lay out a timeline that details not only the responsibilities you hope to take on, but also your salary expectations at that level. Be as specific as possible, but keep in mind the pace of change in today’s office. Try to spot where the best opportunities will be in the future.

Assess Strengths and Weaknesses

Once you know the path you need to take to advance your career, you need to take an objective look at what it will take to get you there. Friends can be a great source of encouragement, but you will need people who can give you unbiased feedback. Managers and supervisors can often help you assess your strengths and weaknesses, as well as provide valuable information on what it takes to move to the next level.

Don’t Neglect Soft Skills

career coaching in new jersey Obviously to advance your career, you will need the technical expertise to perform in the position. However, it pays to focus just as much on developing the soft skills needed in the profession. Soft skills include things like leadership skills, training in effective communication, time management skills, and team-working. Often it is not the most technically skilled that advances in a career, but the one who is best able to work with the team around them. Soft skills give you that advantage and will prove invaluable as you move to greater positions of responsibility.

Major in Networking

You’ve heard the cliché that it’s not what you know but who you know. As with most clichés, this is built on some truth. For most people, advancement will require moving from one company to another over time. The key to finding those opportunities is to have a solid network of people you stay in touch with regularly. Many people make the mistake of only developing their networks when they’re looking for new employment. Make networking a priority at all times so when it comes time to find new employment, you’ll already know where to look.

Find the Right Balance

Obsessively focusing on your career leads to tunnel vision and missed opportunities. Many of the most successful people are in very different positions today from their first, second, or even third career. Balancing work and life keeps you open to possibilities you might otherwise miss. Don’t be afraid to take a calculated risk to move in a different direction than what you envisioned when you created your goals.

Always remember that advancing in your career is not a matter of slavishly devoting yourself to a course set in stone, but a constant re-evaluation of where you are and where you want to be.

Additional Resources:
https://www.thebalance.com/soft-skills-for-managers-2275889
https://www.forbes.com/sites/northwesternmutual/2014/07/10/investing-in-your-life-7-simple-ways-to-advance-your-career/#570682ba5e4c
https://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2012/09/20/10-ways-to-advance-your-career-by-going-the-extra-mile
https://time.com/4752677/6-ways-advance-career/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2011/05/02/tips-from-the-trenches-five-ways-to-further-your-career/#653a10b22337