Setting Career Goals: Taming the Monster
Filed by GoalEnforcer at 4:25 am on Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Setting a course
that leads you to, and through, a great career is one of the most
important tasks you will ever take on. The mileposts along that course
are the goals and objectives you set. Choosing the right ones is
clearly critical to your success.
Everyone wants
to be successful. But what is your definition of success? Is it only a
matter of making a lot of money? Does it also require spending your
working life doing things that matter to you, that you love, that
nourish your heart, mind, and soul? Several recent surveys of working
Americans (e.g., Taleo, 2/08) say essentially the same thing:
about six out of seven hate either their job, their boss, or both. Does
that sound like success to you? Think you’re stuck with it? If
you do, read on.
The popular view
in the developed world, and probably beyond, is that hard work at
something you may not enjoy is the key to success. The problem is that
it just doesn’t fit the facts. Here is some evidence to support
that assertion.
Srully Blotnick
did a study with 1,500 business school graduates, following up with
them 20 years later (from 1960 to 1980). In the beginning they
were each asked which of two career approaches they would use. Category
A (1,245 graduates, or 83%) advocated making money first so that they
could enjoy it later in life. Category B (255 graduates, or 17%)
favored doing what interested them most, what they loved, in the belief
that the money would follow.
In a follow-up
survey 20 years later they found that of the 1,500 participants, 101
became millionaires. Only one of them was from Category A. The other
hundred were from Category B. In other words, among those in the study,
those who did what they loved were 488 times more likely to become
millionaires within 20 years. It doesn’t get any clearer than
that.
The author of
the study observed that “the overwhelming majority of people who
have become wealthy have become so thanks to work they found profoundly
absorbing…Their ‘luck’ arose from the accidental
dedication they had to an area they enjoyed.”
Clearly it is
critically important to choose your goals well, and choose them on the
basis of what you are most passionate about. Start with one grand
vision. What would you just love to be doing by the end of your career?
Initially, forget how you are going to get there. An ounce of passion
is worth more than a ton of discipline, because you will do things for
your passion that you would never do by forcing yourself.
“Divide
and Conquer” is a well established and successful method used by
the business and technical communities. It means that any project, no
matter how extensive, can be broken down into smaller sub-projects. And
these in turn can be further broken down. By following this process,
you eventually arrive at tasks which can be done right
now–today! Having practiced this approach in a
wide variety of situations, I can say without a doubt that it really,
really works. What seemed overwhelming at first, once broken down far
enough, becomes simple and manageable. Career building is certainly no
exception.
Start by finding
the heart of the matter: where do you want to be at the end of your
career? Then backtrack and list the things that will have to happen
before that is possible. Then, starting at the earliest point, break
each of them down into smaller and smaller increments, prerequisites if
you will, until you arrive at tasks that can be put on a schedule and
accomplished more or less immediately. When you have finished those,
you will be ready to go after the next level. When you have done it
all, guess what? You’re there!
For example, say
your true love is floral design. You want to be a highly regarded
expert with your own TV show. A lot will have to happen to get you
there. Let’s look at just one part of one sequence: knowledge.
You might take a 2-year course from a local Community College. That
begins with finding a school, then registration, then completing the
coursework. Each of these is a sub-goal leading to the final goal. If
you want your own TV show, you will need to learn about visual
presentation, public speaking, etc. As always, just break it down until
you can schedule it.
Although it is
not always possible or practical, it is very helpful to express your
goals in terms that are measurable in some way. What will you need to
know? How much cash do you need to accumulate? How much education will
you need? With measurable goals, it is much easier to know when you
have successfully met them.
The larger the
project–and crafting a career can be pretty extensive–the
more you need good tools and a command of their use. In the 21st
Century, many of the tools will involve computers and software. Basic
skills like typing, good written communication, online research,
facility with spreadsheets and word processors are among them. When it
comes to creating things, like a career, there are also specialized
tools designed to facilitate creativity and organization. Spend some
serious time collecting the tools that best suit you and learn to use
them well. It will be more than worth the effort.
Whether you are
just out of school, or a grizzled old veteran, career building is a
virtually lifelong process. The skill you develop in this pursuit will
cast a long shadow over your entire life. Take it seriously, but
don’t forget to have fun, too. In important ways, your life
depends on it.
