Goal Setting Theory Locke Resource

Career Goal Setting Plan

The following table provides you with a simple outline of the factors you may want to consider and identify when setting and analyzing your career goals in a step by step format.
Career Goal You must Define and write them down in order of priority Benefits and Advantages of achieving this goal Listing these may help to motivate you Key Steps That you Need to Take When Will I do This? Give Yourself deadlines Support and Resources (What support and from whom do I need, what resources, such as time, money, contacts) Outcomes and Reflection (Record whether you achieved the goal and what worked or did not work along the way for future reference)

The above table sort of shows you the who, what, where, when, and how of career goal setting. It is just like finding the facts for a story. Journalists have to answer all of these questions in order to get the full story.
That is the same thing that you have to when setting career goals. Let me show you in exact detail in the next diagram.





Who What Where When How
Who will I ask for help? What do I want the outcome to be? Where should I start? When should I begin? How should I begin?
Who will benefit from my career goal? What will I do to get started? Where will my career goal put me in 10 years? When Do I want these goals to be reached? How will these goals affect my future?
Who will I work with to accomplish my goal? What will really make me happy? Where will I apply my resources? When will I apply my knowledge to begin attaining my goals? How do I really feel about the goals that I have chosen?

Do you see what Im talking about now? All of these questions have to be directed before you can begin to work on your career goals.
They will take some real thought and honesty to set them properly. When you have answered these questions you next have to begin to prioritize them. Let me show you an example.
John Smith wants to be the President of his company one day. Right now he is a mere data entry clerk. His company is a large corporation that works with computer repairs and security. John knows everything there is to know about computer repairs and can fix almost any computer he will ever look at.
He is efficient at using and finding hackers and securing computers are not hacked into. His boss is currently ignoring his advice so John is not so sure how to go about getting his dream of being president of the company someday which he is more than capable of doing already. What should he do?
This is a time when John should begin to prioritize and decide how he can get to his goal. His ultimate goal is to be company president and he wants to accomplish this in 10 years.
John is currently 26 years old. Since he knows the what and the when; he must decide everything else. I opted to show you his possible steps in an easy to read tableagain.
Steps for How Steps for answering what Steps for why Steps for When Steps for where
1 I will make a to-do list I will put my ideas for improvement in it I want to move up the next position at work I will do this today! I will do this in private
2 How can I get noticed I will make a presentation showing my idea for improvement Because I cant move up if no one knows Im there I will do this the day it is finished I will do this at work
3 How can I let my work be seen I will now show my superior my presentation I know my work is good and strong I will do this when I know my boss cant ignore me I will do this in my bosses office or invite him to my house
4 How can I get the higher ups to see my work? I will schedule time with a major company player to give my ideas I cant move up until I make friends with higher ups I will invite colleagues and higher ups to a cocktail party this weekend I will do this during a meeting
5 How can I keep moving up? Now that Im getting closer to higher ups I will share my ideas verbally & get impression I will do this after 3 months of making friends with higher ups I will bring these up at meetings with backup presentation ready if requested

This is just a sample of the first 3 months of John executing his goal to get higher in the company.
Naturally becoming president will take a lot longer than 3 months but getting closer to superiors and colleagues at work is a great start as long as you dont step on anyones toes and build their trust. Over time, you can introduce your ideas and present them in a professional manner at the right time.

When you see that your company needs help on something work in secret and bring in a finished product at the right time or schedule private meetings with your boss.

This shows that you are not only ambitious but also motivated and determined. It is a great way to move up in the company. In order to do this properly, you must take the steps in succession and not try to become a president in 1 year. That is unrealistic.
Although John will want to begin working for his long term goal of being company president, he should also begin by setting short term goals that will lead him there.

The first goal can start with moving up one position at work and continue on in this method. That way he can celebrate each promotion and advancement separately rather than focusing only on his inability to make president right away.

From here, John should just follow the step by step methods mentioned in the above sections for exact steps to attaining and setting goals. Just remember that you have to develop an action plan if you are going to succeed.
Think of it like this, why would you choose to ignore any accomplishments that you have made? The value of a good plan is to identify them early and seek out solutions immediately. Some of the things you wrote may begin creating a burning energy in your mind.

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