Brainstorming Your Professional Goals
Today, we’re going to brainstorm your professional goals. So your career is exactly what you want it to be.
Brainstorming refresher
You may remember when we brainstormed our financial goals. That was a long time ago, so I’m going to give a little refresher on brainstorming.
Brainstorming is typically a group-based technique. If we were in class together, we could brainstorm as a group, but since you are reading this by yourself, you will have to do it on your own. In brainstorming, the goal is to generate many ideas in a short period without evaluating them. We don’t want to assess the ideas, as we risk discarding good ideas prematurely. The goal is to generate many ideas. Unlike in many areas of life, where we choose quality over quantity, in brainstorming, the goal is quantity, and we’ll evaluate the results later.
Brainstorming is typically used because it fosters innovation and creativity. Because it is in a group setting, it also breaks down hierarchies. It can help teams move past any mental blocks they may have.
I’ve used brainstorming in the past with excellent results. What’s great about it is that there are always ideas and solutions that people often do not think of. In a group environment, everyone gets a say and you typically end the session with buy-in for the best solution to the problem.
Before we begin…
You’ll probably need to ask yourself a few questions before we begin. It may be a bit easier than you think, and here’s why: Remember why we set our financial goals first? Yes, we did not want to self-limit ourselves by thinking our current job and the income it generates were all we could be or all we can do. So here are the questions:
Will you be able to support your financial goals in your current job?
If the answer is no, is there a career path within your current job and company that would allow you to reach a position where you can achieve your goals?
How open to change are you?
OK, so broadly, very broadly, think where you might like to be, that is, in what job, when you retire. As we did with our financial goals, we want to work backward from that point so that we take any and all actions we need to take to get there. You may recall that I set my professional goal to reach a specific position by age 55. I directed all my efforts toward that goal and was pleasantly surprised when I achieved it at age 47. That’s the beauty of written goals, and the likelihood of reaching them is always better when we write them down. This is a core tenet of what we are and what we do at Afterburner Success Partners.
Let’s brainstorm
Take out a clean sheet of paper and a pen and let’s begin. In just a few minutes, probably three to five, write down any and all ideas of what you believe professional goals may be. Here are some examples of things to think about:
Accepting an assignment in a different location, especially overseas.
Taking a professional certification course.
Volunteering for a special project.
Starting a professional or social organization where you work.
Going into business for yourself.
Ready? Begin. Write down any and everything that comes to your mind. There are no bad ideas and you never know what may come of them later.
Let me make an important point about special projects. Especially in the professional work world, differentiating yourself from the pack is one of the best ways to advance. In my opinion, the most practical and straightforward way to do this is to volunteer for special projects or assignments as they arise. Of course, special projects are more work for you. But in my experience, special projects are excellent ways to learn new things, meet new people, and have a chance to interface with higher-ups you may never have. Keep this in mind the next time the boss says, “I have an opportunity for someone.”
When you are finished, take a break maybe even overnight to sleep on it. We’ve discussed the value of sleeping on things before making major decisions. When you come back, consider if there is anything you missed. Because you are doing this by yourself, you may want to review your goals with a spouse, mentor or someone you trust. They may think of something you did not.
We’re going to stop here for this week and let you absorb what you’ve done. DO NOT remove any ideas if you have second thoughts about them. We will have a chance to evaluate each of them later. Add more ideas if you want to, just don’t take any off.
This is a big step, congratulations! Now use your quiet time to ponder them, ask a trusted friend or two to look at them if you wish, and we’ll move on next time. By then, you should be pretty confident in what you came up with.
A note of caution
I want to mention something else before we get any deeper into deciding your career goals. As I mentioned, we set our financial goal first so that we would not constrain ourselves by assuming the job we have is the only one we will have in the future.
In a similar vein, what I hope you never do is seek or take a job solely for the pay. That never works out because you will likely not be happy and that will come out in the quality of your work. What I hope the brainstorming session revealed for you is what your true passion is. Most often, if you follow your passion, the money will follow because you will do a high-quality job. Sometimes this takes the form of advancement within your company, moving to another company or even striking out on your own by buying or forming your own company. You’ve heard the saying, “Find a job you like, and you’ll never work a day in your life.” How true.
What color is your parachute?
This is a funny name for a wonderful book that first came out in 1970. Originally published as a guide for clergy, the book has been updated almost annually since that time. The book is a practical guide for job hunter and those wishing to change careers. The book covers exploring different careers, what skills you need and interview techniques. Click on the Link in Note 1 to learn more.
That’s all for this week!
Brainstorming Your Professional Goals
Afterburner Success Partners
http://absuccesspartners.com/
What’s in it for me?
If you want to get ahead in life, you must take meaningful action that follows a proven path. Getting ahead in business is about learning what to do and then doing it over time. Learn the culture, have a mentor, and have a plan.
Call to Action
Just. Do. Something. Make a decision on what you want or need to do, define the path, and get after it. Do it today.
Recommended Resources
See notes below.
Up Next
The Priority Matrix for Professional Goals.
Notes
Please note that as an Amazon Affiliate, I may earn a small commission on the sale of any of these recommended resources.
What Color is Your Parachute by Nelson Bolles: https://amzn.to/4d6g25M
Everyday Cooking for Everyday People Like Us, by David Giustozzi: https://amzn.to/437OhVQ
Achieve Your Dreams: A Complete Guide to Live Your Best Life, by David Giustozzi: https://amzn.to/3IxEFgy