SMART Goals - Make a Five and Ten-Year Career Plan
Posted on July 17, 2010 by Mary Lee Gannon, One of Thousands of Executive Coaches on Noomii.
Don't think of where you want to be tomorrow. Write down where you want to be in five and ten years. Think big!
It is important to write down your goals and check them often. This gives you the opportunity to remember them and modify them if need be over time. The fact is that as you continue to see yourself in your plan, you are more likely to stay on course to get there.
Writing your goals down on paper solidifies your thinking and sets the direction for your brain to accomplish them. Start with small goals. Achieving smaller goals will give you the motivation to tackle more complex goals.
If setting goals scares you, then don’t. Don’t set goals. Dream! Take a blanket out to the back yard. Lie down in the grass; stare up at the sky and dream. Let nothing get in the way. See no barriers. Think of everything you ever wanted to do and still haven’t done. What feels good? Remember what you dreamed about as a child. What have you always wanted to do?
Eleven Things to Consider for the 5 and 10-Year Plans:
1. Where are your family members living and how old will they be?
2. Are you in the same job or line of work?
3. Is travel involved?
4. Where will you be living?
5. What will your average day look like?
6. What will your place of residence look like and is it paid off?
7. Is a retirement plan part of the picture?
8 What skills or sport have you not had time to develop that interest
you?
9. Is volunteerism a part of the picture?
10. Is a business part of the future?
11. Is career part of the future?
Once you’ve established 5 and 10-year goals you will start to see that short-range strategies you need to get there. Develop strategies or actions you will take over the next 60 to 90 days to move you closer to your goal. Don’t start with too many strategies. Begin with a few and add more or modify them as you complete the tasks
A Good Goal is a SMART Goal:
S – SPECIFIC
M – MEASURABLE
A – ACHIEVABLE (but challenging)
R – RESULTS ORIENTED
T – TIME FRAMED
“I want to make more money (sell more, have more time)" does not
cut it as a short term goal. Consider instead:
I will increase my salary / draw by $XX by June, 200X
I will grow my customer base from X to Y by year end
I will write down three processes per month so I can delegate work
to others
I will generate $XX in revenue and $XX in profit in 200X
I will hold a team meeting each month throughout 200X
I will work out for 30 minutes, 4 days per week so I can improve my
overall health
Finally, celebrate your wins along the way! Take the time to reward yourself for the little accomplishments since these will lead to bigger successes down the road. Stop and get yourself a gourmet cup of coffee. Make time to call a friend for lunch. Put the leash on the dog and take an informal tour of all the summer gardens in your neighborhood.
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Mary Lee Gannon is the president of Gannon Group, a coaching and consulting firm that provides turnaround solutions to people and organizations. Gannon Group helps clients to lead higher performing teams and manage personal challenge through Executive Leadership Coaching, Management Team Development, and Board Development in the fields of healthcare and other industries. Mary Lee’s personal turnaround came when she was a stay-at-home mother, with four children under seven-years-old and endured a divorce that took she and the children from the country club life to public assistance. Within a short time she worked up to the level of CEO of several organizations including three hospital foundations, a trade association and a public relations firm. Her book “Starting Over – 25 Rules When You’ve Bottomed Out” is available in bookstores and on Amazon.com. Visit her web site at www.StartingOverNow.com.
