At the end of each year, I inevitably ask myself: “Self, where do you stand?” While this question pops up as related to all areas of my life, it also inevitably gets asked of my work. Like most of us, the majority of my time is spent working. Reaching December 31st also means that twelve full months have elapsed during which most of my waking days have been spent pursuing some professional or business goal or another. What it also means is that it’s time to review your career at year-end.
While we’re all about looking forward, especially as we start a new year, it’s important to look back at what our experiences have taught us. This is all the more prevalent in our careers as these are not built in a year or so. It’s the sum of countless lessons learnt from the cubicle to the office that create real success. Not the success borrowed from your frenemies’ timelines on social media, but lasting success on your own terms.
7 Steps to Review Your Career at Year-End-2
Take a pause as the year ends to quickly review where you stand in your career. If you’re unsure where to start, consider these 7 steps:
Start Within!
How do you feel about your career? Are you as excited as you were when you started out at the beginning of the year? Or are you dragging yourself out of bed every morning? Are you justifying the way you feel by the fact that you need to pay bills and do what you’ve got to do?
Checking in with yourself is the first step to re-evaluate your career at the end of each year. This is not to say that you should beat yourself up for feeling the way you do. However, we should all make an honest assessment of where you stand emotionally as related to your career. It’s normal to evolve and change. It’s also normal that your desires and tastes evolve with time. What’s not normal is to deny the emotional impact your work has on you and your life if you want to create success on your own terms.
Goal Check Time!
As the end of the year approaches, where do you stand as related to the career goals you set at the beginning of the year? Did you get that promotion you had planned for? Have you made that lateral move? Are you closer to finding a new job, or leaving your 9-to-5 to work on your business?
Many of us avoid reviewing the goals we set at the beginning of the year because it can be a painful exercise if we did indeed fail. However, we must understand that failure is not only normal, but also necessary. Failing means you’ve tried, and that you may need to re-evaluate those goals. Yet, you need to assess these goals first in order to move forward.
Do An Opportunity Check!
Now let’s talk opportunities. What have you learnt this year? Every year should bring about new opportunities to progress, learn and advance. This is not just about scoring a promotion, raise or the book deal of the year. It’s about being better and further than where you started.
Look past the usual symbols of success such as money and status, and look for ways, even the smallest of ways, in which you have progressed in your career. It may be a new training you took, a good performance review, or some praise from your managers. Recognize the good.
Also, recognize those areas where you missed opportunities, and ask yourself why. The most important part of this process is to understand what worked well and what didn’t, so you can re-adjust your approach in the new year.
Assess where you stand!
This can be a tricky part of your review process. When asking yourself if you are where you should be in your career, it should not be to reflect what others are telling you about yourself. Neither is it to beat yourself up because you are not where society thinks you should be at.
Rather, this is where you should use your own barometer of success. Are you where you think you should be according to what is important to you? If you feel like you haven’t progressed enough, then it may be time to devise a plan to go further in the new year. If you do, don’t rest on your laurels, but continue to learn and better yourself.
Create Your Career Vision!
Now project yourself onto the future, and ask yourself what your career looks like in the next year, or in the next five years? This part of your review process is crucial, as it will determine how you re-orient and re-engineer your goals as you step into the new year.
What is it that you want more of? Less of? What is the next step for you? What is your next milestone?
Write down your Career Vision statement for the next year, and read it aloud to yourself as often as possible. It should represent where you see yourself in your career in as much detail as possible.
Take Action!
Now it’s time to draw a Career Action Plan for yourself. This is where you actually devise specific steps you need to accomplish what you desire in your career. It may mean taking on more complex assignments, going back to school, being more assertive, etc.
Whatever it is, make sure to list in your Career Action Plan for the next year. Keep this action plan handy as you start the new year.
Use your village!
It takes a village to build a successful career, according to what your view of success is and to what is important to you. Review your goals at the end of the year is an even more powerful process if you can share it with people who can help you. Whether it’s a mentor, a trusted manager or colleague, or even a dear friend, consider discussing the results of your year-end review with someone you trust.
This will help you bounce some ideas off of someone else’s, and come up with even more insight.
How do you review your career at the end of the year?
Welcome to our weekly career, entrepreneurship, lifestyle and fashion news roundup! Think of it as your online watercooler/work gossip station/coffee break spot for now…Want to add anything to our list? Email us at corporate@thecorporatesister.com!
Black Enterprise writes about this genius Brooklyn teacher who remixed Cardi B’s “Yellow Bodak” song to teach her students geography, and we’re just in awe;
Recruiter teaches you to build a better resume in….60 seconds;
Got a pastry fanatic in your midst? Serious Eats lists some great gifts for them.
Check out this video of the amazing Brooklyn teacher who’s spinning Cardi B’s “Yellow Boadak” hit into a geography lesson:
Welcome to our weekly career, entrepreneurship, lifestyle and fashion news roundup! Think of it as your online watercooler/work gossip station/coffee break spot for now…Want to add anything to our list? Email us at corporate@thecorporatesister.com!
Looking for a blog? The Muse lists 17 companies hiring like crazy in December;
The Glassdoor blog shares with us the ultimate holiday out of office checklist;
Are you in a toxic workplace? Ellevate Network lists 5 steps you can take now;
The Daily Muse shares these tips when you’re the only black person in the office;
Business Insider shares the 20 best tech companies to work for in 2018;
Ellevate Network advises women on how we can stop shooting ourselves in the foot on Linked In;
It’s one thing to set lofty goals for the future, especially as a year closes and a new one is about to open. It’s an entirely different thing to actually achieve them, and get what you want. So many of us run into this issue every time we set new goals for ourselves, or frankly recycle old goals into newer versions of what we think we should be accomplishing by now, whatever that may be.
While most of us may think that the goal-setting process is not exactly rocket science, it turns out that a large majority of people fail at setting clear goals. As a result, they fail at achieving them. Case in point: how many of us report failed resolutions and goals every single year?
The amazing thing about goals is that, when we take the time to set them well, can help us in creating the lives we actually want. Not the lives we feel that we have to live, but the very existences that fit us best and correspond to our dreams! It’s thanks to goals that we can muster the hope, vision and direction we need to design our lives! However, not having goals that are right for us, goals that inspire us and make us want to hop out of bed in the morning, have the opposite effect. Instead of creating the lives we want, they lead us to being exhausted, depleted, and without direction.
Actually, achieving our goals is much easier than we think, thanks to a few simple tips we can all apply to our goal-setting process, inspired by legendary coach Tony Robbins’ teachings:
Write the vision down!
“Write the vision” – Habakkuk 2:2
From the dawn of day, there has always been power in being able to write down your vision and goals, on pen and paper. Shut down the computer, grab your journal or a simple notebook, and write down those goals that have meaning for you. You will know that they are the right goals for you by the motivation and energy you feel when writing these down.
Act as if you had already achieved your goals!
This may sound a bit counter-intuitive, but stay with me! Having the core certainty that no matter what, your goals are going to come true is the ultimate way to achieve them. You’re not required to know the “how” or the “when”. Most times, the goals you set for yourself, the right goals for you, exceed what you’re currently capable of or your current circumstances.
Instead of trying to figure out how you’re going to achieve your objectives, or give up too soon because you don’t see a way, acting as if you had already achieved your goals gets you closer to them.
Ask yourself why you want to achieve each goal
This is an important part of the process that many, if not most of us, neglect. Instead of focusing on the motive and purpose of our goals, we tend to zero in on the outcome. Considering that the outcome is usually not immediately attainable, we then tend to get discouraged and give up too early!
Instead, ask yourself what each one of your goals means to you? Focus on how obtaining your desires will make you feel, as Danielle LaPorte teaches and recommends in her book The Desire Map. Make sure to write these down as well.
Rinse and repeat!
The goal-setting process should never be a one-time thing. Rather, it should be something you practice regularly. Don’t allow yourself to forget about your goals once you set them. Go back to them frequently, and review them over time. Make sure that you’re spending some time each and every day in the pursuit of these goals.
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What pieces of workwear would you like us to feature? Email us at corporate@thecorporatesister.com!
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What do you think about when you think about setting up new goals? As the New Year approaches, and everyone scrambles to set lofty goals for the next 12 months, goals are the big thing! However, how many of these goals do we really accomplish? Actually, how many do we we even begin to work on?
The truth is, there’s a fundamental problem with the way we set goals. While we get motivated for the first few weeks or months after setting a goal, the initial motivation tends to fade away as we get tired, unfocused or just move on to other objectives.
So how do we set goals that actually work, instead of getting lost in targets we lose track of? As a matter of fact, setting ineffective goals contributes largely to making us bitter, angry and resentful, as we start blaming ourselves for targets that were never the right fit for us.
Over the years, I’ve had (and still do) my share of ineffective goals and objectives, like making it to the gym before my 85th birthday. Or learning to knit one day and make my children proud at their school’s Parent-Teacher conference. The problem with these goals: They don’t fit me. I’m neither an exercise buff nor a domesticated woman (although a nice pair of heels could convince me…).
As you start getting weary of setting the same goals that don’t exactly work every year, here are a few of the lessons I, and many others, have learnt about setting goals that actually work for you:
Learn to know yourself better, and what you really want
So many of us set goals without really knowing what we want. We decide that because Shady Susie’s got a promotion in her department, we should chase a bigger promotion. Or since Gossiping Gina just went on her second vacation this year, we should aim to top the Vacation Pool and jet-set all over the world on our last 401K loan. More seriously, many of the goals we set for ourselves have less to do with us than with some obscure need to validate ourselves.
Instead, let’s learn to know ourselves, and what we really want. Shut off the TV, turn off social media, and focus on what YOU really want out of your life. What have you been dreaming of since you were a child? What sets your soul on fire? Those are the real intentions that should motivate you from the inside out!
Commit to feeling good!
I credit The Desire Map book by Danielle LaPorte for changing my entire perception of how we should set intentions in our lives. Any goal that weighs you down, makes you feel pressured and not at ease may not be for you. This is not to say that we shouldn’t challenge ourselves to rise above the way we feel.
However, I believe that the right intentions for you should awaken an inner lightness, a clarity and a peace of mind that liberates you. Your intentions should help you transform into a better version of yourself. If the lofty goals you’re setting make you feel less worthy, drag down your relationships and kill your creativity, then they may not work for you.
Avoid meaningless goals
Goals that don’t carry meaning for you will have you feeling stressed out, depleted, and exhausted. Those are signals that you should re-evaluate how much meaning these goals have for you. Are you chasing that promotion out of a competitive streak instead of going after the purpose of your life? Are you doing it all for the money and forgetting to fulfill your destiny?
Set intentions that make you feel energized and filled with life. You will notice the difference once you start pursuing them, how different and better they feel. Trust your instincts, they know where you should be headed.
Do you even want it all?
One of the biggest obstacles to setting powerful and effective intentions instead of rigid goals is that we too often want it all. Society has us believing, especially as working women, that we can and should want it all. But do we really want all of it?
You’re allowed to want what YOU want, and not to have to run after every impressive goal set in front of you. That includes showing up with no makeup at the gym or letting go of a well-paid career to pursue your purpose.
Recognize your limitations
Listen, we all have limits. And that’s ok. It’s actually a good thing. Imagine being able to do everything? When would you sleep? But more seriously, our limitations are here to remind us to focus on our true purpose.
I know everyone else will tell you to face your limitations and overcome them. It’s a noble enterprise, but one that will leave you eating out your fingernails and losing your edges. Accept the fact that you don’t have a million-dollar budget (no, you don’t need to buy that yacht to parade it on social media just yet), that you’re not Naomi Campbell, and that you only have so many hours a day.
While there are times when you must rise above your limitations, like when you really need a mental health day before you cuss out your manager (and lose your Christmas budget), make sure to set intentions that let you live and not die!
Stop feeling guilty for wanting what YOU want!
Does Shady Susie’s extravagant lifestyle make you feel guilty for just wanting a day off at home on your own, with no crying kids? Or on the very contrary, does your missionary cousin make you feel bad for wanting to become a multi-millionaire entrepreneur?
Stop feeling guilty for wanting what you want. Wanting more is not a crime, neither is wanting less. Set intentions that truly reflect your inner truth, independently of your environment or pre-conceived notions.
Let go of goals that don’t serve you
Last but not least, holding on to goals that no longer serve us can prevent us from achieving anything worthwhile. I know for a fact that forcing myself to hit the gym on January 1st is a recipe for fitness disaster! When the same goals you’ve been dragging since 1999 are now making you feel like you’ve got a boulder on your ankle, it’s time to let go.
Many times, goals get passed on to you as well, like your mother’s undying wish to see you graduate from Medical School. It’s ok to get off the cultural or family goal bandwagon and set your own intentions!
What other tips do you have to set intentions that actually work in your life?
You know how it is. You do everything right at work, you’re working your behind off, and somehow you manage to miss a deadline. With so much on your plate, it can be so easy to overlook something due at one point or another. Without the right organizational tips, that is…
It all boils down to having a simple, yet effective organizational strategy. Very often, we struggle to create complex to-do lists, ineffective organization devices and unsuccessful planning tricks that leave us even more confused and scattered.
Here are 7 simple organizational tips you can easily add in your monthly and daily routine at work to make sure you don’t miss a beat (or another deadline):
Monthly:
Make a list of all weekly and monthly deliverables and the days on which they are due
Have a checking-in meeting with yourself on a monthly basis to take an inventory of all your deadlines and deliverables for the entire month. If possible, confirm it with your team and manager to make sure you’ve got everything due so far.
Set up an appointment on Outlook calendar on the day each deliverable is due
Add each deliverable or deadline to your Outlook calendar, or whatever electronic calendar you may be using. Make sure to add enough information for each deliverable or deadline.
Set up a reminder for all deliverables in Outlook calendar 1 day before due
It’s one thing to log all your deadlines in your Outlook calendar or any other electronic calendar. Adding a reminder at least 24 hours before the deadline is coming due helps to ensure that it doesn’t get buried in the pile of to-do’s that inevitably comes your way.
-Transfer all deliverables on written paper calendar
I may be old school, but there’s nothing like seeing something written right in front on your nose to send you a serious reminder about what you have to do. Add whatever deliverables or deadlines are coming due to that pretty paper calendar hanging in front of you in your office or cubicle. Being able to visualize your commitments and deadlines goes a long way towards helping you get organized.
Weekly:
List all deliverables for the week on planner
At the start of every week, it’s helpful to have some personal time with yourself, and establish your course of action for the week. Even if you’ve already done this at the start of the month, list all your deadlines and deliverables for the week. Things change, updates occur, and checking in with yourself at the beginning of each week is the best way to confirm it all.
Check in with manager as to all deliverables, and confirm if anything else needed
Ideally, you should check in with your manager and team to confirm you’ve got all the deadlines correct. Organizing a weekly huddle is an effective way to do this.
Check that everything due is on Outlook calendar
Once you’ve confirmed everything that is due that week, as well as any upcoming changes, make sure that all your calendars and reminders are correctly set up.
