Setting Goals

Setting goals; always important but even more so while swimming in the lake of unemployment.  Of course the main goal at that point can easily become just landing a job.  But I've found that without simple goals directing the job search, you can lose focus of your main employment goals: type of job, specific industry, growth potential.  You need to identify what you want to do, where you want to work, and who you can contact to learn more about or get your name in the running for any particular positions.  Simply searching online for a position, clicking "Apply", and moving on does not meet the requirement.  That method will only lead you to waiting for someone else to do the job search for you by finding you. 

I have set my goals.  On the business front, I am targeting Supply Chain Manager positions, within small to mid-size companies in the area that show the potential for growth in regional and global markets.  While on the personal front, I am wanting compete in a half marathon before I hit 40 (yes, I see it advancing in the rear view mirror and it doesn't seem to lose any ground regardless of how many sharp and erratic turns I make).

So we set our goals and move on right?  Once set they will naturally look after themselves and we'll wake up one morning, scan the headlines of the local newspaper and take joy in the one that states "Pete has achieved his goal of...." (replace 'Pete' with your own name for a more personal experience).  That's what we forget, no one else is watching out for our goals.  And my experience has been that we don't do a very good job at defining those critical milestones that tell us whether or not we are on track.  This is an area that we as middle and senior level managers can improve upon.  Right now you should be thinking "Performance Reviews".  Put some actual thought into them, you owe it to your juniors to provide pertinent feedback and to help set realistic goals.  Challenge them when a goal is vague or too short/long sighted for their position.  And most importantly ask them how they intend to accomplish those goals and help them set milestones to review their progress.  We've been down most of the roads that they are now staring at and it only helps us to tell them about the potholes along the way.

These milestones also help us keep goals realistic.  Isn't that what we've always been told?  Goals should be challenging, attainable and realistic.  To put in another perspective, let's consider my goal to run 13 miles.  I can hit the asphalt and run three miles every other day but without setting the five-mile and eight-mile milestones, I will never attain my goal.  It's the same with employment.  If you want to be a senior level manager, then you must target those jobs along the way which expose you to more responsibility and liability.  Unless you know someone, you will not be selected for higher levels of supervision if you continually fill lower level positions and don't take steps to advance.

So that's that.  I think there's a logical thought process contained in the preceding paragraphs; hopefully these commentaries will instigate some thought.