Feeling stuck? Professional development goals might be the remedy you need.
Though it’s become something of a cliche, it’s probably not too often that we’re actually posed the question “Where do you see yourself in five years?” Some among us will have that five-year plan mapped out and memorized – they’d be able to answer without missing a beat. But for many more of us, even if we’re happy at work, there’s a distinct lack of ownership over our professional paths.
A whopping nine in 10 workers say they feel stuck in their jobs. This can be true for a number of reasons, but one sure-fire antidote is setting professional development goals. Read more for the how and the why.
What are professional development goals (and why do they matter)?
Professional development goals are objectives you set that benefit or improve your career in some way. While that might immediately make you think of landing a promotion, job growth is only the tip of the iceberg. There’s plenty of variety in the professional development goals you can set for yourself, including:
- Developing a look-forward plan focusing on advancing or growing in your career
- Improving your skills and knowledge, whether in a current strength area or an aspirational one
- Building a network of people who have the knowledge and/or skills you aspire to own
- Boosting your productivity and efficiency, so you have more time for what you like to do most
- Enhancing your well-being
While our focus here is on the professional goals you set for yourself, managers and employees can also work collaboratively to determine these objectives as part of a career development plan.
Rich Hurley, a Senior Program Manager for Team Anywhere at Atlassian, was part of the core team that rolled out our employee growth profiles. Each profile includes a list of career competencies – the skills, knowledge and behaviors that are specifically valued in a particular profession – and are connected to future career growth. They’re used in quarterly check-ins and assessment process, meaning that managers and employees are each held accountable for assessing, reflecting on, and discussing each employee’s career.
“To me,” Rich says, “the most impactful managers are the ones who take it one step further and focus beyond the role you currently hold and rather explore together where you want to be one, three, five years from now.”
But regardless of how heavily your manager is involved, setting these goals is more than a formality or a feel-good exercise. They significantly impact your motivation, commitment, and career satisfaction. Goals trigger dopamine, the neurotransmitter frequently associated with feelings of pleasure and gratification. And you don’t just get a dopamine spike when you achieve a goal — simply setting a goal triggers that neurotransmitter and pushes you toward that potential reward (hence the boost in motivation).
How to set professional development goals: 4 tips for meaningful missions
You likely have a few targets lingering in your mind, but bringing some structure to those loose objectives can help you transform them from ideas to action plans. Here are four tips to set meaningful professional development goals.
1. Consider your values
Your professional development goals shouldn’t just be meaningful — they should be meaningful to you. Achieving a goal isn’t satisfying if the outcome doesn’t align with your priorities, principles, and ambitions.
Rich says, “I think it’s imperative that we invest in ourselves. Too many times, we wait for the organization we work for to decide a topic or skill is important. I’d urge people to spend the time, effort, and resources on skill development that matters to them. Disentangling learning and development from your workplace is freeing; it puts you in the driver’s seat.”
Sure, that promotion might look good on paper. But if you’re ultimately seeking a better work-life balance or a fresh start down an exciting path, then greater responsibility at work may eventually feel more like a detour from that five-year plan than a success.
Not sure how to identify your core values? Print these cards and then sort them into three piles:
- Very important to me
- Important to me
- Not important to me
Once you have a stack of cards that are very important to you, narrow it down to only 10 must-haves. Just like that, you have your core values.
Rich shares an experience from his own career: “During an interview for my grad school internship, a team member asked me three questions: ‘Who are you? Where are you going? Why?’ They’re incredibly hard to answer, but give you a lens into how someone views themselves, what aspirations they have, and why those aspirations matter to them. I would recommend that everyone be ready to answer these questions for themselves. They’re an introspective vehicle for discovering what truly matters to you.”
2. Use the SMART goal framework
SMART goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Using this framework pushes you beyond vague objectives to ones that are detailed enough to motivate you (and they make it easier to monitor your progress too).
For example, maybe your goal is to improve your public speaking skills. Applying the SMART goal framework, your final goal could look like this:
Improve my public speaking skills and my visibility within the company by taking a public speaking course and volunteering as a speaker for at least three company-wide events this year.
3. Identify relevant action items
Take another look at the example goal above and you’ll see that it doesn’t just state an objective, but also specific steps to get there:
Professional development goal: Improve public speaking skills
Related action items:
- Take a public speaking course
- Volunteer as a speaker for at least three company events
You can set long-term goals or short-term goals. Breaking your bigger objectives into smaller tasks or milestones makes the objective feel more achievable and the process more enjoyable — as you can celebrate those small wins along the way.
4. Use the buddy system
Rich is a big believer in the power of having a partner to keep us company on our professional development journey. “Learning and developing is a team sport,” he says. “You can take in knowledge, listen to a workshop, and reflect on its relevance to your life – but processing alone will only take you so far. It’s uncanny how having a partner can open your eyes to what you missed.” A like-minded co-worker or friend can offer a frame of reference beyond your own, allowing you to see how your mutual journey might look different from another person’s perspective.
5 examples of professional development goals to inspire you
One of the best parts about professional development goals is that you have the flexibility to identify and create the ones that are the most meaningful and best fit for you. But if you need a little inspiration to get started, take a peek at these examples.
1. Learn a new skill or improve an existing one
Professional development goal: Expand my proficiency in SQL programming by the end of 2025.
Related action items:
- Complete the Microsoft SQL Server Certification during Q4 of 2024.
- Complete a CRM database using SQL by May 2025.
2. Achieve better work-life balance
Professional development goal: Improve my work-life balance and reduce my work-related stress levels over the next six months.
Related action items:
- Commit to a firm sign-off time of 5pm three days per week.
- Schedule and stick to a weekly hobby or self-care activity (such as a book club or workout class).
3. Land a promotion
Professional development goal: Move up to a manager position within the next two years.
Related action items:
- Draft a detailed career pathway or development plan with my supervisor by the end of this month.
- Volunteer to lead three large team projects over the next six months.
- Schedule a coffee chat with a team member (even better if it’s a manager) from another department every three months to gain exposure and understand different parts of the company.
4. Build your professional network
Professional development goal: Expand my professional network this year to stay connected to industry trends and career opportunities.
Related action items:
- Attend one industry networking event each quarter.
- Join one professional organization or association by the end of the year.
5. Increase your industry knowledge
Professional development goal: Build more expertise, credibility, and name recognition within my industry.
Related action items:
- Register for and attend one industry webinar each month.
- Read at least one industry-relevant book every quarter.
Feeling overwhelmed? Your professional goals should be inspiring — not intimidating. If you just need an easy win to gain some momentum, try out some of these low-pressure, quick-win professional development goals:
- Dust off your LinkedIn profile and update it with recent skills, achievements, and experiences.
- Dedicate 30 minutes this week to learning and development, such as reading relevant articles, listening to podcasts, or watching webinars.
- Test out one new time management strategy this week.
- Reach out to one existing colleague or networking contact to check in or share a helpful resource.
Know what you want – and go for it
If you’re tired of feeling stuck or stagnant in your career, setting and working toward professional development goals can help. Put the above tips and examples to work and you’ll get out of the daily drudgery and start making meaningful progress on goals that matter most to you.
“Taking ownership of our path and how we get there is not only liberating, but necessary,” Rich says. “And the best time to start is always now.”
What are your professional development goals? Share with us in the Atlassian Community!