Examples of Setting Professional Development Goals at Work
Are you finding ways to get more out of your job? Maybe you're looking for ways to hone your leadership skills or further increase employee engagement.
Whatever your professional development goals may be, it's important to ensure they align with your employees' interests. After all, a happy and engaged employee is good for business!
In this article, we'll explore the following:
- What professional development goals are
- Some ideas to achieve development goals at work – and keep those job satisfaction levels high
- How to manage up effectively
So, read on for examples and advice from some of the top minds in the field!
INDEX
What are Professional Development Goals?
Top 5 Ways to Achieve Professional Development Goals
1. Review Performance and Assess Feedback
2. Recognize and Reward Good Work
3. Improve the Ability to Manage Your Team Remotely
4. Invest in Coaching and Mentoring Programs
5. Encourage Work/Life Balance
Parting Thoughts
Top 5 Ways to Achieve Professional Development Goals
1. Review Performance and Assess Feedback
2. Recognize and Reward Good Work
3. Improve the Ability to Manage Your Team Remotely
4. Invest in Coaching and Mentoring Programs
5. Encourage Work/Life Balance
Parting Thoughts
What are Professional Development Goals?
Every journey starts with a step, and every great accomplishment is made up of smaller ones. As you walk your career path, it's important to set professional development goals to help you measure your progress. Plus, ensure you're on track to achieving your long-term goals.
Professional development goals can be divided into three main categories:
1. Developing new skills
2. Enhancing existing skills
3. Seeking feedback from your team
2. Enhancing existing skills
3. Seeking feedback from your team
By setting career development, you can help boost employee engagement. Plus, foster the company culture of continuous learning and development. Just make sure that these goals are specific, achievable, and relevant to your career.
Top 5 Ways to Achieve Professional Development Goals
All businesses, no matter the size, need to keep their employees engaged. Engaged employees feel a sense of ownership in their work and are passionate about the company's success, which ultimately boosts productivity.
While there are ways to engage employees, one strategy is to have access to development opportunities. So, how can you provide these opportunities to your professional network?
Here are some ideas:
1. Review Performance and Assess Feedback
Regular performance reviews are a vital part of being an effective leader. They keep you informed about your team's progress and help you identify any areas that need improvement. Additionally, they give you the opportunity to provide feedback and set examples of professional development.
But what happens when you're not happy with the feedback you're receiving? Maybe you feel like your boss is never satisfied or that your team is falling behind despite your best efforts. If you're in this situation, it might be time to assess the performance review audit.
Before you gather employee feedback, you need to keep this in mind:
- Don't take it personally. This performance review aims to improve you as a leader, not to tear you down. So try to take a step back and view feedback objectively.
- Determine if the feedback is accurate. Sometimes, how we perceive our performance is different from how others see it. But it's important to accept honest and actionable feedback.
- Decide if the feedback is useful. Just because something is true doesn't mean that it's helpful. It might be something that you know or something that isn't relevant to your development as a leader. So, ask employees for advice.
- Turn the feedback into actionable goals. Without specific goals, it can be easy to forget about the feedback or let it fall by the wayside as you move on to other things. But if you have specific professional goals you can focus on, you're much more likely to use the feedback and improve.
Remember, the goal is to improve as a leader, so don't be afraid to ask for help in understanding the feedback.
2. Recognize and Reward Good Work
It's important to remember that every member has something valuable to contribute. Doing so will not only motivate old or new hires to continue doing their best but also inspire them to do the same.
Here are ways to do that:
- A simple "thank you."
- Give verbal value-based employee recognition in team meetings.
- Give small gifts or bonuses.
- If someone goes above and beyond, consider nominating them for an award or taking them out for dinner.
When done well, the key is to be sincere, specific, and timely with your recognition. Recognizing good work is a great employee engagement strategy.
3. Improve the Ability to Manage Your Team Remotely
Nowadays, the shift to remote working has presented challenges for many leaders who are used to managing their teams in person. If you're struggling to manage your team remotely, here are tips that may help.
- Improve your communication skills. Ensure they are on the same page by sharing agendas and action items in advance of meetings.
- Set clear expectations. When everyone is working remotely, it's important to be clear about what you expect from each team member.
- Create opportunities for social interaction. Team building is the best way to foster a sense of community among your team members.
- Be flexible. After all, your goal should be to create a remote working environment that works well for everyone involved.
4. Invest in Coaching and Mentoring Programs
Whether it's to keep up with the latest trends or build upon strengths, learning new things can help leaders at any stage in their careers. But how do you promote mentorship opportunities among your team members?
There are different types of opportunities, and a few popular options include:
- Conferences: Attending conferences related to you can be a way to learn about trends. Plus, network with other professionals and get inspired. Health is also important as improving skills, so allow them to join a health and wellness program.
- Books and Articles: Don't limit your members to traditional learning opportunities like classes. Try expanding your horizons by reading books or articles.
- Online courses: If you want to go level up your career, taking an online course is a great option. It's usually more affordable and flexible than traditional classroom learning.
Other than that, you can also grow your leadership skills with B2B Leader Academy. Get a structured path to become a better leader in three ways:
- On-Demand Leadership Training. This compilation of on-demand training will bring out your leadership skills.
- Live Weekly Small-Group Leadership Masterminds. Connect with a worldwide community of leaders to get actionable insights every week.
- Leadership Development Plan. Elite leaders execute a leadership development plan every month. We've done the hard work of putting these plans together for you, so all you need to do is follow the steps and get results.
Your team will appreciate it—and your business will benefit from their increased engagement.
5. Encourage Work/Life Balance
What do you think about the term "work and life balance"?
For some, it may conjure up images of employees working long hours. Other HR professionals may think of employees taking advantage of flexible work arrangements. Whatever your definition, there's no doubt that it's an issue for you and employees alike.
Here are ways to promote work/life balance in your workplace:
- Provide your employees with the resources they need to manage their workloads effectively.
- Encourage employees to achieve flexible work arrangements. These include telecommuting or flexible working hours.
- Set the example by leading by example and ensuring you take breaks and vacations when needed. Moreover, giving them a space in their personal life.
Parting Thoughts
Has your team hit a wall when it comes to employee engagement? Or, do you achieve each professional development goal in the examples above?
Every leader faces cooling enthusiasm eventually. When energy wanes, it's up to you to bring the heat and re-engage your employees.
By providing growth opportunities, you nurture engagement. This leads to a more productive workforce and a healthier bottom line!
