Sample Professional Development Goals

Learn about setting professional development goals and find sample professional development goals in this helpful article. Do you know what a SMART goal is? Find samples of SMART professional development goals here.

Professional Development Goals - An Overview

So you want to advance in your career, make more money, have a better job, find more clients, etc. - who doesn't? What's the difference between someone who dreams about advancement and someone who actually advances in their career? In a word, goals. It's not enough to want something, you have to do something about it. By setting professional development goals, you have a greater chance of reaching success. What are some things to know about goals?

1. Goals are most meaningful when they tie in with your overall vision for how you want life to be. Vision statements are not just for businesses. They are also for anyone who wishes to improve his or her situation.
2. It's best to keep goals limited. If you have a long list of goals, it's the equivalent of a child writing a long, long letter to Santa Claus. It starts to look like you'll be happy with whatever you get, and it's hard to focus on what actions to take.
3. Goals need to be SMART. Smart goals are: Specific, measurable, attainable, relevent, and time-specific. By keeping your golas SMART, it will increase the likelihood of you meeting and exceeding those goals.
4. Goals require a strategic plan of next actions for achievement. Every goal you set for yourself should be accompanied by a specific plan of how you will reach this goal.
5. Goals should be written in present or past tense. Write your goals as if they are happening or as if they have already happened. This helps you to make them reality.

Now that you know the four most important features of professional development goals, it is time to look at some sample professonal development goals.

GOAL 1 - Meet People

The above goal "meet people" has a lot of problems with it. First, it's definitely not a SMART goal. Second, it's unclear as to how this goal is a professional development goal. Third, it needs to come with a way to define the next actions that should be taken.

Let's start by making the goal SMART. What kind of people need to be met? Presumably, other professionals either in your field or people that can help you to advance your field. Let's get even more specific: Become active in a professional association.

Now how will we measure this goal? How active will you be? Will you attend all meetings? Will you become a board member? Will you join? How will you determine if you have met this goal? The goal also has to be attainable. If you can only make one meeting a month because of an already full schedule, don't set your goal up to fail by requiring yourself to make weekly meetings.

For the goal to be relevant, it has to be a professional organization that helps you to advance your career, not a random organization. Finally, it has to be time-specific. When will you know you've met this goal?

Perhaps the revised goal will look like this:

I attend monthly meetings of the freelancers organization and introduce myself to at least three people at each meeting for six months. I follow up with those people after the meeting to form connections and grow my network.

Can you see the next actions for this goal?

GOAL 2 - Learn More About Freelancing

While this goal seems specific, it's not. What exactly do I want to learn about freelancing? How will I measure my knowledge? Is this attainable? Is it relevant (not so much if I'm not a freelancer, and unless it's made more specific it won't be at all)? It's definitely not time-bound.

Let's rewrite the goal together. Fill in the blanks.

I learned about _____________ (social media, marketing strategies, accounting, copywriting skills) by ______________ (taking a class, reading a book, finding a mentor...). I did this _________ (date). I apply this knowledge to ____________.

GOAL 3 - I Will Make More Money by December

What is wrong with this goal? Is it SMART? Does it tie in to a vision statement? Are there actions that can be created for it? Take a moment to analyze this goal and rewrite it so that it applies to your situation.

Now...

Go write down your vision statement and make a list of 3-7 professional development goals that support that statement. Break down your goals into actions. Complete one of those actions, now, for extra credit. Look back at these sample professional development goals if you need help. You are well on your way to improving your professional situation.

Basic Negotiation Skills for the At-Home Worker

Negotiations are an inevitable part of work and business, and like all workers, a home based worker requires basic negotiation skills to survive and succeed.

Preparation

The basis for a successful negotiation is a well-prepared negotiation. Collecting and analyzing all facts related to the issue and separating assumptions from facts help clear misconceptions, eliminate misunderstandings and shorten the negotiation cycle. The optimal formula is to spend three times longer in preparation than in actual negotiation.

The at-home worker needs to spend quality time ascertaining all facts related to the business, study the relevant legislation in place, make note of possible benchmarks, understand the key areas of encouragement and disadvantages of working from home, and other factors before negotiating on any issues related to working from home.

Understanding the Big Picture

A critical characteristic of successful negotiators is appreciation and understanding of the 'big picture' or complete details on what all parties want. This ability to see beyond the 'demands' of the opposite side and understand why the other party negotiates the way they do helps in identifying a common ground and close the deal.

The at-home worker, like all workers need to understand the big picture when negotiating for the payment rates, work schedule and the like. Understanding the companies requirements while negotiating to work from home help fix a deal on mutually convenient and acceptable terms.

Creative Options

Successful negotiators never remain rigid and generate creative options to get what they want.

Research suggests that more than half of the total business negotiators struggle to create or uncover options outside price dimension. Applying creativity help to negotiate based on other dimensions such as spatial relations, time relations and the like. The at-home worker could use such creative options while negotiating for prices or work schedules.

Another related basic negotiation skills is prioritization. Very often negotiation takes place on multiple issues. A good negotiator prioritizes important demands and tries to effect a positive conclusion on such demands first, even if it entails giving in or compromising on matters of lesser importance.

Adopting a Win More-Win More Approach

The outcome of any negotiation falls into any of the following categories:

• Lose-Lose, where both parties loose and do not get what they want
• Win-Lose, or Lose-Win, where on party gains at the expense of the other
• Win-Win, where both parties gain through compromise
• Win More-Win More, where both parties agree to collaborate to unlock synergies

Traditional negotiation theory advocates adoption of a win-win approach as the key to successful negotiation. A win more/win more approach is however a more sustainable way to gain competitive advantage, especially for the at-home worker.

Organizations allocate resources only for their relative strategic advantage, and often either pitch for a win-lose option or do not negotiate at all rather than settling for a win-win compromise. A win more-win more approach helps organizations leverage their resources.

A win more win more approach by the at-home worker helps incorporate the diverse multicultural belief systems while interacting with people across the world in the global workplace.

Understanding Strengths and Weaknesses

The art of successful negotiation lies in understanding one’s strengths and limitations. Top negotiators spend time analyzing the way they negotiate, especially under pressure or deadlines and try to improve on their weaknesses or limitations.

An understanding of the strengths and weakness also entails accepting the realities of organizational power equations. An at-home worker, usually out of sight of the corporate office is often at as disadvantage compared to regular workers whose physical proximity help establish a good rapport with people that matter. The at-home worker needs to understand such realities and either bridge such weaknesses or work around such weaknesses.

References

• Potgieter, Jan. The 5 Key Characteristics Of Successful Negotiators
• Shah, Ken; & Shah, Param, J. Negotiating Skills

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