Where do you want to be in one year? Three years? Five years? If you don’t know the answer to these questions, it’s something you may want to start thinking about. It’s really hard to hit your career goals when you don’t have any.
If you do have some aspirations – even if it’s just a move up from where you are now, it’s very important that you don’t keep this goal to yourself. It’s an unfortunate and all too common phenomenon to hear of people being passed up for opportunities because the decision makers didn’t know they were interested. Who should you tell? Everybody.
Say, for example, you are aiming for the position of department manager within two years. You’ve done your homework to determine what skills you need to get there, and you’ve made a point to mention your goal to all of your friends, your coworkers, and your boss. Your boss now sees you as being motivated, and knows that you are expecting to be considered when a suitable position comes available. Your coworkers begin to think of you outside of your current role – which makes the transition easier when you actually do get the promotion. You’re friends will think of you when similar positions open up in their companies.
Perhaps more importantly is the motivation you personally will get from announcing your aspirations. When you broadcast your intentions, you are making a public commitment to your career. It becomes harder for you to procrastinate or get sidetracked when people keep asking about where you are with your goal.
