Yes, it’s important to develop at work in order to find opportunities for yourself. But it’s also important to focus on development goals for work. In this post, that interpretation is basically how to get out of your own way and prepare for battle. 

No one talks about personality and let’s be honest this can ultimately lead you to success or to your downfall at work. It’s not a matter of changing your personality. It’s about being mindful of how you present yourself and receive others while working.

In my first position in corporate America, I learned how I needed to mold myself in a way that allows me to be myself but also follows this new workplace culture. Newsflash I’m a first-generation American and the only person in my family that has an office job, so it was definitely a culture shock.

After reading this post I’ll let you in on the secrets of how to be yourself and be accepted in an office environment.

This post is all about development goals for work.

Development Goals for Work

1) Get a thick skin (the most important of the 9 development goals)

Now I’m not saying that it is ok for any environment to emotionally abuse you and that’s not what I’m referring to when I say get a thick skin.

Getting a thick skin basically means that you have to understand that in a new environment you know close to nothing. There are a lot of egos floating around and if you’re focused on defending your pride and how others perceive you then you’re not focused on your work.

All that matters is finding a solution to the problem. It doesn’t matter how much different individuals contributed to finding a solution, you are a gear in the machine.

You will also find yourself in moments where people are confronting you with an aggressive nature. Again that is not ok. However, in order to live in peace you have to see that they’re stressed and taking it out on you and that’s their problem.

2) Focus on what’s in front of you

Any job will have its peak moments where you’re trying to fly by the seat of your pants. Well my friend it’s time to fly daym it. Focus on what’s in front of you and do not pay any attention to anything else.

I’ve personally worked with individuals that are not able to do this. They rather stop and reprocess what we’re working on when a tight deadline is around the corner. You can’t focus on the foundation of a problem when you’re urgently trying to complete something. It makes you miss your deadline and it’s all about deadlines in the real world.

For example, let’s say you’re constructing a wall in a house, and the pipe bursts. You can’t keep focusing on the wall or go back to the blueprint to figure out where each pipe is laid out, you need to turn off the water and handle that one pipe burst. Priorities are easily set if you just figure out your deadlines.

3) Get good at being able to tell who will help you

You will come across many different personalities at work. You will find people that say “let me know if you need anything” and once you come around they disappear or feel insulted that you have asked for help. There are people that go on and on about how busy they are, letting you know they have time for nothing else. And then there are people who either offer help when you look like you’re drowning or will only offer help if you specifically ask for it.

It’s important to know who is who in your work environment. When you’re in the middle of a crisis the last thing you want is to waste your time trying to figure out who on your team you can count on.

Get to know everyone, their work ethic, and their level of generosity when it comes to sharing their time. This will save you from many little panic attacks.

4) Vent to a diary

Having a bad day is inevitable. It happens to everyone and that’s ok. Just get a diary and write it all down.

Do not share your negative thoughts with your colleagues unless you feel like you can trust them 1000% and even then you want to be cautious with what you share. The truth is that you’re being judged at every moment and you do not want your vulnerability to be used against you.

That’s why having a diary is so important. You need to vent but you also need to protect yourself.

5) Share your complaints with your manager in a structured and data-supported way

It’s important to have an open dialogue with your manager. Where you share what your expectations are and what your experiences have been like. It’s also important to share what’s bothering you so that your problems don’t eat you up inside.

However, if you have an issue with something in your work environment make sure you sure that information is in a way that is data supported. Maybe you feel like there’s too much on your plate, well track everything you do and share this information with your boss. Maybe they can help you prioritize what’s on your plate. You may be unhappy with your pay, well research how much your work is being valued by other companies.

When you structure your complaints in this format you have proof that what is negatively affecting you is reasonable and they can assist you with nailing down the solution.

6) Get friendly with everyone and personal with no one

Everyone wants to enjoy their lives. No one wants to be around a Debbie Downer or someone negative. Everyone wants to be able to enjoy themselves, and the more they enjoy being around you, the more they’ll want to work with you. And this leads to receiving more opportunities.

Make sure to keep the conversations with your coworkers light and enjoyable but also don’t get too personal. Too personal means sharing all of the things in your life you’re battling outside of work. The problem with being too personal is people will look at you differently. They’ll either avoid working with you in order to protect you or maybe they think you won’t be able to handle it. Also, they may be thinking does this person share everything with everyone and that could lead to concerns. They will even question if they could share anything with you, and that gets in the way of building trust.

So be personable with everyone and keep it light.

7) Strive to impress yourself 

You are your own worst critic. Use this to your advantage. If you’re able to impress yourself, you’ll surely be able to impress others. If you’re not impressed by your own work then what makes you think anybody else will be?

Sometimes we get so caught up trying to win over someone else’s approval that we don’t even try to achieve our own.

Learn to trust yourself and follow your gut instincts, they have superpowers. Also, this gets you into the mindset of working for yourself and if you’re a future world leader like me then it’s imperative to start believing in yourself.

8) Set your routines

Routines are amazing because they push you to get things done when you don’t feel like it. We all have days when we want to do absolutely nothing. If you’re in the habit of taking those days off then you’ll continually stunt your growth.

More times than not we want to do absolutely nothing. We just want to rest and take it easy and that lifestyle gets in the way of you being able to complete anything. Don’t let this happen to you.

Make sure you set up a morning routine for yourself and set up routines for yourself throughout the day where possible and where helpful. For example, I love outlining these posts early in the morning, when I’m on the bus, and on my way to work. Now even when I’m super duper tired, it doesn’t matter I outline my blog posts because it gives me peace.

9) Continue to adjust your expectations and habits based on what happens

So we’re ever-evolving beings in an ever-evolving world. That means you can not be rigid with yourself. You’re going to have to consistently adapt and adjust based on what’s happening around you. So don’t get too comfortable. In fact when you do get comfortable purposely change something so that you’re able to rock the boat.

And believe me, it’ll never get easier. I’m constantly learning something new at work and it’s constantly painful but I keep reminding myself how much I’ve expanded. I’m in a completely new world from where I was one year ago and that’s a great thing.

It means the hardest things in the world are becoming easier for me, and as I learn and continue to gain experience that learning curve is getting smaller and smaller. Eventually, you’ll be at the top of the mountain you decided to climb.

This post was all about development goals for work.

You know how they say it’s not you, it’s me in romantic comedies? Well when it comes to your career and the opportunities you’re given, the complete opposite is true. Companies promote people that are hardworking and easy to work with. Don’t be a difficult character in the office. It’s easy to avoid falling into that pit. All you need to do is achieve these 7 self development goals for work.

I love people-watching and I work in a very big company where I’ve seen a lot of people get promoted and demoted. There’s a very clear difference in how they hold themselves and work with others. You can literally see who’s going to become a huge leader by how they treat you. You don’t need to be their boss or work directly with them to see who’s a shining star and who’s going to sink.

This post is going to walk you through the 7 goals you can set for yourself, in preparation for that amazing opportunity that will eventually come your way. Trust me if these items aren’t mastered before then, they can easily be the cause of your downfall.

This post is all about the 7 self development goals for work that will accelerate your career trajectory.

7 Self Development Goals for Work

1) Find your organizational style

The tough part about being an adult is taking ownership of your actions. Of course, it doesn’t need to be tough but many people fail in this regard.

Someone who is on top of their game is a person that knows the status of every project they’re involved in and has tangible information that can be shared without receiving notice. So what does this look like? It means having excel sheets and documents that showcase where your project is in its life cycle. Also, it means having all the supplemental information that you could need available.

An example of this is let’s say you’re planning an event. You should know the status of the attendees, how close the presentation materials are to being finalized, and the logistical items that need to be set in place at all times.

Where people fail is when they assume that someone else will know all these details. If you’re a part of it, then you have part ownership. And as a part owner, you need to know everything that is happening. It’s okay if you don’t have all the answers at the top of your mind (when you’re first starting and building this planning muscle) but your documents need to house this information. As a beginner, intermediate, or advanced planner your organizational style and planning materials will keep you in line.

2) Build a morning routine

Having a morning routine is the best way to set yourself up for success. Now I’m not talking about your breakfast, skincare, or commute. What I’m referencing is how you leverage time in the mornings before you start to work.

If you’re a snoozer and someone that rushes into the office late every now and then. I highly suggest you stop that immediately. No one is their best when they’re rushed and half asleep. Seriously those extra five minutes in the morning are not worth it.

Once you begin to get into the habit of arriving to work early and filling your time with activities that are beneficial to your personal development, you’ll become addicted. It’s a way of giving yourself time before you give your time away to your job.

When I was attending college full-time I would arrive at the office two hours early to complete my homework and study. Now I arrive early to work on my blog or to read a book on entrepreneurship. I can’t stress how satisfying it is to do something like this for yourself.

3) Pause before reacting

It’s only natural to become emotionally involved with your work. You will eventually become, if not already, passionate and have pride in the projects you take part in.

That being said, you’re not the only one that is going to start feeling this way. Disagreements are due to arrive and they lead to healthy conversations that can take your work to the next level. It’s important to honor your coworkers by respectfully listening to their opinions. The best way to do this is to pause before you react. Fully take in what others have to say and ask them questions about their viewpoints to better understand where their reasoning is coming from.

After you’ve taken everything in, and you’ve taken your pause think about how you’d like to articulate your feedback in a manner that is respectful of everyone’s time and energy.

4) Keep Secrets

You’re bound to make a friend or two. That’s great! Now don’t forget to be a great human being. Become the trusted confidant that everyone loves.

Make sure that you never share what you discuss with other people. The last thing you want is for people to question your merit and remove you from confidential projects due to your desire to overshare.

The best way to avoid finding yourself in this situation is by listening. The more time you spend listening to people, the less time you’ll lose talking. Also if you want to speak about something that is relevant, just share your personal (factually based) thoughts and concerns. There’s no need to mention people that are not present.

Keeping secrets may seem obvious but sometimes you forget who knows what. The best thing to do is not to know anything personal. Believe me, this one could probably hurt you the most in an office environment. What you share goes beyond you and that’s how reputations are made.

5) Meet at least one new person a month

Now it’s time to meet someone new. This may seem like a lot of work for some of you. And ghee wiz it is. You have to put yourself out there and intentionally schedule chats and lunch dates with new people. The beautiful thing is that before you know it, you’ll have a network of people that you can call your community.

Connecting with other employees in your company will help you better understand the landscape of your business, you’ll have an awareness of the different opportunities that are available to you and you’ll make new friends.

It’s a win, win, win. Networking has helped me not only find opportunities for myself but find opportunities for my friends. We’re all in this together, and once we ban together we could move mountains. A single ant is nothing but an ant colony could cause a pretty big ruckus.

Also, they say people usually quit their jobs not because of the actual work but because they don’t like their boss. Once you have a community, you can easily find a boss you like if that’s what you’re searching for.

6) Solve your own problems

We’ll all have moments where we come across larger-than-life obstacles. Usually, you’ll have a few people and resources that you could look to for guidance. However, if that’s not the case, then it’s your duty to solve the problem.

There’s nothing worse than coming across someone that only knows how to complain. You offer them possible solutions but they refuse to get their head out of the sand. This builds tension, delays finding the solution, drives you crazy, and makes no one like you.

There are also cases where you’re not that person but after searching high and low no one knows how to solve the problem. What do you do in that case? Do you say I don’t know and no one knows, so let’s drop it?

Absolutely not you become obsessed with solving it. And you become obsessed with the idea of being able to help yourself and your coworkers if the issue should ever arise again. This personifies what being a leader is. It’s taking on these challenges, becoming someone that people trust, and transforming into a master problem solver.

7) Create an environment of gratefulness

Don’t you love getting a pat on the back? Isn’t wonderful when you’re acknowledged for the work that you do and thrilling when someone thanks you?

Always remember and thank the people that assist you as you do your job. When you share your wins with others, they’ll be more inclined to want to work with you. You’re unintentionally making them part owner when they assist you. And as a part owner, they should also reap the rewards when things are done right.

It’ll encourage them to continue to participate in this working relationship in an enthusiastic manner. Also, it makes your life easier because now you have someone that you can rely on when you need assistance.

They call it a dream team for a reason. It takes a team to make a dream a reality. Not one person. And it’s the simplest thing you can do. Once you start you’ll be shocked by how you somehow keep finding all these amazing people to work with. It makes things fun.

This post was all about the 7 self development goals for work that will accelerate your career trajectory.

When you start a new job, what’s the first thought that comes to mind? Mine is, “I wonder how long it’ll take before I rule these halls.” And that is not a farfetched thought if you have professional development goals that will lead you to those opportunities. This post will list out the 5 goals you need to achieve in order to get noticed and have doors open for you. 

I’ve worked at two different offices where I started as a receptionist. I was surrounded by other receptionists but for some reason, they were never able to get the opportunities I got. That is until I realized what I was doing differently. And soon my friends started finding themselves in different positions once I shared my secrets.

After reading this post you’ll know exactly what you need to do to get someone to notice you and give you an opportunity at your workplace. Believe me, it doesn’t matter what position you hold, you have as much of an opportunity as anyone else to get promoted or poached by a different department.

This post is all about the professional development goals you need to set in order to get promoted at work.

Professional Development Goals

1) Win your boss over

Let’s face it. Your boss can either be your greatest enemy or your biggest ally. They’re the ones who decide how you spend your time and what your job entails. And there are bosses that push for their employees to be better and greater and there are those that give them busy work.

Whatever the case may be, it’s imperative that you win your boss over. Only then will you find yourself with new and exciting tasks that develop you into reaching your highest potential. Your boss will become your spokesperson and they’ll tell everyone how much they love you. This is the best way to construct a solid reputation in a company.

Here are some super easy ways to win your boss over:

• Remember the things they tell you
• Let them know when you complete a task or when you’re running behind
• Take initiative and share how you’re working through creating solutions for you and your coworkers
• Be empathetic we all have good days and bad days
• Do not speak badly about them – to anyone

Now let’s say you’ve tried to win your boss over but you just can’t. Hey, sometimes it’s a clash in chemistry. Then sadly I encourage you to get another job and find another boss. This is literally why people get stuck in dead-end jobs. It’s because their boss won’t help them become better and who wants to do their best work when they don’t like their boss?

2) Win your coworkers over

Your coworkers are not your competition. The only person you can compete against in this world is yourself. You carry your hopes, dreams, and fears and no one is the same as you. Obviously. But really you can’t compete against someone who is on a different journey.

What you can do is learn how to work with others. Your coworkers are your team and teams are what win the Super Bowl. Life and work are not a one-man show.

Besides learning how to work with others I cannot stress enough how small this world is. You never know when your coworkers are in a position where they can help you move on to the next level. And would you recommend or refer someone you didn’t like? Absolutely not.

Protect your relationship with your coworkers and win them over by:

• Supporting them when they need it
• Acknowledge their strengths and ask them for advice
• Share any knowledge you may have that could be of use to them
• Be empathetic we all have good days and bad days
• Do not speak badly about them – to anyone

Also, who doesn’t want to work and spend their days with a friend? Sure coworkers can help you in the long run but you also want to enjoy your life today and tomorrow. And if you have a positive relationship with your co-worker in a positive environment then that truly is the breeding ground for greatness.

Again sometimes you just can’t make it work and if you love your boss and your job then all you can do is limit your interactions. Or work with your boss somewhere else.

3) Get friendly with other departments 

This post is starting to feel like a post about getting people to like you more than getting promoted. But that’s the thing. People work with who they like. Qualifications are important when it comes to promotions and opportunities but it doesn’t seal the deal. Also, I’ve had multiple occurrences when I wasn’t qualified for a job but I got it because they liked me.

If you’re a good person and you’re around good people, that’s basically networking in a nutshell. And that’s the kind of behavior that actually gets you places.

So after you win your boss and your coworkers over, it’s time to win over the whole company. Become friendly with other departments. And when I say other departments I mean every single one, not just the one that holds prestigious titles.

This will allow you to stretch outside of your comfort zone and find opportunities that you didn’t know were available to you. You become incredibly resourceful because you’re more knowledgeable about how things operate. Lastly, someone may end up poaching you because of your slight interactions.

My favorite thing to do, when I interact with others is share how proud I am of the work my team does. This allows your team to gain recognition and you look like this amazing person who is a total team player.

4) Find your champion

As you become friendly with other departments, you’ll eventually cross paths with different leaders within your organization. And then it’s time to strike the perfect balance. You don’t want them to feel like talking to you is work so you don’t want to ask complex, detailed questions. At least not at first. This is something you can do after you’ve had a few conversations where they’ve initiated the conversation.

But you also want them to be aware of the work that you do and how you think about work. Basically, you want them to become a fan of your development and work ethic. You could briefly mention some of the work you’ve completed, and why completing this work is so important to you. Again you don’t want to go into the details unless they ask. The more they ask the more you’re able to gauge how much they want to hear. It’s a backward way to ask permission to share.

And you want permission. When people go on and on about their work and all they’ve done, it’s very easy to come across as arrogant. Arrogance leaves the picture once people want to hear you.

Slowly you’ll begin to share your progress and someone will undoubtedly take a liking to you. That person will either hire you or recommend you. So make sure that you’re always working on something or learning something new. Otherwise, you won’t have much to share and you’ll become boring. And nothing is worse than boring when it comes to networking.

5) Take their advice and keep in touch

At this point, everyone in the world should love you. You’re surrounded by supporters and everyone is speaking highly of you. Now it’s time to not mess it up.

As you have different conversations people will have different recommendations for you. Follow all the legal ones 🙂

There’s nothing worse than running into someone you gave advice to and then you find out they never took it. Well if you don’t take people’s advice, people will stop advising you and doors will start closing in your face. No one is going to hold the door open for you if you don’t walk through it.

After listening you have to also remember to keep in touch. This is the toughest one but remember that keeping in touch doesn’t have to be a weekly occurrence. You could check on someone once a year. Just be mindful of the kind of relationship you have and your level of proximity. If you work with someone all the time but they’re not on your team you want to make sure you check in with them. On the other hand, if there’s someone you never see but they’ve reached out then you need to respectively reciprocate and put in some effort.

You need to demonstrate that you’re dependable and loyal. Once you do someone is bound to hire you.

Also, you want to build a connection with people that withstands minor interruptions. Building a network gives you the experience you need to have effective, efficient, collaborative, and fun working relationships in the future. The goal is to make your team so large, it includes everyone.

This post is all about the professional development goals you need to set to get promoted at work.