Goal setting can become tedious busy work
QI have been at my job for three months and we are at the point in the year where we set individual professional goals for the next year. My supervisor is also urging me to think of five- and 10-year plans.
I am struggling! In previous jobs, goal setting has been a box-checking exercise implemented by human resources. Supervisors and HR would urge us to be creative with setting goals and identifying professional development opportunities, reminding us that raises and promotions were linked with meeting our goals. I would put energy and thought into developing goals. When it came time to check in on my progress, I was met with a “keep up the good work; we don't have money in the budget for a raise.”
This bait and switch has left me with little motivation to identify and set goals in my new job. Honestly, I just want to do my job, and do it well. All of this feels like extra work. I've told my new supervisor about this past experience and they are supportive, but also insistent since this is a HR policy. How do you feel about goal setting at work? How do you find motivation and creativity in your professional development when both are missing? — Anonymous, Washington, D.C.
A
Busy work is tedious and frustrating and yes, professional goal setting is, sometimes, busy work. Clearly, you've had a frustrating time with these activities in the past. Sometimes, this kind of work is a bridge to nowhere. But you are at a new job, so maybe it's time for a new outlook. You seem to have a supervisor who is invested in your future, which is a good start. Maybe this, too, will be a bridge to nowhere but perhaps it is useful to reframe your thinking.
How can you come up with goals and plans that will serve you and your ambitions regardless of any professional incentives tied to the task? It's always good to have a professional road map identifying where you are, where you would like to be, and what can potentially bridge the distance between those two points. You come by your baggage honestly but it's time to let it go.
I only recently came around to goal setting because my wife, Debbie Millman, is a big proponent of the practice. In fact, she developed a tool, “The Remarkable Life Deck: A Ten-Year Plan for Achieving Your Dreams,” that offers a useful framework for thinking about goal setting that has nothing to do with the banalities of the workplace.
I'm only sharing this because it could be useful. Clearly, I am biased, but I would share this tool regardless. As someone who was previously (and still is a bit) cynical about such things I've found a lot of use in mapping out what I want for myself both professionally and personally. These activities aren't set in stone but can be a good place to start.