Elevate Your Growth: A Process For Setting Learning & Development Goals in the New Year, Part 2

Welcome back everyone!  Last blog we talked about four steps to take to set yourself up for success when it comes to setting effective learning and development goals.  Reflection on past achievements and challenges, aligning goals with personal and professional objectives, using the SMART method as a framework for those goals, and creating a diverse set of goals.  Let’s dive into the next four best practices to make 2024 your best year for growth and development in your career!

5. Prioritize and Sequence Goals:

Not all goals are equal in terms of urgency or impact. Prioritize your goals based on their relevance to your current role, long-term objectives, and potential impact on your career. Additionally, sequence your goals logically to build on foundational skills before tackling more advanced objectives. If you need to work on both your presentation skills and your problem-solving skills, but you have a presentation to your leadership coming up in 2 weeks, the best skill to develop first would be your presentation skills. 

6. Establish an Action Plan:

Transform your goals into actionable steps by creating a detailed plan. Break down each goal into smaller tasks, set milestones, and establish a timeline for completion. Having a clear roadmap enhances accountability and makes it easier to track progress.  One of the best ways to increase accountability for meeting your milestones and goals is to have an accountability partner.  Whether that is a mentor or coach, or perhaps a peer, they will help keep you on track, and push you to maintain the pace of learning that you’ve set up for yourself.  They may even have some ideas on how you can apply your learning to get the most impact from your development.

7. Embrace Continuous Learning:

Learning and development are ongoing processes. Embrace a mindset of continuous learning by staying curious and exploring new opportunities for growth throughout the year. Attend workshops, webinars, read industry publications, and seek mentorship to expand your knowledge and skills continually. Don’t forget to apply what you’ve learned.  This is one of the biggest ways that you can impact your skillsets is to apply your learning to your role, or to stretch projects.  Another way is to mentor others, and teach them what you’ve learned (to paraphrase Grey’s Anatomy – “Learn, do, teach”).  It’s a great way to solidify the learning in your own mind as well!

8. Regularly Evaluate and Adjust Goals:

Periodically assess your progress against your set goals. Be open to adjusting your objectives based on changing circumstances, emerging opportunities, or shifts in your priorities. Flexibility in goal-setting ensures that your learning and development plan remains relevant and impactful.  Flexibility (or Agility) is a skill in itself – don’t forget to include that one!

Complete the process of setting learning and development goals for the new year by embracing these best practices and achieve your dreams for 2024.  Investing in yourself is a critical aspect of your professional life and will bring huge dividends!   

Advance your skills, appreciate the opportunities for growth that your challenges bring, and make the most of the possibilities that the new year creates for your professional growth.