Setting goals is how we motivate ourselves to continue developing. A thirst for learning and knowledge is key to ensuring our brains never stop growing.
Key Takeaways
- Learn new skills by joining a learning course.
- Improve your public speaking skills.
- Focus on a healthy and fulfilling work-life balance.
- Build your network and develop your workplace relationships.
- Treat your employees to an entertaining company event.
Whether in our personal life or the office, it’s no different. But the workplace is the best place for materializing goals and following them through. And there’s no better time to start than now, as 2023 rolls around!
Here are five of the best professional development goals to establish in the workplace for you or your employees.
See Related: 5 Reasons Why You Should Be Rewarding Your Employees
#1. Join A Learning Course To Enhance Your Professional Skills
We all know that setting and achieving goals is something we should be doing year-round. However, some of us may understand the profound benefits goal-setting brings while some of us may not.
Here’s a quick refresher.
Taking the time to set goals is the foundation of success. Whether setting personal or career goals, this is the lifeblood of achievement.
What It Means To Set Goals
Regardless of one’s ambition, goal setting has many other benefits. Goals help you take control of your life and refine your accountability. Without goals, we can spend our whole lives living as ghosts.
Goal setting also helps us:
- Stay focused on our life’s direction
- Achieve our highest potential
- Break out of our comfort zone and find more responsibility
A fulfilling life and improved well-being hinge on our ability to set goals. But keep in mind that everything in life is created twice.
First, in our minds.
Then secondly, in the physical world.
The first part is arguably the hardest because goal-setting isn’t as straightforward as it may seem. First, we must understand the goal-setting process to set reasonable and achievable goals.
What’s The Best Way To Set Professional Development Goals?
Making the conscious decision to focus on setting a goal is the first step in this journey. And, if you’re here, you’ve already jumped that hurdle.
Congrats!
Now, it’s time to delve into how exactly we can create our new goals. The best goals are personal to us and follow the trajectory we envision for our lives.
When it comes to professional goals for work, we should align them with the direction of our career. Or, if we’re looking for a career change, it should guide us on our newfound path.
But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let’s go over the basics of goal-setting.
The SMART Goals Framework
Many of us have already heard of SMART goals before. The acronym SMART stands for
- Specific. Do you know exactly what needs to be done?
- Measurable. How will you know when you’ve achieved your goal?
- Attainable. Is it reasonable?
- Relevant. Is it applicable to your current path and desires?
- Time-bound. You can’t give yourself infinite time to achieve a goal. Do you have a set time frame?
Goals need to meet these criteria to be successful. Without this simple guide, it’s easy for professional goals to fall apart and your career aspirations to be damaged.
Setting a SMART goal can be easier than it seems. Decide upon the general goal you want to reach for, refine it, then achieve it!
A Professional Goal That Never Goes Out Of Style
Now that we know the power of goal-setting and how to create SMART goals, it’s time to get down into the nitty gritty. We’ll start with one of the best professional workplace goals out there.
We all know continuous learning is critical for maintaining a growth mindset, opening our perspective, and improving our self-confidence. Learning is about more than reading a couple of books now and again.
Continuous learning gives us the power to understand the world around us and fulfill our potential.
So, why not harness that in creating your professional goals?
A great workplace goal you can set for 2023 is to learn a new skill through a training course. Not only does this keep your innate desire to gain knowledge alive, but it also sets you up for success in the workplace.
Finding The Right Online Learning Course For You
There are many online learning courses that are easy to enroll in for almost any topic you want to grow in. But before you choose a course, make sure you review your options to find the right one for you.
Resources like Udemy and EdX have countless options to choose from when picking your niche. Plus, online learning courses easily adhere to the SMART goals guidelines.
#2. Focus On Improving Your Public Speaking Skills
There are countless skills that are needed in the modern workplace. From improved emotional intelligence to collaborative interpersonal skills, we need to balance many qualities to be successful.
But there is one major skill that even many successful people overlook. And that is the art of public speaking and presentation.
Let’s face it. Many of us find the concept of speaking in front of a group of people daunting. But to others, it’s a piece of cake.
Regardless of how easy you find presenting and speaking, it’s always a good idea to improve this skill because this is the quality that will set you apart in the workplace.
A Fundamental Skill For The Workplace
Especially as a workplace leader, you won’t go far without this skill mastered. In the office, we are frequently pitching new ideas or crafting upcoming presentations. So ensuring we know how to speak in front of our colleagues, employees, or bosses is critical.
As 2023 draws in, now is the time to focus on improving this essential skill. Here are some tips from our hilarious comedians to get you started on this journey:
- Consistent practice is key
- Take note of your body language
- Make sure your visual aids are beneficial to your speech
- Take a presentation skills refresher course
#3. Prioritize A Healthy Work-Life Balance
Improving our skills and attitude in the workplace can be done by focusing on professional development. But don’t forget our overall personal development starts at home.
We could spend this whole time talking about workplace goals that are only attainable in the office. But we would be neglecting a vital aspect of a happy, healthy, and productive employee.
That key aspect is something known as work-life balance.
This balance is the foundation of a healthy workplace. And the benefits are endless.
What It Means To Balance Your Professional And Personal Life
Knowing how to properly balance effort and time between work and home can:
- Help increase productivity
- Maintain healthy relationships at work
- Improve physical and mental health
- Boost employee morale and moods
A healthy work-life balance can be an abstract topic. So when setting measurable goals, you need to figure out what it means to you.
Reflect on areas where you can improve. For example, if you have a habit of working late on Fridays, try to go home at 5:00 PM sharp every day. If you check work emails late into the night, set a designated time when you can’t follow up on work-related communications.
You need to focus on properly curating your balance between your work and personal life. Not only is it a great place to start setting professional goals, but it will benefit you more than you realize.
Bonus: 4 Ways A Corporate Comedian Can Help You Prevent Conflict In The Workplace
#4. Take Time To Network And Build Workplace Relationships
2023 should be the year about setting goals others are letting fall by the wayside. That’s the best way to become your best self and thrive in the workplace!
Something that many people overlook is the power of networking. To some, this is just another professional buzzword. But networking is the key to any of your professional development goals!
You need to be completely active in this journey. You can’t just join a networking event, lightly mingle, and call it a day.
You need to be intentional.
If even the thought of an in-person professional networking event makes you nervous, this is probably the right goal. But take it slowly and at an attainable pace.
After all, there’s nothing worse than burning yourself out on your new goals.
Online Networking Is The Way To Go
Remember that you don’t need to attend in-person events to network and expand your connections. Online networking is incredibly effective, and the best way to get started is by updating your LinkedIn profile.
Here’s an example of a SMART goal: Make 100 new LinkedIn connections this year. Or, plan to attend a professional network event within two months.
Plus, networking is a great way to improve your communication skills!
#5. Treat Your Employees To A Meaningful Experience
Make it a goal to focus on employee appreciation and recognition. Maybe that sounds like a vague idea, but let us explain.
Employee recognition is the driving force of a positive, healthy, and happy working environment. When our employees feel valued and seen, morale soars and engagement improves.
So if you want to make a genuinely positive impact on the lives of your employees, make it a goal to truly express your appreciation. How? The best way to do that is by hosting a company event.
Host A Company Event To Give Your Employees The Recognition They Deserve
The best goals are SMART, as we’ve already discussed. So make it a goal to host a killer company event to reward your employees in 2023.
Wondering where to begin? The key is in finding the perfect speaker to set the tone and connect to the audience. And don’t forget – they need to be able to keep the people entertained!
Here at Clean Comedians®, we have the best professional speakers that are vastly experienced in hosting company events. Whether you want to reward your employees virtually or in person, our team can do it all.
And that’s for several reasons. For starters, our team are masters in public speaking and are skilled in connecting with an audience. Plus, they’re also drop-dead hilarious because we know comedy is the most powerful tool in lifting spirits.
Our speakers also do deep research into your company before the event so that their act is personalized and tailored to your brand. Generalized jokes are dead. But content unique to your company is the best way to win some laughs!
However, you might be skeptical of comedy in a professional setting. After all, many comedians are notoriously crude and dirty. Lucky for you, we agree that content like that has no place at your comforting company event.
That’s why all of our acts are 100% free of divisive and inappropriate content.
This is the way to go if you want to truly recognize and appreciate your employees. Regardless of what professional goal you choose to pursue, we wish you good luck in your venture!
Keep Reading: 5 Key Ways To Inspire Employees For The New Year
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Adam Christing is a professional comedy magician, virtual MC, and the founder of CleanComedians.com. He is a member of the world-famous Magic Castle in Hollywood and a popular corporate entertainer, magician, and virtual speaker.