You have decided to own your career by continuously growing to achieve Mastery, create Freedom, and leave a purpose filled Legacy. This is a life long pursuit and CareerTruth wants you to start by setting Prioritized Professional and Personal Goals that you can be pursuing right now.
You will first choose two Professional Goals that you want to improve to a new level of Mastery. Later in CareerTruth, you will be able to create detailed Action Plans that help you meet your goals. Once you have reached a level of Mastery – marked by a STAR experience or your ability to teach the skill gained in the Professional Goal – you will have the opportunity to mark your achievement and set a new Professional Goal and Action Plan for each new goal.
There are 14 types of Professional Prioritized Goals for you to choose and create near term outcomes that build to long term objectives to achieve Mastery. These professional goals are the building blocks on your career. Whether you wish to improve technical skills or develop as a leader, CareerTruth will help. There are also areas of professional development to help you be “of” the market in your career by building your brand or improving how you network. Within each of the 14 goals are many options for you to create meaningful development actions and share with your coach, advisor, or direct leader.
By showing professional growth, you will increase your value to your company and to the market. Increasing your professional value puts you in a position of strength and provides unlimited potential for your personal goals to be met or exceeded.
Which is why you must have Personal Prioritized goals set along side any professional prioritized goals. It’s imperative to know that work is a part of our lives, not something to be balanced as an equal. We call this Work-Life Flow. Your work must flow within your life. You must account for what is most important in your life and prioritize the improvement of your life by setting PERSONAL Prioritized Goals.
Over time, your Personal Prioritized Goals and circumstances can change. In one season of your career you may have few substantial obligations that require your time and resources. In another season, you may have limitations to your freedoms that require you not accept more work responsibilities.
Recognizing where you are in any season of your career and making intentional choices is Freedom. Freedom is not the ability to do anything you want. We must recognize the choices that provide a “gain”, but we must recognize those choices we make have “opportunity costs” or sacrifices.
As you build your Personal Inventory, you will document what is most important to you today as it pertains to Personal Prioritized Goals related to your work – such as how much money you make or flexible work schedule. You also will document Personal Prioritized Goals related to your life – such as your time with family, friends, and improving your physical and mental. You will use these Personal Prioritized Goals of work and life later as we develop your goals and Action Plans.
For all the decisions you make in your career, you must make sure to account for your holistic life across your three career arcs – Mastery, Freedom, and Legacy.
Later you will establish action plans and measures for each goal you have set that will launch you into a rhythm of accountability in setting, accomplishing, and updating professional and personal goals and actions that become the habit of innovation and continuous improvement of your career.