Setting development goals is easy; achieving them is hard. For this article, let's define a development goal as any desired behavior change, perspective, or approach that would only happen with direct focus, commitment, and plan. We set development goals when we need to do something that hasn't happened yet and isn't likely to happen on its own.
Technology has made it easier than ever for us to access the latest information on knowledge, skills, and best practices, and most people are capable of quickly learning new concepts. The primary challenge for achieving your professional development goals is not learning new knowledge and skills. The primary challenge is turning new perspectives, knowledge, and skills into desired behaviors in the midst of the speed and complexity of your daily work life.
Setting meaningful development goals is important, but it isn't enough. During times of complexity and change, it is easy to retreat to your comfort zone by over-relying on old habits that have served you well in the past but are inadequate for your new situation. One of the hardest lessons professionals must learn is how to challenge, update, and change long-standing behaviors that have served them well in the past but are not sufficient for the future.
3 Ways To Ensure Your Development Goals Result In Behavior Change
1) Practice
Practice is required to develop new habits, behaviors, and approaches. When creating a plan, you will need to create opportunities to practice your new ways of doing things. Your plan might include acquiring relevant missing knowledge or skills, but the most important activity in developing new habits and behaviors is practice. Below are some tips for setting yourself up for successful practice.
Establish An Accountability Partner: The American Society of Training and Development studied accountability and found that you have a 65% chance of completing a goal if you commit to someone. If you have a specific accountability appointment with a person you've committed to, you will increase your chance of success by up to 95%. This shows the real power of speaking your intention because it creates accountability and solicits support from others.
Plan For Obstacles: There will always be obstacles in achieving your development goals. Answering the following questions will help you prepare for the "One Big Thing" that could stop you from reaching your goal.
- What is the "One Big Thing" that will stand in the way of me accomplishing this behavior change?
- What can I do to stop this "One Big Thing" from getting in the way of my success?
Small Successes: Goals need immediacy to get your attention and to allow you to feel that progress is being made. Small successes are the building blocks of bigger wins because they create urgency and opportunities for success, which encourages continued effort.
2) Seek Feedback
Today's working environment is complex, fast-moving, and matrixed, making it necessary to understand when behaviors and actions are causing unintended issues quickly. The following research highlights why feedback is vital in the workplace despite it being difficult for providers and receivers.
- 62% of employees wish they received more feedback from their colleagues.
- 83% of employees appreciate receiving feedback, regardless of if it is positive or negative adjusting.
- 96% of employees said that receiving ongoing feedback is a good thing.
- 40% of workers are actively disengaged when they get little or no feedback.
The most sustainable long-term competitive advantage you can have is learning more quickly than your peers. Seeking feedback is essential to achieving this advantage. The practices below will encourage others to provide you with honest feedback.
Be Specific with Feedback Requests: If you ask general questions like "What can I do better?" it makes it difficult for others to understand what type of feedback is "okay" to provide. A more specific feedback request would be, "I am working on improving how I lead our team meetings. What am I doing that is getting in the way of our meetings being more collaborative?".
Ask for Feedback Often: As this becomes part of your routine, people begin to feel safe about providing feedback.
Avoid Defensiveness: If you respond defensively, you are telling others that it isn't safe to provide, nor do you value constructive feedback.
3) Practice Reflection
Your willingness to develop a practice of reflection is essential to evolve, adapt, and change to achieve your development goals. Research shows the outcomes of developing a regular habit of reflection provides the following benefits:
- An increase in self-awareness, emotional intelligence, the capacity for emotional regulation, and as a consequence, the ability to inspire, influence, and motivate others
- An enhanced ability to make decisions through good judgment
- Growth in the capacity to generate innovation through asking open questions and attending to the answers with an open mind
When reflecting, people often focus primarily on the results of their actions, which often proves to be short-sighted. Being effective at driving results and building relationships is critical for career success. This is why you need to take the time to reflect on both your results and relationships. Below are some results and relationship questions to consider when practicing reflection to pursue your development goals.
Reflection questions for Results and Relationships
Professional development goals list in a note.
Remember that you won't be perfect. In any behavior change, setbacks and reverting to old undesired habits are common. You should not view setbacks as failures that can cause disappointment and loss of the drive to accomplish the goal. Accept and understand that an occasional failure or setback is part of any behavioral change process. When there are setbacks, use them as an opportunity for self-reflection, resulting in insights and actions that will guide you forward.
