When I work with clients on goal setting, we talk about two different types of professional goals. A lot of organizations now have fairly robust and supportive annual goal setting processes. Each year, managers work with employees to set individual goals aligned with organizational goals, and check in with them on a regular basis to ensure progress toward these goals. These goals are good for the company, and, if done well, they can also be good for the individual.
It’s possible, however, that even with these robust processes, you might still feel like you are not moving forward in your career. Maybe you feel stagnant. Maybe you are doing well, you’re not necessarily UNhappy at work, but you don’t feel like you are moving forward.
I would ask you this: How often have you “zoomed out?”
The way I think about career development is that you always need to do both – Zoom In and Zoom Out. With the prevalence of touch screen technology, the idea really conjures up a sensory image. Picture your career map as a path, like an actual Google Maps set of directions.
Zoom In to consider your goals for right now, your very next step in this current location.
Zoom Out to attend to your long term goals – where you are headed, and where you might want to go next to get there.
When you spend all of your goal setting energy Zooming In, it’s great for your current job, but maybe not great for your long term plan!
Zooming Out means taking a step back and thinking of the big picture. What are your long term goals? Where do you want to be in 5-10 years? And once you consider that, what should you be doing now in order to work towards that?
My approach to Zooming Out is as follows:
- Name an aspirational target (with the understanding that it is NOT set in stone!), i.e. Where do you see yourself in 5, 10 years?
- Consider what the path might look like to get to that aspirational target (knowing that there are many possible paths).
- Identify one possible next step on that path.
- Do a gap analysis. What do you need to know and be able to do to take that next step, and how can you begin to work towards that?
This might feel incredibly obvious, but sometimes it’s helpful to see it written as steps.
After doing these four steps, you can use the information to set some goals for the upcoming year that move you along towards your aspirational goal. These are your Zoom Out goals.
Peaceful Coexistence
Both sets of goals are important. And at the end of the day, they need to be able to work together. Can you make progress on your Zoom Out goals while working towards your Zoom In goals? Will they work against each other or support one another? Can these two sets of goals peacefully coexist in your reality?
Don’t set yourself up for failure! If your Zoom In goals are currently very ambitious, you might need to take a breather from your Zoom Out progress. But if that seems to be happening year after year AND you are not fulfilled in your current role, you might need to reevaluate where your attention is going.
How often do YOU Zoom Out? Share below!
Need some support with Zooming Out, or goal setting in general? Reach out to Almavina Strategic Partners. We are setting up Cohorts for peer mentoring and support and have a workshop series that is completely dedicated to goal setting. Schedule a consultation and we’ll determine the best fit!
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