Staying where we already are in our careers can sound like a welcome break from constant workplace changes, but the working world keeps moving, whether we keep going or not. If we want to make healthy progress in our own careers or improve our teams, we need to learn new skills, sharpen our tools, and develop as people. But where do we start? By setting learning goals.
Learning goals are specific, measurable targets you set yourself that help you focus your efforts in the right places and track your progress. By defining exactly what you want to achieve, you can choose your direction, build your progress roadmap, stay motivated, and reach your destination.
Planning Your Learning Roadmap
Planning your learning roadmap is all about making your goals realistic and achievable, and planning exactly how to get there. So, are you ready to start goal-setting? Here are some simple steps for creating your learning roadmap:
Find Where You Are
Take an honest look at where you are right now. What are your strengths and weaknesses? Identifying the gaps between where you are and where you want to be will help you choose your route to getting there and decide which areas you need to work on.
Zoom in and Set Specific Destinations
Unclear goals like "improve my communication skills" are hard to work with. How do you know when you've arrived at your destination? Be specific with your goals, like "give engaging presentations without getting nervous by the end of this year".
Set Journey Deadlines
Having a timeline gives you a clear arrival time to aim for, helps you track your progress, and helps you break down bigger goals into smaller more manageable steps. Set yourself up for success by setting a deadline that includes time for some mistakes and personal growth. Nobody is perfect.
Use Company Routes
Make sure your personal career goals fit well with the broader goals of your team or company. Choosing a personal destination that's on the same route as the company desintation, makes it much easier to ask for support and use company resources.
Find Your Tools
Plan and pack the toolkit you'll need on your journey as part of your learning roadmap. Look into online courses, workshops, mentoring programs, and training opportunities offered by your workplace. Don't be afraid to ask colleagues or experts for guidance and feedback along the way. Think about what's available online too.
Lock It In
Putting your learning roadmap on paper helps your goals feel more real and concrete, and it can help you track your progress and stay accountable. You can use a notebook, a digital document, or even create a vision board, whatever works best for you. Having roadmap where you can see it can stop you getting lost.
Wrap Up
'Continuous learning' can be seen as a modern business buzzword, but it really is essential for keeping teams and organizations healthy and developing. We learn new things and update our knowledge constantly, so don't be afraid to change and update your goals as you go. Celebrate your wins, you've earned it, but be open to changing your methods and goals to fit the new opportunities that come your way.
At the end of the day, setting learning goals is all about being the most adaptable, skilled, and employable you can be. So get out there, create your roadmap and set some goals, document them, and watch yourself grow. Turn your career dreams into practical achievable roadmaps, and in time - into your reality.
Helpful links
How to Set Career Goals and Achieve Them - a 3-minute read about setting and achieveing your career goals by Forbes.