TJ - The Publication for Learning and Development

Hints & Tips

By Simon Bartley (February 2008 Issue)
0 Comments Comments
Article Rating:

Poor Best

Email to a friend | Print Version

6 tips on lining up your goals for 2008

Some time after the fourth helping of turkey, many people’s thoughts turn to new year’s resolutions.

Joining the gym is obviously a worthy resolution for the new year. So, too, is deciding to stop smoking or taking up that hobby you’ve always wanted to do.

While these can make your life healthier and happier, will they get you that promotion, pay rise or dream job? What resolutions have you made for your work?

Goals are essential to getting where you want to go in life. You only need look at the English football team’s qualifying matches for Euro 2008 to see the importance of achieving your goals.

Here are some steps to get your thinking under way, plus some examples from National Training Award winners who have set and achieved their career goals – and are now working towards new ones.

  1. Think seriously about your future. Where do you want to be in your career in 12 months’ time? What do you want to be doing in 10 years’ time?
  2. Find your motivation for change. The right motivation will give you the energy you need to establish new habits and carry you through temporary setbacks. As a young tailor in Trinidad, Andrew Ramroop dreamed of working in Savile Row. Today he owns Maurice Sedwells on Savile Row and has set up a tailoring academy to train the elite tailors of the future.
  3. Look out for opportunities around you. Health and safety consultant Andrew Hoskins wanted to run his own business but was not sure what field it should be in. The answer came when he was given the chance to become his company’s health and safety officer. Eventually he set up his own health and safety training and consultancy business.
  4. Find the right course. You might need new skills to progress in your current job or have to gain a whole new qualification if you want to change career. Dorothy Spry started her learning journey with a social science foundation qualification, which led on to two A-levels, then a psychology degree, and eventually to her becoming a fully chartered occupational psychologist. Check out the website of your local college, or those belonging to organisations such as learndirect (www.learndirect.co.uk) and City & Guilds (www.city&guilds.com). The Learning and Skills Council (www.lsc.gov.uk) can also assist with training on the job.
  5. Give all you’ve got to achieving your goal. Denise Hannibal had left school with no qualifications but she did not let this stop her from getting the qualifications she needed to become a learning mentor for a local council. She worked her way through various jobs and qualifications, carefully balancing her family commitments. She now oversees learning mentoring for 2,000 pupils, runs conferences and workshops, and has co-written a parenting programme.
  6. Celebrate your success. If you’ve achieved something worth shouting about, why not look at entering for a professional or industry award. Awards such as the National Training Awards give you an opportunity to benchmark your success against others and to celebrate. Visit www.nationaltrainingawards.com.

Simon Bartley is chief executive of the not-for-profit organisation UK Skills, which runs the annual National Training Awards as part of its work to champion skills and learning through competitions and awards. He can be contacted on +44 (0)20 7580 1011 or via www.ukskills.org.uk

 

We have only displayed above the opening paragraph of this article. If you are a TJ subscriber, login now so you can download a PDF of this article in full, free of charge. For non-subscribers the PDF can be purchased for £9.00 see the "Buy Now" Option above.

Click here for a free 30 day trial to Training Journal

Back to top | Current TJ

 

Readers Comment

Comment on this story here >

Be the first to comment on this news story