Shine at Work®

79 | Putting Together A Plan To Achieve Your Career Goals

• Season 4 • Episode 79

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WOW!  I can't believe we are wrapping up season 4 of the Shine At Work podcast!  We had SO many amazing guests who shared their own career journeys as well as their advice on how to achieve your goals and shine bright in work and life!  This season we focused on various themes including mental and physical health, negative self-talk, imposter syndrome, remaining true to your values and being authentic in your career and your life and so much more!   In this episode, we will bring it all together and talk about how to map out your career goals and share them with others.

In this episode, you will specifically learn how to…

  • Identify career goals - what does success look like and how does it tie to bigger life goals?  
  • Identify the gaps - where are the gaps and opportunities and how do you fill them?  Is it through going to school, is it on the job training or a networking group?
  • Map out the plan - what are the things you need to do to make your goals possible?  What are the obstacles?  What are the steps?
  • Write the goals down - Are the goals tangible?  Write down the steps to get there. Tell everyone - you never know who can help you reach those goals!

Links mentioned…

Self Reflection
Development Plan 

I’m Karen Weeks, the CEO & Chief Shine Officer (aka transformation coach) at KDW Coaching, the host of the Shine at Work podcast, award winning culture leader (currently leading the People team at Ordergroove), a speaker and published author. My purpose is to help career-oriented humans get unstuck so they can shine bright in business and in life.  And I know how that feels, I navigated a career from theatre & the arts to HR (with lots of twists and turns there) to expanding my career into coaching as well. I live in NYC with my husband and furry babies!

 Connect with Me!

As always, please consider subscribing, leaving a rating and review and sharing this podcast and the whole series with others.  We do this podcast to help spread the word that everyone can get unstuck and find the thing that brings them joy in their careers.  If our guests can do it, you can too!  


Welcome to the Shine at Work Podcast! On this show, your co-hosts Karen and Dan will shine a light on your job search so you can land a role that lets you flex your strengths and progress your career in an environment you actually look forward to working in each day. From creating a stand-out resume, to confidently negotiating your salary, to finding your footing as a new manager, you can expect to hear actionable advice to help you shine your brightest in your role.

Karen D. Weeks is the CEO and Chief Career Coach of Shine at Work Coaching. She has over twenty years of HR experience, including as CPO at Ordergroove.

Dan Carr is a Shine at Work Career Coach with over a decade of recruiting experience helping high-growth startups expand with top talent.

Connect with Us!

Karen Weeks:

Hello my friends welcome to the shine network podcast. I'm your host Karen weeks. As a transformation career coach and culture and people leader. My goal is to help career oriented humans get unstuck, so that they can shine brighter in business and in life. I believe that you deserve a career that lights you up. Because spoiler alert, it also impacts how bright you shine in your life. This season. Each week, we will focus on a key skill that you need to shine at work, and inspirational stories on ways to navigate your career. Because I know what it feels like when your light is dim. I made a career change from theater to HR, and now expanded to coaching. And at times in my life, I had to take a look deep inside to see what was most important, what made me shine bright, and make adjustments along the way. It's possible. I did it, my guest did it. And I help others do it every day. I hope you walk away from each episode not just inspired, but with some actionable advice. And I hope that you find it so valuable that you subscribe to the podcast, leave a review, and tell your friends because we all deserve to shine bright in our lives, specifically at work. Okay, let's jump in into this week's episode. Hello, my friends, I hope you had a great week. Thank you so much for always coming back and listening to another episode of shine at work. And if this is your first one, thank you so much for finding us. I really hope that you find this episode, both inspiring and really action oriented. Because guess what, this is the wrap up to the season, I cannot believe that we have made it to the end of the season. So far. It feels like it flew by we had so many great guests, and I am so thankful for their time. But I also really hope that everything that you learned that this year has really been helpful for you in your career journey. And one thing that I always like to call out is everything that we talked about is applicable to whether you are trying to navigate your role internally and thinking about what's next for you and your career, whether you're just on the hunt for a new job, or whether you're thinking about a total career change. Hopefully all of this has been helpful for you no matter what. So before I dive into today's final topic, I really just want to kind of talk through everything that we've done this season. And the reason for that is it all kind of brings us to this moment, because there's actually a plan behind the scenes when I do this. So let's just kind of look back this year, we had some real themes that we were trying to focus on. One is around building confidence in your career, and really feel like you're leaning in and proactively getting ahead of what's important to you in your career. So some of the things that we talked about that sort of tied to this was we talked to Alex about how to really recognize burnout and unhappiness, and take back control of your career so that you feel like you are able to shine your brightest, because you're the healthiest, you're in a good space. And that will lead to confidence, when you don't feel good, or when you're really burnt out. Of course that impacts how you are able to lead and really be able to be productive and efficient and healthy in your career. So we talked about some tips there. We also talked a lot about negative self talk, letting go of people's expectations of yourself, the baggage you might be carrying with you, and how you can turn that into more positive thoughts. And I can statements or it's possible. So when you remove that noise from your head, or remove at least the negative noise from your head, you're really able to stand taller and prouder and say I got this like, I'm going to be able to figure this out, I can do this. We also talked to Aaron about impostor syndrome, and taking more of the chat role in the conversations, and really sort of thinking about what makes you great. And how can you bring your special sauce to the table. And again, with impostor syndrome, often that comes from the baggage of previous experiences where you're thinking, Oh, well, you know, anyone can do this, or I don't know why I'm in this meeting, you were brought into this career, because you know your stuff, you got this. And so really reminding yourself of that. And then we finally talked with Julia around authenticity and how to do it in a way that feels right for you. Because when you're able to be your authentic self. And when you're able to drive the career that you want through the life that you want to lead. That's when you're able to be your most confident. And by the way, once you know these things about yourself, and once you know what's important to you, you will then also be more confident in your job search. You'll be more confident in asking for that promotion at work or figuring out a new role in your company. So you'll be able to have a stronger voice in those conversations because you'll know why. Why do you want to move into this role? Why are you feeling stuck today? Then you feel stronger in your ask. So in addition to competence we also really leaned in on some key skills that you need throughout your career, and to help drive your career forward. So one of the episodes we talked about is how to know if you're just having a bad day or a bad week, or if you're really hitting the ceiling, or it's really time to move on, and how to distinguish between the two, how to track your time and your emotions around? How often do you feel that way, sometimes, when you're in the thick of it, you are like, this is horrible, I got to get out. But if you kind of look at it over a couple of weeks, or over a month, you might recognize Oh, it was just a bad day or a bad week, or what you might notice is themes are on why you felt that way. So we talk about why a lot? Is it because you found yourself working on a project, and that was when you really felt your lowest? What was it about that project that didn't sink for you? Or maybe it was every time you had a certain conversation? Or every time you had to work on a certain thing? And is that based on the scope of your role today? Or something you can redefine within your role? Is it company culture? Are you in a in a team that isn't right for you, to you and your manager not sync? So really sort of understanding what's driving that feeling of I gotta get out of here. We also talked to Aaron Galloway. And by the way, I love how we had to Aaron's on in the season. But Aaron talked a lot about building the skill of habit forming, and how can we really make sure that we are taking the time to figure out the right way to go about a career change, because finding a new job is a full time job. And so what habits do you need to build in order to really be successful in navigating that search, to keep your energy up to recognize that you're going to have ebbs and flows? So what do you need to do in order to keep navigating, keep pushing through. And building strong habits is one way to do that. We also talked to Lauren about how to be the goat. And this is really about building your personal brand. So we talked about confidence and authenticity, and impostor syndrome. But how do you all bring that together and say, This is why I'm the best. This is what I bring to the table. This is what makes me special, this is my superpower. Because once you identify that you can really lean into that when you're having job interviews when you're talking to your manager, when you're building your internal brand, so that people will consider you for different things. So really knowing what makes you the goat will then help you be stronger in your job is to hear about what you want to do next. And then the final skill we talked about was around interviewing. So how do you answer some of those tough questions in those interviews. So it might be about a job gap or why you're leaving your current team especially because you know, it's sort of a dramatic situation, how to talk about compensation, anything else that might be more uncomfortable for you in the interview process? And how to make sure you're prepared to answer those questions. Because you know, they're going to come up, so be ready for them. And then finally, we talked about ways that you can really feel fulfilled in your career, what are some ways to make sure that you're inspired? So we talked to Chris about their experience about finding a mentor, and finding a path for you in a career that maybe you weren't expecting, or you have a different background? And so you're really trying to think about what is the right career for you. And we tied to that with our conversation with Aviva around finding a career that fits your values, and really finding a career where you can have a voice that's important to you. And so we work a lot. And yes, you may have found a job that you want to do. But how do you feel inspired in that job? How do you surround yourself with people who inspire you? How do you find people who will help you navigate your career? And how do you find a company or a role or an industry that fits who you are as a person, because that's really when you will shine your brightest is when all of that comes together. So you've got the role that you like to do, you've got the confidence that you can do it, you've got the skills in order to do it. And it's the right fit for you as a human. So all of that comes to our final conversation today. How to map out your career, and how to identify career goals that are right for you, and then share them with others. So let's put together a plan to achieve your goals. So I'm going to list out a bunch of questions that might help you think through what are some important career goals for you. I'm also going to share a worksheet or two in the show notes about how to lead your self soothe through some of the self reflection. I'm gonna give you some of the questions today. But these worksheets go a lot deeper. And that might help some additional either journaling or reflection or conversations with your loved ones or friends that you trust about what's going to be important to you. All right, my friends, we're getting towards the mid part of the year. How are you doing against your career goals? Are you feeling a little stuck? Were you hoping to make more progress than you have? Have you talked to your manager about hoping to get a promotion or make an internal move or take on new projects, and you haven't seen that quite come to fruition yet. Or maybe you're approaching the middle of the year and you're going, Oh, my God, I still have no idea what I want to do, or I don't know what I want my goals to be over the next couple of years, or for the rest of this year even. Well, let me tell you how I can help you. We talk a lot about career changers on this podcast. And that's true, a lot of folks that I work with are trying to make some sort of career change. But I also work a lot with people who are just trying to identify their career goals, and figure out where they want to go in their career. And it's very possible that there are lots of opportunities at your current role. Or maybe you just found that new opportunity, and you're trying to set yourself up for success in your new company. Either way, I can help you identify what your goals need to be, how to talk to your manager about them, and then really identify a path forward to really help you achieve all those things that you're looking to achieve in your career. So if you're trying to figure out how to be successful this year, or in the future years, and you need a little help, let's connect, I can help you figure out a path forward and really make sure that you are shining at work for the rest of this year and in future years. So let's first figure out what is success going to look like? What does success look like for you? In six months? A year, three years? How does that tie to bigger life goals? So we're gonna focus on your career During this conversation, but how does that fit into any life goals that you have as well? What's different? What's the same? When I think about my journey at different stages of my career, I knew that in my HR career, I often went back and forth between being a generalist and being a specialist. So literally being an HR generalist, or an HR business partner, where you're working on a lot of different things in the HR field. Or I would focus on being a training manager or leading an ops team. And so really more specialized within the HR field. And so as I thought about different moments in my career, I purposely made those changes. And by the way, a lot of times, I did that all in the same company. And I was very fortunate to have the support of my team to make those moves within my own company. But I knew I wanted to keep building different skill sets. And so I would say, Okay, I've now been in this role for a year and a half a year from now, I think I'm ready to go back into a generalist role, or I really enjoy this, but I want to better understand and better add value in this one particular area. So I think over the next six months, I want to figure out how to move into a more specialized role again, so I would purposely map that out within my career. So as you think about what does that look like over the next six months, year, three years, whatever is the right timeframe for you? What are the gaps? So if it's moving into a new role? What skill gaps do you have today? And how do you maybe need to fill those? If you want to move up in your career, like maybe into a manager role or something like that? What needs to change there? What are some experiences that you don't have under your belt yet? If you want to totally change careers? What do you need to do in order to start playing in that space? How do you need to start meeting people in that area? Maybe you actually want to change location, right? Like, as you think about how it ties into your life, while a lot of people get to work remote this day, these days? And maybe it doesn't impact your career? Maybe it does. So maybe you want to think about a bigger life change, and how does your career fit into that? And how do you sort of need to map out how those two things need to align? So let's just do something basic, like I want to move to a new city. So I'm in New York, now I want to move to San Francisco. Are there things I need to think about in order to make that move? When it comes to my career? Will my company allow that move? Can I work from that city? Do I need to think about a job change? What are the things that you need to do both literally or put into place or create a map for what you need to do to get to that next spot, in order to make it possible? Some people find it really helpful to actually pick a final destination and then work backwards. So in those cases, I was like, Okay, here's what I want to go, here's what I want to do. Here's Step 1234. To get there. Other people say this is where I want to go, now I need to work backwards. So for example, I want to be a manager in two years, okay, well, in order to be a manager, I probably need to start mentoring people. So in order to mentor people, I need to become an expert in my field, or I need to build some more relationships with my peers, or I need to just even talk to my manager about what that might look like in my organization. I want to take a training course about being a new manager. So figure out what you wanna do and then maybe take some steps backwards in order to get there because that then ends up building out your map. So everybody thinks differently, so think about the right way for you. Now think through what might hold you back. This might be real, like you literally don't have time to do something you've never had the experience of that'd be you don't have the skill, especially if you want to make a career change. I am an HR and I want to move into product. Well, I've never been a product manager before. So maybe I should take some classes on being a product manager or learn more about it. So that's a, that's a real thing that might hold me back, right? Like I have to conquer that. It could be perceived as anyone from HR ever moved into product, or I There isn't that I already have a manager, I don't know how I turn would move into management because there's already a manager there, they're not going anywhere. But that might be more perceived, because maybe there's opportunities to split your team. And so maybe they're going to need a second manager. Or maybe there's another management role available within your organization. Or yeah, maybe it's time to look outside your organization as well. But let's identify what those hurdles are real or perceived. Because once you identify them, then you can actually work through them. And part of your plan will be how to work through those. So you've identified where you want to go, and what success is going to look like. You've identified some gaps in order to get there, you've figured out whether it's a path forward or sort of working backwards, you figured out some milestones that you need to hit along the way, and you thought about some possible obstacles. So now it's time to write it down. We're going to write it down with actionable language and timelines attached. So first of all, a lot of people ask me about smart goals and the right Raido the right way to write a goal. So whatever your goal is, you want to make sure it's tangible. So I want to be a manager in two years, I want to move out of my current industry in six months, just identify something that is very specific, then you can write out the first couple of steps you're going to take in order to get there, I'm going to find a management coach to help me become a manager, I'm going to learn a new skill, and I'm going to take a class, I'm going to go join an online networking group that's in the new area that I want to target. So you want to set a goal that's real and tangible and actionable. And then you want to write down a couple of steps in order to get there. Spoiler alert, in addition to the reflection worksheet that I talked about earlier, that will help you identify what some of these things could be, I also am going to include in the show notes, a development plan template, so that you can actually write this down and have a guide. If the flow doesn't work for you, that's totally fine. But at least it starts you on your path of identifying what it is you want to do and how you're actually going to get there. And then finally, tell everyone I get you may or may not want to tell people at work, depending on what your goals are, I understand that. But think about holistically who could actually help you achieve this goal first. So that could be someone in your organization, especially because the opportunities might be there. I know we talk a lot about career changes in the sense of moving outside your company. But the a lot of great opportunities. And often the best way to make a career change is internally first. So if unless it's something drastic of, I want to change industries, or I hate what I do, first of all, I would challenge you to think about actually, you might want to be telling your manager that because maybe it is time to move on. And they can actually support you and help you during that. But if that's not right for you yet, talk to everyone else, because you never know who could help you. You may think you know, but you actually may never know you're at a barbecue this summer, if because it's spring right now, this summer, you might be at a barbecue and someone asked the typical question of what do you do or what's going on for you in your life. And you start talking about well, I'm actually thinking about making a career change, or I'm actually thinking about getting into management, or I'm trying to make this internal move. And they might say, Oh, I know someone who did that I know someone who moved from client services to product. I know someone who left teaching to join the quote unquote, corporate space. I know someone who was able to maneuver in internal move or got a promotion to be a manager on their team. You should talk to them. Let me introduce them. My cousin did this. My roommate did this. My spouse does this. You never know who might help you. So at family gatherings with friends, just talking to neighbors, whoever you talk to in your life, heck, even your chiropractor like who do when they say hey, how are you this week? Oh, I got a little tweak here. Anything else go on your life? Yeah, I'm actually thinking about this thing. Like you just never know. So really talk to everyone because not only could they help you, there is real science and research around. The more you talk about your goals, just like writing down your goals, the more possible they're going to be to achieve. So there's tons of articles out there around. You know, if you write down your goals, you're more likely to achieve them. If you share your goals with others, you're more likely to achieve them. So take those steps to do it. So to wrap up today, in this whole season, I always He's challenge you to do something different. So as you think about everything we've talked about in this season, and as you think about setting your career goals, think about one step that I've laid out today to identify your goals, and then make a deadline for yourself to have a plan in place. Let's target a week. So take the next week to do the self reflection that we've talked about. And then start writing down your goals. Give your time to reflect, and be honest with yourself. So maybe take five days to reflect and then take two days to start writing down those goals. Come up with one goal and one action that you want to do over the next week. And then start sharing those goals. Share them with me, email me, message me online, share your goals, and I will see how I can help you achieve them. And no matter what I'm just going to be cheering you on because you've committed to making a change, which is always so exciting. Because when you know where you want to go in the future, and you have a plan to get there, you will shine brighter. So I will see you in a few months for season five. Stay tuned for more information about that. Thank you as always for listening and supporting. I hope this was helpful. I hope this was inspiring for you. And until we meet again, remember, we all deserve to shine at work and at life. Thank you so much for listening to the shine at work podcast. If you enjoyed today's episode, please subscribe and leave a review. Leaving a review takes just a few minutes and truly helps other people find the podcast. If you want to learn more about how I work with people to help transform their careers, and shine brightly in their lives. Let's connect. I work with amazing humans one on one to help them make a career change, go for that promotion, set career goals and build a plan for success for a new job. I also lead group programs for new managers that are navigating this huge change in their careers and entrepreneurs who are building their teams for the first time. If any of that sounds like it could be helpful for you. You can email me directly at Karen at guarantee weeks.com or message me through Instagram LinkedIn or my website. I just want to give a final shout out as always to astronaut go home for our music and novice studios for making the podcast come to life. Until next time, remember that you can and deserve to shine at work