5 Reasons Why Goal Setting Is Important For Your Career

While goal setting is nothing new, it is a technique that is used by some of the world's most successful people. Goals allow you to set intentions, which encourages you to plan how to get there and action your plan.

1. Goal setting can improve performance as an employee

2. Goal setting can lead to greater job satisfaction

3. Goal setting can boost your self-esteem and help you realise your value

4. Goal setting can help you align your next career step

5. Goal setting can positively affect your work/life balance

1. Goal setting can improve performance as an employee

Dr. Edwin Locke and Dr. Gary Latham spent many years researching the theory of goal setting, during which time they identified five elements that must be present to achieve our goals.

According to Locke and Latham, five goal-setting principles can improve our chances of success:

• Clarity

• Challenge

• Commitment

• Feedback

• Task complexity

If the goals you set (or your superiors' goals for you) are specific and challenging but not too challenging that you give up, you can achieve higher performance because you become motivated to succeed. 

2. Goal setting can lead to greater job satisfaction

High tenure can be rewarding; however, it can often lead to an unchallenging or boring job. There are ways to avoid these feelings, and one way to do so is by setting goals. Goal setting can provide you with more interesting tasks and challenges so you can start to enjoy your work more. It can also push you toward continuous improvement and great satisfaction.

3. Goal setting can boost your self esteem and help you realise your value

Becoming complacent in a role can lead to symptoms of low confidence and self-sabotage – where you tell yourself that you couldn’t get another role even if you tried. This is where goal setting can help. Goal setting can help motivate you to learn new skills, improving your self-belief and confidence.  

4. Goal setting can help you align your next career step

In a candidate-driven market, knowing which opportunities to run with and which ones to turn away can be difficult. Replying to recruiter InMails, applying for new positions or even being part of an interview process can be highly time-consuming. Setting goals will help you establish which opportunities to run with and invest the time in.

5. Goal setting can positively affect you work/ life balance

Being stuck in a position or company you hate can be stressful. Not knowing where you're going next and what actions to take can add pressure. Setting goals encourages you to plan precisely what you must do to move forward and improve. Your goals could include getting a better job or working towards a promotion. Whatever your goals, having them written down is the first step towards achieving them.

It is also important to remember that goal setting doesn't have to include striving for the next best thing. Goals may be outside of work, such as spending more time with your family.

The key to not abandoning your goals? Check out this blog.