Measuring Small Achievements, Setting Ambitious Goals

By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Phew! This was one busy summer here at The Glass Hammer – and according to a recent online poll of our readers it’s likely been a busy one for you too!

Only 11 percent of you said you wouldn’t be taking any work on vacation this summer. Twelve percent said you’d be working during vacation – or at least checking in a few times. And – the bad news – a whopping 64 percent of our respondents asked, “what vacation?”

Yikes! We hope you got the rest you needed, because this fall is going to be a busy one. We’re running (at least) three events between now and the end of the year (including this year’s breakfast panel in our popular Top Women on the Buy-Side event series and our Women in Technology career development panel) and we’ve got a few more plans underway as well.

You, no doubt, also have plenty of big business targets to accomplish before the end of 2012. So now as you take last big gulp of summer air before sprinting toward the end of the year, it might be the perfect opportunity to take stock of the career resolutions you set in January. In fact, it might be the perfect time to think about the big, intimidating career aspirations you have too.

Be brave – is the work you’re doing now going to get you where you want to go?

Taking Stock of Your Goals

It’s hard to believe summer is already over – but, as September marches forward, the kids go back to school, and temperatures drop ever so slightly, it’s a great time to check in with the career and business resolutions we set at the beginning of 2012.

What did you hope to achieve this year? Was it a specific goal like a promotion or raise? Or was working to achieve an improvement of your own professional skills – like networking more, becoming a better delegator, or finding a career sponsor? Either way, successful career management means setting targets and measuring your own improvements. And while we’re at it, how are you faring in your quest toward those aspirations that don’t get achieved in just a year, but could be five- or ten-year goals – or even a lifetime?

Driving your career toward a big future means setting ambitious, risky, maybe even seemingly-impossible goals. And that can also make you a better leader too. As Joanna Barsh and Susie Crasnton explain in their book “How Remarkable Women Lead,” setting big goals can help inspire you – and those around you.

They write:

“With purpose, setting goals becomes easier. You find the courage to ace new challenges. Many women leaders… found that setting goals impossible to reach in a few steps inspired them to greater heights.  Indeed, taking a narrow view—staying in your comfort zone – usually leads to small goals and small achievements. Doing what you once thought was undoable is incredibly energizing.”

In order to achieve big things, you have to step out of your comfort zone. It can be frightening, but it’s a necessary leap toward the destiny you dream of.

Risk and Failure

In May, our writer Robin Madell explored the notion of failure. After attending the Anita Borg Women of Vision awards, she was inspired by the candid stories shared by the honorees, about the big, painful failures they’d faced. All extremely accomplished, celebrated women, they told the stories that don’t often make it on the speaker bio. From handling rejection and work-life challenges, to situations like dropping out of high school and dealing with drinking and drug abuse, the women felt compelled to share the other side of their lives.

It was a touching reminder that leaders are, in fact, human, and human drama is no excuse for avoiding career risks. In her August follow-up piece, Robin discussed why it’s so important to talk about failure, rather than hide it away – that way we can learn from it.

Barsh and Cranston agree – they write that “valleys (along with peaks) are normal and an essential part of the growing process.”

Today, as you’re running a personal diagnostic on this year’s career resolutions and your long-term goals, why not add one last item to the list: how have you failed this year? If you can’t think of any missteps or challenges, perhaps it’s time to recalibrate the size of the risks you’re taking as you work toward your personal career aspirations.