Big goals? Make your next step smaller.
By Danielle Mellema, Chief Ghostwriter, Digital Content Manager
Reaching ambitious goals doesn’t always require a totally new way of thinking, doing, or engaging. Often, real progress is made by stringing small steps or changes together, one building on the other, rather than overhauling your approach in one big burst of adrenaline and career-focused energy.
Do some situations require an all-in strategy with dramatic changes? Absolutely. If your company goes through a merger and you suddenly find yourself out of a job, or you hear buzz about your dream position becoming available in the near future and you want your digital footprint to match the quality of your work and expertise, then doing “the most” in a concentrated amount of time might be necessary.
In general, though, setting a goal and then creating an entirely new system or approach to enact that goal quickly leads to burn out and gets you only marginally closer to reaching your goal. Career growth over decades requires staying power. In the long run, it is almost always more effective to start with a small next step, evaluate, then increase your investment from there.
Here are a few examples of how you can make your next steps smaller when you’re tempted to do everything, all at once.
Goal: Get noticed by recruiters.
Too big: Send DMs and emails with your resume attached to 10 recruiters each week.
Make it smaller:
You are a go-getter with big goals, and that is going to help you on your career journey. But before you ask for attention from recruiting companies, you need to make sure you’re ready to receive their scrutiny. Rather than “pounding the digital pavement,” so to speak, to try to make a connection, first update and fine-tune your social media platforms. In the event that you are able to pique a recruiter’s curiosity, LinkedIn is likely the first place they will look to learn more about you. Make sure your Experiences are up-to-date, detailed, and consistently formatted. Add any Skills that set you apart. Write an engaging paragraph for your About section. Ask a colleague to write a Recommendation. Make sure you are putting your best foot forward online before trying to make connections.
Goal: Position myself as a thought leader in my industry and share my expertise and insights with others.
Too big: Launch a website and write a weekly blog on the hard-hitting topics of our day which will also be picked up by a reputable media platform.
Make it smaller:
Just write one article, share it on whatever platforms you have access to, and see how it goes. A website is an effective way to communicate your unique personal brand (and we enjoy helping our clients create them!) and it can offer a layer of legitimacy to your content if done well, but you don’t have to have all the bells and whistles to start sharing your experience and observations with others. Perhaps you’ll get some good engagement on your articles right off the bat, but even if the number of people who read your content starts off small, the writing process serves as an exercise in solidifying your voice, your opinions, and helps reveal what is unique about what you have to offer—all crucial things for anyone who desires to be a thought leader. Write one article about whatever you are most excited or interested in writing about, and take steps from there. If you need help getting started, just ask!
Goal: Foster a sense of community within our industry where people can share what they’re learning, collaborate with others, and be inspired by their insights.
Too big: Lead an organization-wide book club where we will meet once a week before work to discuss what we’re reading, while also daily sharing or commenting on anything I see online that might be inspiring to someone.
Make it smaller:
Seeking to inspire and learn from others is one of the traits that makes for a great leader. There’s also no need to go from zero to 60 in pursuit of this goal. Instead, try sharing one quotation from a leadership or personal growth book each week on your social media platforms, just to get the conversation going, and pay attention to what resonates. You could get together with one colleague once per month (or whatever frequency seems sustainable to you) to share what you are learning or get feedback or insights on a challenge you are experiencing in your work, and see if others want to join in.