Focus on What You Can Do Right in 2022 to Achieve Your Professional Goals
“The secret to change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” Socrates
New year = new you, right? Instead of focusing on what went wrong in 2021, let’s focus on what you can do right in 2022 to build towards achieving your goals. No matter what your goal is — you want to attract top talent / decrease turnover, bring new technology into your office / learn a new skill, etc. — it’s important to take the right approach.
We’ve updated eight – easily attainable – tips to start the new year with clear eyes, an open mind, and a strong path to professional success in 2022.
1. Take a stand against distractions.
Manage distractions and encourage teams to do the same to enhance productivity and workplace happiness. Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, found it can take 23 minutes just to get back to where you left off after a distraction.
2. Surround yourself with great professionals who can provide different perspectives.
These can be mentors, friends, colleagues, industry groups, etc. Make it a point to understand what people are working on and how you impact their work, especially those within your field that could offer new insight or professional growth opportunities for your career.
3. Focus on your strengths. “Jack of all trades, master of none”
Understand where you excel and focus on that core capability for growth this year. Being all things to all people can hinder professional growth, stretches resources and can dilute the ability to perform.
4. Make sure your plan for 2022 stays relevant.
Your plan should be documented, outlining clear measures of success for each goal. The vision and goals must also be communicated. It is also critically important to actively monitor progress on the plan throughout the year.
5. If you do not yet have a plan for 2022, make one now.
The best way to start the year off strong from a planning perspective is to prepare at the end of the current year and lock down as much of the new year’s goals and plans before January 1 rolls around. No plan yet? Our December newsletter can help you build a good plan that can make the difference on whether or not you achieve your goals.
6. Set stretch goals.
You would be surprised what people can accomplish when the bar is set high. It can drive out-of-the-box thinking which can spur exponential change versus moderate improvement. Just make sure what is set are “stretch” goals to inspire and not “completely unreachable” goals that will overwhelm.
7. Ask yourself what you need to start, continue or stop doing.
This exercise can be tremendously helpful both personally and professionally. Make a list of last year’s accomplishments to motivate the same behavior that achieved good results and failures so you do not repeat them. Want to earn a new certification, learn a new technology… make a plan and commit to that plan!
8. Commit to communicating with your team on a consistent basis.
Make it a point to build time into your calendar for connecting with your team. The frequency of this connection should be dependent on your structure and based on necessity. Setting a regular time to catch up can open opportunities to collaborate on projects and make the team feel more connected to one another.
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Here are a few helpful articles to help create your road map to setting and achieving goals in 2022:
Anyone Can Start Strong, But Here’s How to Stay Strong The New Year
Everyone wants to start the year strong; unfortunately, most people don’t really know where to begin. Most start with high hopes and unrealistic expectations and then abandon their goals.
Top 5 Ways to Start the Year Off Right
Don’t let the new year sneak up on you. Now is the perfect time to follow these 5 ways to start the year off right, and take charge of what you are getting out of life.
Many employees could be in for pay hikes of 5% or more in 2022
This year may be your chance to get a big raise. As employers try to retain talent amid the “Great Resignation,” many of them expect to pay more in salaries and/or bonuses.
Want to know more about how we are helping our client companies attract and retain their top IT and Engineering talent? Let’s schedule a brief call so you can learn more about how we can help you achieve your staffing goals quickly and efficiently.