Some goals for 2010

For those who don't know me, I have never been a big fan of resolutions. I personally consider them jokes and something that people make, fully knowing that they do not intend to achieve them. That being said, I am a very big fan of goals and believe that every person and organization needs to have goals in order to succeed and most importantly, the goals need to be something that can not only be achieved, but will result in a stronger person and organization.

So what can we set as goals for the individual in 2010? Well there are always the personal goals such as losing weight, quitting smoking, exercising more and so on. Let me say that each of these are excellent ideas but we should be doing them anyway. These are life choices and really not what I had in mind. Rather, I would suggest we all try and find a way to improve ourselves professionally in the coming year. There are a number of ways we can do this. Some of which include:

Education-The world is changing faster than ever before. I find myself amazed that my 12 year old nephew can often explain things to me that I have never heard of before. I thought my parents were bad for not using one of those old answering machines with the tape that needed to be replaced every six months or so. Now I am in fear I may be reaching that level of technology illiteracy. Even social media presents an interesting obstacle for most professional who have been in the industry for more than 10 years. It is a fascinating world that is always changing and we need to make sure we keep up with the changes or risk being left behind.

So the first goal for 2010 should be to educate your self on the latest breakthroughs in technology. While I write mostly for marketing and communications people, this goes for anyone in any field. Either you learn when the train leaves the station or you're left on the platform.

Network-Everybody knows that networking is important to success in today's hyper-competitive job market place. Sadly, one of the inverse or negative results of social media is we believe we can sit back at the key board and meet people that way. Let me be crystal clear in my own opinion. Social media is not networking. In order to network you need to be out and meeting people and learning more about them and engaging them in conversation.

There is a big difference between between knowing someone and being a friend with someone. Your friend is someone who brings a smile to your face as you recall a funny story or a great conversation you had with them. They are someone you know right away is intelligent and whom you can assess nearly immediately their strengths and weaknesses.

Persevere-It is easy to say things are too hard and move on to something different. Speaking as a former hiring manager, if I was looking at two people and one person had better technical skills than the next, but the latter had stuck to their guns through thick and thin my first instinct would be to go with the one who persevered. There is a lot to be said for people who have passion and love what they do and don't see it as simply a pay check. These are people whom you can count on when times are tough to provide you with solid advice.

Having said that, you need to be sure you are not sticking to someone who for lack of a better word is the typical cockroach. Every organization has one. They survive ironically not because they are good at what they do, but because they spend as much time on self-promotion as helping the organization succeed. Fortunately I have found two sure-fire ways of warding off these people. Much like cockroaches and vampires, they hate direct sunlight. Ask them one or both of two questions, tell me about your greatest personal failure? When did you help the organization succeed but let someone else receive the credit.

Stay optimistic-This is one of those things that will be easier said than done! Being optimistic in tough times is extremely difficult but equally important. Discouragement can result in mistakes and missed opportunities. Remember that every opportunity is a gift and by opening it, we can achieve great things.

Go for it-I know HR people will hate me for saying this, but if there is a job you think you are qualified for then go for it. What is the worst that can happen? They can say no which as well know is more likely in this day and age. But if you do your homework, and prepare a well thought out appeal and present yourself as the problem solver they all need you will be surprised at how strong the positive response is.

This is only a partial list of my own goals for 2010. I am sure once I post this I will think of several more. But the important thing I believe is that we need to focus on what is going to happen, what we can contribute and most importantly why we are needed. To quote the Kink's "The past is gone and ain't coming back no more." Focus on what you can bring to the market and pretty soon you will be bringing them to it!