Asking yourself great questions about your career is a great step towards excelling in your current position, or potentially finding a role that’s an even better fit for you.
It only takes a few minutes to answer these questions. Give it a try and see if you come away with insights you hadn’t been aware of previously. You’ll be glad you did!
What are my goals?
Yes, I started with one that might feel overwhelming if you think you need to have your entire life planned out. Consider a shorter timeframe – the next month, or the next three months. What do you want to learn? What do you want to accomplish? How do you want to give back to others? Who do you want to meet?
Any one of those questions can turn into a goal. Of course, this is not an exhaustive list of questions you can ask to discover your goals – just a few to get you thinking.
What have I accomplished?
If we’re doing this exercise for the first time, look back on a reasonable amount of time, like the last year or the last six months. When you ask these questions on a regular basis, you’ll simply note what you’ve accomplished since the last time you asked. You may be able to check off some goals when you record what you’ve accomplished.
When you reflect on what you’ve accomplished you may find you are adding more value than you give yourself credit for, or you may find you haven’t made as much progress as you’d like. Either way, you have information to guide your direction going forward.
Who have I helped?
I bet you’ve helped more people than you think. The way you helped may have been big or small, but it’s good to give ourselves credit. We see how we are adding value in different ways than just doing what we’re asked to do at work.
What counts as helpful? You already know the answer. Perhaps you taught someone a new skill or volunteered to watch their dog while they were away. Or maybe it was a bigger commitment, like mentoring a new employee. Or you gave someone a sincere compliment and it made their day. Whatever it is for you, note it.
Who helped me?
Note the people who have helped you. The assistance could have been big or small. For the people on your list, consider acknowledging them with a note or a call. I’m sure they will appreciate the feedback!
What energized me?
One of my favorite questions, paired with the next one on the list. Here we consider what we were doing when we felt energized, when we lost track of time, and when we looked forward to the activity. These energizing activities are worthy of note because it helps us understand when we’re “in the zone” and what we enjoy doing. This can be helpful information when figuring out what our next role should be.
What drained me?
On the flipside, what activities and tasks were draining? What do you procrastinate on? What tasks do you just not like doing? This list is also very helpful when figuring out what our next role should be because we certainly don’t want to be stuck in a role where all we do are tasks that drain us, right?
Make it a habit
Answering these questions on a regular basis will help you spot patterns that will help you grow and excel in your career. The tricky part is it is easy to let this activity slide because it falls in Quadrant 2 (Q2) – Important but Not Urgent. Schedule time on your calendar and commit to doing the exercise. Your future self will be glad you did!