Still Time to Grow: Career Goals You Can Tackle Before Year-End

We’re more than halfway through the year, and if your career goals have taken a back seat to client work, deadlines or just the general busyness of life, you’re not alone. But there’s still plenty of time to reset, refocus and make meaningful progress before year-end. 

This isn’t about setting lofty resolutions you’ll forget by next week. It’s about making intentional moves now that can have a lasting impact on your career. Whether you want to stretch outside your comfort zone, develop as a leader or finally find better balance, small actions taken now can set you up for success for the rest of the year and well into the future. 

Use the ideas below to spark your thinking, take ownership of your growth, and finish the year strong. 

Stretch yourself 

As the days pass during the work week, we tend to put our heads down and work on tasks that fall within our expertise. Think about ways to change this natural tendency. Become the lead on a project. Take on a new challenge or responsibility. Participate in a new task force or meeting. Volunteer your time to help another. Allow yourself to do things that might be unfamiliar or uncomfortable to you and that get you out of your daily routine. You just might surprise yourself (and your supervisors or managers). 

Get a coach 

Take the time to find a coach at your firm. As you search for ways to grow at your job, they can help you get in alignment with what you need to do. Not sure where to start with coaching? I’ve learned you don’t have to jump in fully. You can start with baby steps, even if it’s just discussing one question at a time. Focus on one piece, not the whole picture.  

Be a delegate 

As we get busier with projects and day-to-day tasks during the year, we often find there are things we do that we don’t necessarily like doing. Maybe someone else could do better.  

If something always falls to the bottom of the priority list and never gets done, it’s ripe for delegation. We shouldn’t be wary of this word. Don’t be afraid to ask for assistance down, up or across your firm. It can help you avoid burnout, and small successes will make you want to delegate more.  

Develop a personal development plan 

Most goals we set at the beginning of a new year focus on specific tasks or to-dos. They’re often entirely career or work-focused and rarely take your personal and family goals or lifetime growth into account.  

A personal development plan encompassed all these factors. It can include overall career goals as well as personal and family goals, all wrapped into a single plan. These goals can be a culmination of what you want to accomplish over a lifetime, along with details on how to achieve them. Thinking holistically also helps you create a personal map to get there.  

Become a leader 

Perhaps you don’t exactly hold a leadership position in your office. Maybe you are a new employee and the idea of being a "leader” isn’t even on your radar (yet). No matter the situation, there are still many ways you can start developing into a leader at work.  

First, figure out what kind of leader you are. What are your strengths and weaknesses? What are your leadership characteristics? What is your leadership vision? What leadership statement best describes you? Find the answers to your questions, and you can begin to develop a leadership plan to focus on and perfect for the rest of the year and beyond.  

Train, learn and educate 

It’s your career. There’s no better time to start honing your craft. It’s time to start polishing your skills. It’s time to start building it for the future. Identify the areas of your job responsibilities that you want to grow in and start learning more. Take a class that teaches you something that you didn’t already know. Shadow a colleague to understand what it takes and to see it all through their eyes. Read a book. Write a report. And above all, ask lots and lots of questions.  

Enjoy a better work-life balance 

Is every day a repeat of eating, working and sleeping? This isn’t work-life balance. You’re not making time for family, friends, fun or free time. There is no "life” in the equation, only work.  

This formula is not the equation for great work-life balance. You need movie nights, free time when you don’t pick up your phone because you’re too busy re-living old times with your friends, and time spent in total silence, sitting on a beach, or enjoying your favorite beverage.  

These things create a better career and life for you and everyone around you. Take the time to figure out how you want your life to look, and you’ll see the actual formula isn’t a survival formula, but a true how-to-live formula.  

Speak up 

Make this the year you step up and start speaking your mind. Take the opportunity to make yourself heard at your next company meeting. Even if you think your idea is off the wall or not fully developed, get it out there in the open and start talking about it. Take the initiative and express yourself.   

Steer clear of negative influences 

Avoid getting involved in negative situations or entangled with negative people at work. Remember, those people have issues and need to deal with them on their own accordingly. Don’t fuel their fire. Try to remain a positive influence and suggest constructive options to help them get out of their funk. Become a part of the solution, not a part of the problem. 

Communicate better 

I’ve added communication to this list as a reminder to myself to do it better. Work hard at it every day. It is essential to teamwork, productivity and innovation. 

You don’t need a new year to make a new start. Whether you want to develop new skills, take on a leadership role, or communicate more effectively, the remainder of the year offers plenty of opportunities to move the needle. 

So pick one area to focus on. Then take one step—no sweeping declarations, just thoughtful progress. The goal isn’t perfection, it’s momentum. Because when you show up with intention, growth follows.

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Erin McCormick is the Member Experience Strategist at Boomer Consulting, Inc., where she ensures a seamless and engaging experience for members across Circles, consulting engagements, and training programs. She leads onboarding, feedback strategy, and service excellence across the team. Erin brings a strong background in content development and client communications, previously serving as Director of Content Development for a top website management company supporting 800+ municipalities across the U.S. and Canada.