25 Professional Development Goals for Career Success

Ever feel like you’re working hard but not advancing? According to a LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report, 94% of employees say they would stay longer at a company that invests in their professional development. That’s not a nice-to-have—it’s a career essential.

Professional development goals give you a clear roadmap. They help you build skills, earn recognition, and move toward the career you actually want. This guide covers 25 proven goals—plus how to set them, achieve them, and track your progress.

What Are Professional Development Goals?

Professional development goals are specific objectives that guide your career growth. They outline what skills you want to build, what knowledge you want to gain, and what milestones you want to hit—whether in your current role or your next one.

Good professional development goals do three things:

1. Push you forward regardless of your current or future job
2. Keep you focused on what matters most for your success
3. Create accountability through clear timelines and measures

These goals cover everything from technical skills to leadership abilities to soft skills like communication and emotional intelligence. The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report^{1https://www.weforum.org/publications/the-future-of-jobs-report-2023/} found that analytical thinking is the number one core skill for 2023, with soft skills dominating the top 10. Professional development goals help you build exactly these capabilities.

If you struggle to set goals, our free class on goal setting will give you step-by-step help.

Why Professional Development Goals Matter (The Benefits)

Professional development isn’t just about padding your resume. Here’s what the research shows:

• Better retention: 94% of employees^{2https://www.devlinpeck.com/content/employee-training-statistics} say they’d stay longer at companies investing in their growth
• Career advancement: 47% of employees^{3https://www.instride.com/insights/talent-development-statistics/} say extra training helped them advance within their current company (Pew Research Center, 2024)
• Real skill gains: 56% of workers^{4https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/issues/workforce/hopes-and-fears.html} report learning new skills at work that are helping their career (PwC, 2025)
• Employer investment: 51% of employers^{5https://upcea.edu/results-of-global-lifelong-learning-study-released/} plan to increase training budgets over the next two years

“Through learning we re-create ourselves. Through learning we become able to do something we never were able to do.”

—Peter M. Senge, MIT Sloan School of Management, Harvard Business Review

The bottom line: Companies want people who invest in themselves. And you get to choose what you learn.

How to Set SMART Goals You Can Accomplish

The SMART framework turns vague intentions into concrete plans. SMART goals are:

• Specific: Clear about what you’ll do
• Measurable: Include a way to track progress
• Attainable: Realistic given your resources and time
• Relevant: Connected to your bigger career vision
• Time-bound: Have a deadline

“Objectives are needed in every area where performance and results directly and vitally affect the survival and prosperity of the business.”

—Peter F. Drucker, Harvard Business Review

Here’s what each looks like in practice:

Specific: Start each morning with 45 minutes of focused work time to improve time management.

Measurable: Learn our data management tool in the next 3 weeks and use it to create at least 2 reports.

Attainable: Join a local book club in January when my schedule is lighter—a realistic time to add something new.

Relevant: Turn in all deliverables 2 days early this quarter, building leverage for my annual review negotiation.

Time-bound: Complete a communication skills course 2 weeks before my end-of-year presentation. Spend the final 2 weeks practicing.

Before You Write Your Goals

Answer these questions first:

• What do I value?
• What do I want to accomplish in 1 year? 5 years?
• What steps do I need to take now?
• How can I grow in my current role?
• What skills does my envisioned future require?

Write your answers down. They become the foundation for goals that actually matter to you.

Struggling to set goals? Take our free goal-setting class for step-by-step help!

25 Professional Development Goals & How to Achieve Them

Here are 25 goals organized into four categories: expanding knowledge, improving communication, advancing leadership, and pushing yourself to grow.

Goals to Expand Your Knowledge

1. Learn New Technical Skills

The work world changes constantly. The most valuable workers are those willing to adapt—constantly refining their skills.

Pro Tip: Ask your manager what skills they’d like you to develop. Or search “most important skills to learn for [next year]” and find ones relevant to your workplace.

Action Step: Check if your employer offers training or reimbursement for classes. Don’t overlook free workshops and webinars.

Sample 3-Week Plan:

Week 1:

• Identify one technical skill connected to your goals
• Research what training your workplace offers

Week 2:

• Find workshops or webinars on this topic
• Save helpful YouTube videos
• Reach out to 3 people with expertise—ask for resources or coffee

Week 3:

• Sign up for training
• Set a goal to apply what you learn

2. Get a Professional Certificate or Degree

It’s never too late for formal education. The question: do you need a full degree, or would a certificate work?

Consider more education if:

• You’ve always wanted to finish your degree
• You’re on an unexpected career path
• You want stronger credentials
• You’re preparing for a career change
• You want a competitive edge

Certificate options to consider:

• Project Management
• Business Analysis
• Supply Chain
• Marketing
• Human Resources
• Sales
• Accounting
• Health Care

Pro Tip: Some employers offer tuition reimbursement for job-relevant education. Ask about requirements (like staying with the company for a set period).

3. Join (or Start) a Book Club

Do you live and breathe work? A book club expands your thinking and forces interaction on topics outside your daily grind.

“Book clubs…force you to engage on new and interesting topics, and they do so by listening to people who think differently than you.”

—John Coleman, Harvard Business Review.

Pro Tip: Ask at your library, independent bookstore, or community center about existing clubs.

3 Books Worth Reading (Non-Business):

1. Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May—A beautiful narrative weaving nature, literature, and loss into a model for facing hardship.

2. And a Dog Called Fig: Solitude, Connection, the Writing Life by Helen Humphreys—Precise, beautiful prose about the writer’s life.

3. The Waiting by Keum Suk Gendry Kim—A graphic novel about one woman’s 70 years of separation from family during the Korean War.

Get 31 More Book Recommendations

4. Attend Industry Conferences or Webinars

Conferences expose you to new ideas, emerging trends, and people outside your immediate circle.

Sample Goal: Attend one industry conference or virtual summit per quarter. Take notes on three actionable ideas from each event. Share one insight with your team within a week.

5. Take an Online Course

Platforms like Coursera, LinkedIn Learning, and Udemy offer courses on nearly any skill.

Sample Goal: Complete one online course per quarter in a skill gap area. Apply at least one concept from each course to a current project.

Goals to Improve Your Communication

6. Acquire Soft Skills

According to LinkedIn’s Global Talent Trends, 91% of talent professionals agree that soft skills are very important to the future of recruiting and HR. If you’re worried about becoming obsolete or being replaced by AI, soft skills are job security.

Key soft skills for success:

• Social assertiveness
• Confidence
• Interpersonal communication
• Speaking rate and resonance
• Likability
• Decoding emotions
• Being influential

Action Steps:

• List soft skills you want to improve. Not sure? Ask your manager, friends, or mentor.
• Pick one skill and create SMART goals around it.

Sample Goal for Decoding Emotions:

In 3 months, I will improve my ability to read emotions during work meetings.

• Take the facial expressions test this week
• Watch videos on decoding emotions: Secrets to Decoding Facial Expressions, How to Read People: 7 Cues
• Spend a week people-watching and noting which emotions are easy or hard to identify
• After meetings, write down emotions you observed
• Read Cues by Vanessa Van Edwards for deeper strategies

Boost your people skills with our quiz—find out your strengths today!

7. Build Your Network

If networking feels like a necessary evil, it’s time for a mindset shift.

A LinkedIn Global Survey found that 70% of workers landed their current job because they had a personal connection. Networking isn’t schmoozing—it’s building genuine relationships that help everyone involved.

“Networks are not just nice to have; they are a crucial source of information, ideas, support, feedback, and resources.”

—Herminia Ibarra, London Business School, Harvard Business Review

Quick Tips:

• Approach networking as meeting interesting people
• Plan to learn something new
• Ask questions that let others share expertise
• Set a specific goal for each event
• Prioritize virtual networking too

Action Steps:

• Sign up for at least one networking event this month
• Send a quick email to each connection afterward; connect on LinkedIn
• Ask someone you resonated with for coffee or a virtual chat
• Reach out to contacts at least once per quarter

“When you learn how to network, it doesn’t just improve your career—it improves your personal life, too.”

—Vanessa Van Edwards, Science of People

8. Develop Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence (EI) covers self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, motivation, and social skills.

According to TalentSmart research^{6https://electroiq.com/stats/emotional-intelligence-statistics/}, 90% of top workplace performers have high emotional intelligence.

“My research, along with other recent studies, clearly shows that emotional intelligence is the sine qua non of leadership.”

—Daniel Goleman, Harvard Business Review

Research indicates emotional intelligence is a predictor of success alongside IQ and personality traits. Organizations including PepsiCo and Motorola have reported benefits from emotional intelligence training programs.

Steps to Build EI:

• When you make a mistake: Acknowledge it, then identify what you can learn
• When you’re unsure what you feel: Start journaling to grow self-awareness
• When stress hits: Take a calming breath before responding. Listen first.
• When you want to criticize: Ask non-judgmental questions to understand the other person

Want more? Read 10 Emotional Intelligence Traits to Master for Self-Growth.

9. Improve Public Speaking

Strong speakers get noticed. They lead meetings, present ideas, and advance faster.

Sample Goal: Volunteer to give a 15-minute skill-share presentation for your team this quarter. Practice three times before delivering. Ask for specific feedback afterward.

10. Practice Active Listening

Most people listen to respond, not to understand. Active listening builds trust and reduces miscommunication.

Sample Goal: In every meeting this month, summarize what someone else said before adding your own point. Note how the quality of discussion changes.

Goals to Advance Your Leadership Skills

11. Optimize Your Weaknesses

Good leaders know their weaknesses. Great leaders treat weaknesses as growth opportunities.

Ask yourself:

1. What do I avoid doing that would benefit me?
2. What do I do too often that harms myself or others?

List these weaknesses—but frame them as opportunities. Instead of “I’m bad at trusting my employees,” try “I want to get better at trusting my employees.”

Common Leadership Pitfalls:

• Being overly critical
• Micromanaging
• Black-and-white thinking
• Poor communication
• Taking on too much
• Being too controlling or too passive
• Inflexibility

After identifying weaknesses, explore why they exist:

• Overly critical? Maybe you see potential and think criticism will push growth.
• Micromanaging? Maybe you feel out of control elsewhere and need power somewhere.
• Too passive? Maybe you fear making wrong decisions.

These concerns are valid. But they don’t justify harmful behavior. Reshape your actions to match your values.

Sample Goal: Build a habit of less criticism. Prepare questions for open dialogue during project reviews. When feeling critical, listen instead of speak. Start feedback with 2 positives before constructive criticism. Ask a trusted colleague for feedback on tone and body language.

12. Be More Creative

Creativity isn’t about coloring books. It strengthens problem-solving, cognitive flexibility, and communication—skills every leader needs.

“Creativity now is as important in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status.”

—Sir Ken Robinson, TED Talk

Companies perceived to have creative leadership have demonstrated strong performance advantages over those perceived to lack it.

Creative leadership means:

• Tapping into employees’ full potential: Listen to ideas from anyone, regardless of seniority
• Promoting collaboration: Innovation happens as a team
• Facilitating diversity of thought: Make room for different perspectives
• Creating safe space for growth: Acknowledge your responsibility to develop your people

Action Step: Identify one creative leadership area to develop. Set a goal to practice it this quarter.

13. Learn Cross-Cultural Communication

Cross-cultural communication can be challenging—and incredibly rewarding.

Key considerations:

• Who should be introduced first?
• How should you greet each other?
• Should you discuss business first or build rapport?
• What gestures might be offensive?
• Are you communicating respect or aggression?

Action Steps:

• Consider dietary restrictions (halal, kosher) for food-based events
• Avoid slang or jargon with non-native speakers
• Recap discussions to confirm alignment
• Research communication norms before international calls or trips
• Have open conversations when something feels off

Pro Tip: Approach cross-cultural communication with humility. If others sense genuine effort, they’re more likely to extend grace. Don’t assume ethnicity equals culture or that same-country means same-culture.

Sample Goal: Research business communication in [country] this week to prepare for next week’s call. Create notes on likely scenarios.

14. Practice Delegation

Leaders who can’t delegate burn out and limit their team’s growth.

Sample Goal: Delegate one task per week that you’d normally do yourself. Provide clear expectations and a feedback loop. Track time saved and team member development.

15. Give Better Feedback

Effective feedback is specific, timely, and balanced.

Sample Goal: Give at least one piece of specific positive feedback per week to a team member. At project end, provide constructive feedback using the “What went well / What could improve” format.

Goals to Push Yourself to Grow

16. Find a Mentor

A mentor helps you stay on track and provides insight into what goals actually drive success.

Look for someone who shares wins and losses. You learn most from people willing to tell the truth about their journey.

Action Steps:

1. Answer these questions:
   • What do you want from a mentor?
   • What are your goals?
   • Who do you admire?
   • What can you offer?
2. Identify one person to approach and set a deadline to contact them
3. Take a soft approach—don’t ask them to be your mentor immediately. Spend time with them, ask questions, follow up on their advice.

5 Questions to Ask a Mentor:

1. What expectations do you have for me as a mentee?
2. How can I best prepare for our meetings?
3. Who was your best boss and what made them great?
4. Have you gotten a job you weren’t qualified for? What did you learn?
5. How do you help a team build rapport and trust?

Sample Goal: Identify what I want in a mentor and develop a working relationship by end of quarter.

Check out 84 Killer Questions To Ask A Mentor For Better Self-Growth.

17. Create a Portfolio

Keep a career portfolio even if you’re comfortable in your current role. Like your resume, maintaining it as you go is far easier than building it retrospectively.

A portfolio showcases your best work: skills, work history, personal vision, project samples, accomplishments, and awards.

Pro Tip: Keep a “Work Portfolio” folder on your computer. Drop in files whenever you finish projects, write reports, or receive positive client feedback. Not everything makes the final cut, but having options helps.

Action Steps:

1. Create a “Work Portfolio” file
2. Gather existing files, reports, and images this week
3. Update your resume while you’re at it
4. Choose a platform (Canva, Wix, Squarespace, WordPress)
5. Build your portfolio using our portfolio guide

Sample Goal: Complete a digital work portfolio in 2 months that showcases my skills and personality.

18. Negotiate for a Raise

Learning how to negotiate a raise is a skill you’ll use throughout your career.

Your professional development work gives you ammunition: clear skills, documented growth, and confidence you deserve more.

Action Steps:

1. Tell your boss you’d like to work toward a raise. Ask what goals could support that request at your annual review.
2. Research average salary for your position
3. List the value you add to the company
4. Rehearse your negotiation and plan for different responses

Sample Goal: Negotiate a raise at my next annual review. Create a negotiation plan this week and execute professional development goals to strengthen my position.

19. Improve Time Management

Better time management means less procrastination and more meaningful work.

Sample Goal: Block focused time for priority tasks each morning. Try the Pomodoro technique. Put phone on “do not disturb” during deep work. Track improvement in task completion over 4 weeks.

20. Develop a Personal Brand

Your personal brand is how colleagues, clients, and your industry perceive you.

Sample Goal: Update LinkedIn profile with current accomplishments and skills. Post one industry-relevant insight per month. Ask three colleagues to write recommendations.

21. Learn to Say No

Saying yes to everything dilutes your impact. Strategic nos protect time for what matters most.

Sample Goal: Before accepting any new commitment this month, ask: “Does this align with my top 3 priorities?” Decline at least two requests that don’t.

22. Build Resilience

Setbacks are inevitable. How you respond determines your trajectory.

Sample Goal: When facing a challenge, write down three things you can control and one lesson to take forward. Review monthly to identify patterns.

23. Seek Feedback Proactively

Don’t wait for annual reviews. Regular feedback accelerates growth.

Sample Goal: Ask one colleague or manager for specific feedback after each major project. Track themes over the quarter and adjust goals accordingly.

24. Teach Others

Teaching solidifies your own knowledge and builds your reputation as an expert.

Sample Goal: Volunteer to train a new hire on one process. Or lead a lunch-and-learn on a topic you know well.

25. Set Stretch Goals

Comfortable goals keep you comfortable. Stretch goals force growth.

Sample Goal: Identify one goal that feels slightly beyond your current ability. Create a plan to achieve it within 6 months. Track what skills you build along the way.

Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Goals

1. Look at the big picture. What does this goal mean for your life? Is it truly important?
2. Ask: Is it time for a career change? Regularly question whether you’re in the right place.
3. Clarify your purpose. Are your goals designed to grow where you are, or prepare for somewhere new?
4. Nix the negative. Frame every goal as an opportunity.
5. Set deadlines. Even ongoing goals need checkpoints.
6. Break goals into smaller tasks. Small steps build momentum.
7. Review and track progress. Adjust when something isn’t working.

25 Goals Quick Reference Table

Goal Category	Sample Goal
Practice giving/receiving feedback	Give one piece of positive feedback at my next one-to-one
Presentation skills	Volunteer for a 15-minute skill-share presentation
Take responsibility	Lead the next big project
Align with company goals	Compare my vision statement to company goals; find overlap
Team collaboration	Ask for help from a high-potential team member
Leadership training	Enroll in People School this month
Decision-making	Reread emails for vague language; rewrite for clarity
Flexibility	When someone suggests changes, ask questions before dismissing
Use annual review feedback	Revise my development plan based on review feedback
Increase sales/revenue	Create a prospecting campaign to book more meetings
Cross-departmental collaboration	Monthly: invite someone from another department to share their focus
Workplace friendships	Reach out to new hires in their first weeks; schedule coffee
Time management	Block priority tasks, try Pomodoro, minimize phone distractions
Technical skills	Take a graphic design course to communicate better with designers
Certification/degree	Complete project management certificate; apply agile methods
Book club	Find or start one within the next two weeks
Soft skills	Improve emotion-reading in meetings over 3 months
Network building	Attend one networking event monthly; follow up with connections
Emotional intelligence	Use the emotion wheel to build self-awareness
Identify weaknesses	Volunteer for a project requiring a skill I need to develop
Creativity	Ask someone from a different field for input on a problem
Cross-cultural communication	Spend one day weekly avoiding slang and jargon
Negotiate raise	Plan negotiation 6 months before annual review
Create portfolio	Build digital portfolio within 2 months
Find mentor	Identify and reach out to potential mentor this week

Bonus: Create a Professional Development Plan

Individual goals are powerful. A development plan ties them together.

A professional development plan maps your goals across time, identifies resources you need, and tracks progress systematically.

Get started creating your professional development plan—and download the step-by-step resource.

Professional Development Goals FAQ

Professional Development Goals Takeaways

1. Get clear on values first. Goals rooted in what you actually care about are easier to achieve.
2. Use SMART criteria. Specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-bound goals set you up for success.
3. Focus on four areas: (1) Expand knowledge, (2) Improve communication, (3) Develop leadership, (4) Push yourself to grow.
4. Build both technical and soft skills. Research shows soft skills are increasingly valued—and harder to automate.
5. Network strategically. Relationships drive 70% of job placements.
6. Track and adjust. Review progress monthly. Change what isn’t working.
7. Create a full development plan. Individual goals work better inside a coherent system.

You’ve got this.

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