Aligning your goals with your colleagues, department, and institution

One of the most fundamental steps in your career development will be setting goals to guide you on your career path. Yet, choosing goals that are both personally fulfilling and professionally fruitful can be challenging. This chapter discusses the importance of identifying career goals that are realistic and achievable, ensuring that they are personally meaningful and contribute to professional success, and evaluating them over time. We begin by reviewing strategies to help guide you in setting goals and measuring success. Specific focus is put on identifying goals using the SMART method and maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Next, we consider the goals within broader contexts to foster collaboration and align your work with departmental and institutional priorities. Cultivating productive relationships with your colleagues, department, and institution will enable you to connect with overarching missions, which will in turn cultivate greater investment in your career. Finally, we provide strategies to help you achieve your goals, and discuss the importance of adapting to change and evolving goals throughout your career. Changes will inevitably occur in your field, in your institution, and in your personal life which will present the chance to creatively consider new opportunities.