Skip to Main Content
HBS Online
  • Courses
    Open Courses Mega Menu
    • Business Essentials
      • Credential of Readiness (CORe)
      • Business Analytics
      • Economics for Managers
      • Financial Accounting
    • Leadership & Management
      • Leadership Principles
      • Management Essentials
      • Negotiation Mastery
      • Organizational Leadership
      • Strategy Execution
      • Power and Influence for Positive Impact
      • Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability
      • Leading Change and Organizational Renewal
      • Dynamic Teaming
      • Transforming Customer Experiences
    • Credential of Leadership, Impact, and Management in Business (CLIMB)
    • Credential of Digital Innovation and Strategy
    • Entrepreneurship & Innovation
      • Entrepreneurship Essentials
      • Disruptive Strategy
      • Negotiation Mastery
      • Design Thinking and Innovation
      • Launching Tech Ventures
      • Winning with Digital Platforms
      • Leading Change and Organizational Renewal
      • Entrepreneurial Marketing
      • Transforming Customer Experiences
    • Strategy
      • Strategy Execution
      • Business Strategy
      • Economics for Managers
      • Disruptive Strategy
      • Global Business
      • Sustainable Business Strategy
    • Marketing
      • Digital Marketing Strategy
      • Creating Brand Value
      • Entrepreneurial Marketing
      • Personal Branding
    • Digital Transformation
      • Winning with Digital Platforms
      • AI Essentials for Business
    • Finance & Accounting
      • Financial Accounting
      • Leading with Finance
      • Alternative Investments
      • Sustainable Investing
      • Strategic Financial Analysis
    • Business in Society
      • Sustainable Business Strategy
      • Global Business
      • Sustainable Investing
      • Power and Influence for Positive Impact
      • Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability
      • Business and Climate Change
    • All Courses
  • For Organizations
    Open For Organizations Mega Menu
    • Corporate Learning
      Help your employees master essential business concepts, improve effectiveness, and expand leadership capabilities.
    • Academic Solutions
      Integrate HBS Online courses into your curriculum to support programs and create unique educational opportunities.
    • Need Help?
      • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Contact Us
    • Insights
      Open Insights Mega Menu
      • Business Insights Blog
        • Career Development
        • Communication
        • Decision-Making
        • Earning Your MBA
        • Entrepreneurship & Innovation
        • Finance
        • Leadership
        • Management
        • Negotiation
        • Strategy
      • All Topics
      • Learner on computer exploring HBS Online business lessons
        Sample Business Lessons and E-Books

        Gain new insights and knowledge from leading faculty and industry experts.

      • HBS Online Parlor Room podcast logo
        Podcast

        The Parlor Room: Where business concepts come to life. Listen now on your favorite podcast platform.

    • More Info
      Open More Info Mega Menu
      • Learning Experience
        Master real-world business skills with our immersive platform and engaged community.
      • Certificates, Credentials, & Credits
        Learn how completing courses can boost your resume and move your career forward.
      • Learning Tracks
        Take your career to the next level with this specialization.
      • Financing & Policies
        • Employer Reimbursement
        • Payment & Financial Aid
        • Policies
      • Connect
        • Student Stories
        • Community
      • Need Help?
        • Frequently Asked Questions
        • Request Information
        • Support Portal
      • Enroll Now
    Login
    My Courses
    Access your courses and engage with your peers
    My Account
    Manage your account, enrollment, and payments.
    HBS Home
    • About HBS
    • Academic Programs
    • Alumni
    • Faculty & Research
    • Baker Library
    • Giving
    • Harvard Business Review
    • Initiatives
    • News
    • Recruit
    • Map / Directions
    HBS Online
    • Courses
    • Business Essentials
    • Leadership & Management
    • Credential of Leadership, Impact, and Management in Business (CLIMB)
    • Credential of Digital Innovation and Strategy
    • Entrepreneurship & Innovation
    • Strategy
    • Marketing
    • Digital Transformation
    • Finance & Accounting
    • Business in Society
    • For Organizations
    • Insights
    • More Info
    • About
    • Support Portal
    • Media Coverage
    • Founding Donors
    • Leadership Team
    • Careers
    • My Courses
    • My Account
    • Enroll Now
    • …→
    • Harvard Business School→
    • HBS Online→
    • Business Insights→

    Business Insights

    Harvard Business School Online's Business Insights Blog provides the career insights you need to achieve your goals and gain confidence in your business skills.

     
    Filter Results Arrow Down Arrow Up

    Topics

    Topics

    • Accounting
    • Analytics
    • Business Essentials
    • Business in Society
    • Career Development
    • Communication
    • Community
    • ConneXt
    • Decision-Making
    • Digital Transformation
    • Earning Your MBA
    • Entrepreneurship & Innovation
    • Finance
    • For Organizations
    • Leadership
    • Management
    • Marketing
    • Negotiation
    • News & Events
    • Productivity
    • Staff Spotlight
    • Strategy
    • Student Profiles
    • Technology
    • Work-Life Balance

    Courses

    Courses

    • AI Essentials for Business
    • Alternative Investments
    • Business Analytics
    • Business Strategy
    • Business and Climate Change
    • CLIMB
    • CORe
    • Creating Brand Value
    • Credential of Digital Innovation and Strategy
    • Design Thinking and Innovation
    • Digital Marketing Strategy
    • Disruptive Strategy
    • Dynamic Teaming
    • Economics for Managers
    • Entrepreneurial Marketing
    • Entrepreneurship Essentials
    • Financial Accounting
    • Global Business
    • Launching Tech Ventures
    • Leadership Principles
    • Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability
    • Leading Change and Organizational Renewal
    • Leading with Finance
    • Management Essentials
    • Negotiation Mastery
    • Organizational Leadership
    • Personal Branding
    • Power and Influence for Positive Impact
    • Strategic Financial Analysis
    • Strategy Execution
    • Sustainable Business Strategy
    • Sustainable Investing
    • Transforming Customer Experiences
    • Winning with Digital Platforms
    Subscribe to the Blog
    *
    Please complete this required field.
    Email must be formatted correctly.
    Please complete all required fields.
    RSS feed

    Filters

    Topics

    Topics

    • Accounting
    • Analytics
    • Business Essentials
    • Business in Society
    • Career Development
    • Communication
    • Community
    • ConneXt
    • Decision-Making
    • Digital Transformation
    • Earning Your MBA
    • Entrepreneurship & Innovation
    • Finance
    • For Organizations
    • Leadership
    • Management
    • Marketing
    • Negotiation
    • News & Events
    • Productivity
    • Staff Spotlight
    • Strategy
    • Student Profiles
    • Technology
    • Work-Life Balance

    Courses

    Courses

    • AI Essentials for Business
    • Alternative Investments
    • Business Analytics
    • Business Strategy
    • Business and Climate Change
    • CLIMB
    • CORe
    • Creating Brand Value
    • Credential of Digital Innovation and Strategy
    • Design Thinking and Innovation
    • Digital Marketing Strategy
    • Disruptive Strategy
    • Dynamic Teaming
    • Economics for Managers
    • Entrepreneurial Marketing
    • Entrepreneurship Essentials
    • Financial Accounting
    • Global Business
    • Launching Tech Ventures
    • Leadership Principles
    • Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability
    • Leading Change and Organizational Renewal
    • Leading with Finance
    • Management Essentials
    • Negotiation Mastery
    • Organizational Leadership
    • Personal Branding
    • Power and Influence for Positive Impact
    • Strategic Financial Analysis
    • Strategy Execution
    • Sustainable Business Strategy
    • Sustainable Investing
    • Transforming Customer Experiences
    • Winning with Digital Platforms
    Subscribe to the Blog
    *
    Please complete this required field.
    Email must be formatted correctly.
    Please complete all required fields.
    RSS feed

    7 Ways You Can Achieve Your Professional Development Goals

    Business professional standing in front of three team members who are seated at a table and applauding
    • 18 Apr 2023
    Kate Gibson Author Contributors
    tag
    • Career Development

    Professional development is an essential—but often neglected—aspect of career growth. Burnout, mounting personal commitments, and shifting organizational needs are common reasons you might ignore your professional development goals.

    Despite those barriers, many have taken measures to obtain the support they need to advance their careers. According to a report by Tandym Group, 86 percent of employees would change jobs if it meant more opportunities for professional development. A 2022 LinkedIn Global Talent Trends report found that most employees believe professional development is the best way to improve company culture.

    If you want to advance your career, here’s a primer on what professional development goals are, why they’re important to your career growth, and how you can achieve them.


    Free E-Book: A Guide to Advancing Your Career with Essential Business Skills

    Access your free e-book today.

    DOWNLOAD NOW

    What Are Professional Development Goals?

    Professional development goals are short- and long-term benchmarks that encourage career growth, increase productivity, and support your personal and professional interests. Identifying your goals provides a career roadmap and outlines metrics you can use to measure your progress.

    While your goals should revolve around workplace development, consider your personal interests when drafting them. Doing so can ensure you’ll be motivated and stick to them long term.

    Examples of Professional Development Goals

    You can set numerous professional development goals, including:

    • Developing new skills
    • Improving communication
    • Becoming a specialist
    • Taking on a leadership role
    • Earning a raise or promotion

    Don’t be afraid to go too big or small with your goals. While many can lead to career advancement, setting smaller, more attainable benchmarks—like developing a new skill—can also benefit your career.

    Why Professional Development Goals Are Important

    Outlining your professional development goals is an essential step that can provide clarity and direction in your career. Understanding what you want and the benchmarks you need to reach is vital.

    For example, if you want to become a specialist in your field, explore what certifications and skills you need to achieve that. Communicating your professional development plan to your manager and team can potentially help you access resources such as:

    • Tuition reimbursement programs
    • Certification opportunities
    • Mentoring options

    In addition to garnering support, setting professional development goals can motivate you to better yourself, giving you more purpose and increasing your job satisfaction.

    According to Lorman Education Services, 41 percent of employees consider their organization’s career advancement opportunities very important to their job satisfaction. If you’re feeling unmotivated or overwhelmed in your career, professional development goals could be the missing link.

    To achieve your professional development goals, do the following seven things to ensure you’re on the right track.

    7 Ways to Achieve Your Professional Development Goals

    1. Take Initiative

    Taking initiative in your professional development is crucial to advancing your career. Achieving your goals requires self-motivation.

    Initiative comes in many forms, such as:

    • Volunteering for leadership roles
    • Requesting additional responsibilities
    • Creating proposals for organizational change

    According to an article in the Harvard Business Review, proactive people are more likely to be better performers, contributors, and innovators in the workplace. The article suggests taking initiative at work once you complete the following:

    • Manage what you can take on: No matter how difficult your initiative (for example, adopting a different software system or creating documentation around a new process), determine whether it’s worth pursuing.
    • Consider others’ roles: Since your initiative will likely impact others within your organization, seek their perspectives before acting on it.
    • Align your actions with organizational goals: Not all change is good. Ensure your initiative won’t just benefit your professional development goals but the organization’s as well.

    Taking initiative at work is fundamental to developing professionally. Try to capitalize on any opportunities that come your way and step outside your comfort zone.

    2. Build a Strong Professional Network

    Building a strong professional network is essential to furthering your career. Networking’s benefits include:

    • Identifying new career opportunities
    • Better understanding your organization or industry
    • Fostering collaboration

    Yet, there are several barriers you may encounter. One of the most common is understanding who holds the most value within your organization. Creating a power map—a visualization of who has more or less power to help navigate your work environment’s politics and gain influence—is one way to overcome this.

    According to the Harvard Business School Online course Power and Influence for Positive Impact, those with the most power in your organization are called “central individuals.” They’re often the primary sources of information, resources, and industry advice.

    Through power mapping, you can identify those individuals and what resources they control to ensure your network serves your professional development needs.

    3. Ask for Feedback

    Feedback can be controversial in the workplace. Research shows that 44 percent of managers are stressed about delivering negative feedback, and 21 percent admit they try to avoid it altogether.

    Although many managers fear feedback’s effects on employees and team morale, it’s vital to professional development. According to Zippia, 65 percent of employees desire more feedback at work. Therefore, it’s important to take an active role in receiving feedback.

    You must also understand how to process feedback in a way that benefits your career growth.

    According to the Harvard Business Review, processing feedback is more than just implementation; it requires continuous reflection, conversation, and practice. Feedback can help you identify your strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement and directly influence your professional goals.

    Related: How to Give Feedback Effectively

    4. Reassess Your Time Commitments

    Continually assess your time commitments to ensure you can realistically achieve your professional development goals.

    For example, while learning a new technical skill can reap several professional benefits, it can also take up a lot of personal time. Maintaining work-life balance can help you better understand how your goals fit into your schedule.

    By practicing effective time management skills, you can work toward your goals without impeding other commitments.

    5. Learn from Other Departments

    Beyond building a strong professional network, reach out to members of other departments or teams to learn different skills, processes, and organizational dynamics.

    There are several benefits to learning from your colleagues. For one, it can help keep open lines of communication. This is particularly important when working remotely.

    You can also gain a holistic view of your company. By connecting with people who have different priorities, challenges, and resources, you can understand the bigger picture when it comes to organizational needs. This is particularly valuable if you want to become an effective leader.

    6. Further Your Education

    Furthering your education is another way to achieve your professional development goals. Earning a master’s degree—such as an MBA—or a professional certificate are just a couple of options.

    If, at first glance, it doesn’t seem like pursuing additional education will fit into your schedule, online options can provide the flexibility you need as a working professional.

    Specialized online courses—like HBS Online’s offerings—can take only a few weeks and help you learn new business skills and strategies that enable you to achieve your professional development goals.

    Related: What Is the Value of a Certificate from HBS Online?

    7. Regularly Review Your Progress

    Reviewing your progress toward your professional development goals is often referred to as self-assessment, which is closely related to self-awareness in the workplace.

    “Self-awareness is about developing your capacity to sense how you’re coming across,” says HBS Professor Joshua Margolis in the online course Leadership Principles. “To have undistorted visibility into your own strengths and weaknesses—and to be able to gauge the emotions you’re personally experiencing.”

    Create a document that tracks your weekly or monthly progress to help gauge how long it will take to achieve your goals. You can also use it to record achievements that help you advocate for yourself during performance reviews.

    A Guide to Advancing Your Career with Essentials Business Skills | Access Your Free E-Book | Download Now

    Work Toward Your Professional Development Goals

    Advancing your education is one of the most effective ways to develop professionally.

    For instance, HBS Online’s certificate courses can help you gain applicable business skills, build your confidence, and jumpstart your career advancement—no matter your goals.

    Do you want to start working toward your professional development goals? Explore our online course catalog—featuring programs ranging from leadership training to financial accounting—and download our free guide on how to advance your career with essential business skills.

    About the Author

    Kate Gibson is a copywriter and contributing writer for Harvard Business School Online.
     
    All FAQs

    Top FAQs

    How are HBS Online courses delivered?

    +–

    We offer self-paced programs (with weekly deadlines) on the HBS Online course platform.

    Our platform features short, highly produced videos of HBS faculty and guest business experts, interactive graphs and exercises, cold calls to keep you engaged, and opportunities to contribute to a vibrant online community.

    Are HBS Online programs available in languages other than English?

    +–

    We expect to offer our courses in additional languages in the future but, at this time, HBS Online can only be provided in English.

    All course content is delivered in written English. Closed captioning in English is available for all videos. There are no live interactions during the course that requires the learner to speak English. Coursework must be completed in English.

    Do I need to come to campus to participate in HBS Online programs?

    +–

    No, all of our programs are 100 percent online, and available to participants regardless of their location.

    How do I enroll in a course?

    +–

    Certificate Programs

    HBS Online welcomes committed learners wherever they are—in the world and their careers—irrespective of their professional experience or academic background. To extend the reach of HBS Online, we no longer require an application for our certificate programs. (Applications are still required for our credential programs: CORe and CLIMB.) You can now immediately enroll and start taking the next step in your career.

    All programs require the completion of a brief online enrollment form before payment. If you are new to HBS Online, you will be required to set up an account before enrolling in the program of your choice.

    Our easy online enrollment form is free, and no special documentation is required. All participants must be at least 18 years of age, proficient in English, and committed to learning and engaging with fellow participants throughout the program.

    Updates to your enrollment status will be shown on your account page. HBS Online does not use race, gender, ethnicity, or any protected class as criteria for enrollment for any HBS Online program.

    Credential Programs

    HBS Online's CORe and CLIMB programs require the completion of a brief application. The applications vary slightly, but all ask for some personal background information. You can apply for and enroll in programs here. If you are new to HBS Online, you will be required to set up an account before starting an application for the program of your choice.

    Our easy online application is free, and no special documentation is required. All participants must be at least 18 years of age, proficient in English, and committed to learning and engaging with fellow participants throughout the program.

    Updates to your application and enrollment status will be shown on your account page. We confirm enrollment eligibility within one week of your application for CORe and three weeks for CLIMB. HBS Online does not use race, gender, ethnicity, or any protected class as criteria for admissions for any HBS Online program.

    Does Harvard Business School Online offer an online MBA?

    +–

    No, Harvard Business School Online offers business certificate programs.

    What are my payment options?

    +–

    HBS Online offers a variety of payment methods to provide flexibility, including:

    • Credit and debit cards (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and AMEX)
    • PayPal
    • Wire transfers
    • Western Union
    • Bank loans (When available)

    You may split your payment across two credit card transactions or send a payment link to another individual to complete payment on your behalf. A minimum payment of $350 is required for the first transaction.

    Some learners may also qualify for scholarships or financial aid, which will be credited against the program fee once eligibility is determined. Please refer to the Payment & Financial Aid page for more information.

    What are the policies for refunds and deferrals?

    +–

    After enrolling in a program, you may request a withdrawal with refund (minus a $100 nonrefundable enrollment fee) up until 24 hours after the start of your program. Please review the Program Policies page for more details on refunds and deferrals. If your employer has contracted with HBS Online for participation in a program, or if you elect to enroll in the undergraduate credit option of the Credential of Readiness (CORe) program, note that policies for these options may differ.

     

    Sign up for News & Announcements


    • • Please complete this required field.
    • • Email must be formatted correctly.
    • • Please complete all required fields.

    Subject Areas

    • Business Essentials
    • Leadership & Management
    • Entrepreneurship & Innovation
    • Strategy
    • Marketing
    • Finance & Accounting
    • Business & Society
    • Digital Transformation

    Quick Links

    • FAQs
    • Contact Us
    • Request Info
    • Enroll Now
    • Support Portal

    About

    • About Us
    • Media Coverage
    • Founding Donors
    • Leadership Team
    • Careers @ HBS Online

    Legal

    • Legal
    • Policies
    Harvard Business School
    Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College
    • Site Map
    • Trademark Notice
    • Digital Accessibility