Goals are an important part of managing your own personal development. Aligning your goal to your performance, physical wellbeing & career development can help contribute to improve your progression & personal objectives. Rod Drury talks about Xero being the last place people work and has invested time and money into developing peoples careers and interests at Xero.
On October 2016, I joined Xero as a Team Leader for the Customer Experience (CX) Core team in Auckland. I had worked in the Airline and Tourism industry for the last 19 years and held various roles in customer service, retail, operations, training and leadership. I am very passionate about personal development and career progression. And it’s because I believe it is important for anyone’s growth, clarity and motivation.
My journey
I have been fortunate to be a part of the CX Development project which aligned one of our CX strategic pillars for Passionate People – “Our team are inspired, engaged and empowered”. We formed a team to create and facilitate Goal writing workshops in the Xero offices in Auckland, Hawkes Bay and Wellington.
Our team presented employees with tools and resources to help write goals and plan their own personal development. We used the SMARTA (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time bound, Alignment) Goal model in our workshops. We also talked about having purpose, taking ownership, identifying the gap analysis and utilising the resources available to support their own personal development.
The workshops therefore provide the platform to set goals. However, without taking ownership or having a purpose, this alone would not make your goals achievable. Gap analysis is identifying the current skills and competencies you have in your current role and comparing them to other roles you may be interested in applying for in the future.
Xero Mind Tools is a development resource with over 1,600 resources (articles, videos, podcasts and training materials) across 12 key skill areas i.e. communication skills, presentation skills, giving feedback, receiving feedback, time management, initiative, and building effective relationships – to name a few. CX initiated and developed the Buddy Programme for members of the Customer Experience team who after 12 months could shadow other teams in Xero so they can get a taste of what it’s like to work in that particular team. Everyone is encouraged to share their Goals with their Leader to read over, discuss and to come to an agreement to work towards achieving this.
Take control
Goals are an integral part of your personal and professional development, and they clarify what you are working towards by aligning it with a purpose.
So set goals, discuss them with your leader to ensure they understand the pathway you want to take and to be acknowledged and rewarded for achieving them. Work towards achieving your goals and take ownership.
IT’S UP TO YOU.
