10 Professional development goals examples that get results

Why professional development goals often fail

Ever wonder why some professional development goals energize you while others feel like pushing a boulder uphill? Drawing from Marlee’s research-backed database of human motivations, we know that goals often fail because they simply don't align with how you're naturally wired to work and achieve. 

Think about it – if you're energized by solving complex problems, a straightforward target like "improve presentation skills" might feel uninspiring. Or if you thrive on detailed, step-by-step progress, a broad goal like "become a thought leader" could feel overwhelmingly vague. 

The key to setting goals that actually drive results is understanding your unique motivational blueprint and crafting targets that work with—not against—your natural work style. We’ll provide examples and show how to set performance-driven goals that align with your motivational DNA.

What are some general professional development goals examples?

Let's start with some examples of general career development goals. Remember, we'll start broad and get more specific later on.

Sharpen my technical skills

The World Economic Forum ranks technological literacy as the #3 top skill on the rise.¹ But here's what makes the difference: focusing on technical skills that drive performance in your role rather than chasing every new trend. Whether mastering data analytics or becoming fluent in your industry's key platforms, the right tech skills can transform your impact.

Master impactful public speaking

Let's be real - most of us get butterflies before stepping into the spotlight. In fact, 75% of people report public speaking anxiety. But here's the thing: your ideas deserve to be heard. Whether you're pitching to clients, leading team meetings, or presenting to the board, commanding the room with confidence can transform your career trajectory. The best part? Our research, Can Entrepreneurial Success Be Predicted? found that early-stage venture founders motivated by personal or organizational power are more likely to achieve venture success.

💪🏼 Is confidence a problem for you? Start Marlee's eight-week Personal Power coaching program and discover how to step into positions of influence with authority.

Enhance my systems thinking

In today's interconnected world, seeing the whole picture isn't just helpful—it's critical for success. Systems thinking is your secret weapon for spotting patterns, understanding ripple effects, and solving complex problems before they snowball. Whether leading projects or driving innovation, this skill helps you connect the dots others might miss.

Improve my listening skills

Here's another game-changing insight from our research: leaders who run successful mature-stage businesses are 36% more convinced by hearing a presentation or feedback compared to those who experienced business failure. Why? Because genuine listening isn't just about hearing words—it's about picking up valuable signals that drive better decisions and stronger relationships. Whether you're listening to customer feedback, hearing about team challenges, or market shifts, developing your listening intelligence can be the difference between success and failure.

What are some workplace-specific professional development goals?

Drilling down further, let's look at real-world examples of workplace-specific professional development goals.

Take Alex, for example. Alex's professional development plan is to excel in her current position and prepare for promotion to a technical lead role. This is how she plans to achieve these measurable goals:

Improving current role performance

Improve code quality and reduce bugs by 20% within the next 6 months by:

• Attending coding workshops and conferences to learn best practices and new technologies.
• Implementing improved code review processes and collaborating with colleagues to share knowledge and expertise.
• Creating and maintaining a personal coding blog to document learnings and share with the team.
• Improving time management skills by using a project management tool

Enhance system architecture knowledge by:

• Taking online courses on system design and architecture.
• Participating in design discussions and contributing to the development of new system architectures.
• Collaborating with senior engineers to gain insight into their design decisions and approaches.

Improve communication skills by:

• Attending workshops on effective communication and presentation.
• Volunteering to lead code reviews and provide constructive feedback to colleagues.
• Creating and presenting technical talks on new technologies and trends to the team.

Alex can boost her job performance and excel through these goals. To get promoted to technical lead, she sets the following relevant goals:

Career advancement

Develop leadership skills by:

• Giving junior engineers constructive feedback and guidance on coding best practices and system design.
• Developing interpersonal skills such as active listening, negotiating, and building professional relationships.
• Participating in leadership training programs and networking opportunities to boost her leadership abilities in areas such as effective project management, employee engagement and how to foster team collaboration.

Expand knowledge of industry trends and technologies by:

• Attending industry conferences and meetups to stay up-to-date on the latest developments.
• Participating in online forums and discussion groups to stay informed and share knowledge.
• Experimenting with new technologies and tools to identify potential applications and benefits.

Build relationships with senior management and other departments by:

• Volunteering for cross-functional projects that involve collaboration with other teams.
• Attending company-wide events and networking events with colleagues from other departments.
• Seeking feedback and guidance from senior management on career development and opportunities for growth.

Alex has created a clear roadmap for professional growth by breaking these meaningful goals into a series of steps with concrete actions.

This approach allows Alex to track progress and make adjustments, taking ownership of her current role and setting herself up for career advancement opportunities in the future.

📖 Read more: 100 Self performance review goals examples and writing tips

Real-life case studies

Need some inspiration? Here's some advice from two people with different backgrounds and their take on the dos and don'ts of career development plan goals.

Ali: From Mechanical Engineer to Software Developer

Ali was a Mechanical Engineer who hit a roadblock. He was dissatisfied with the job roles in his local area, so he set a new career goal of becoming a Software Engineer3.³ and

He set a roadmap toward becoming a Software Engineer by listing all the industry-related knowledge, tools, technologies, and programming languages he'd need to learn.

Once he'd learned the topics, he practiced what he learned by building basic and more complicated software until he had mastered the process.

Once confident in his current skills, he researched common industry interview questions and practiced answering them on the spot.

While technical skills were undoubtedly necessary to make the pivot successful, they weren't all that was needed. Ali noted that soft skills played a major part. Specifically, he credits his love of the craft of software development as a major boon for his successful career.

Katie: The power of engaging professional development

Katie Novak⁴ is an Educational Consultant, and to people who say teachers "don't value professional development," she has this story to tell:

"I’ll always remember one professional development session I attended, not in a good way. The presenter, who was physically there, decided it was a great idea to play a 15-minute video of herself lecturing. No closed captions were provided for accessibility, and the video was neither concise nor clear. To add insult to injury, we were required to stash away our devices, leaving us unable to take digital notes (or do some online shopping as a coping mechanism!)."

The key takeaway is that student engagement is essential in professional development.

Whether attending industry events or undertaking professional development in your own time, Katie says the key to keeping it engaging is improving the quality, relevance, and usefulness of the sessions you attend.

With this in mind, let's examine how to write and set professional goals that matter.

🎯 How to tailor your professional development goals to motivate you

Want to know why some professional goals energize you while others gather dust? It's not about willpower—it's about working with your natural motivational DNA. Our global database of human motivations reveals a fascinating truth: when you align goals with how you're naturally wired to achieve, magic happens.

Whether you're energized by solving complex puzzles or driven by concrete targets, understanding your unique work style is the secret to setting goals you'll actually want to achieve. Ready to discover what really drives you?

Here's how...

Step 1: Uncover what motivates you at work

Instead of guessing or asking others, answer questions on what motivates you and access an in-depth report of the 48 motivations influencing your work. You'll also learn how you score on each trait compared to your local culture.

This will provide deep insights into your strengths and blind spots, backed by our research into work motivation.

The Marlee "My Results" board

Step 2: See how you compare to high performers

Once you receive your motivation analysis, click the XFactors tab to compare your results against those of our global sample of successful Entrepreneurs and Business Builders.

To see your blind spots (areas for growth), click on "Red Zone." This will show you where you fall outside the scores we've found align with success.

Think of these as areas for personal development and opportunities to gain new workplace skills.

Step 3: Turn blind spots into career development opportunities through coaching

The best way to set and achieve meaningful professional goals is to identify opportunities for improvement, set a personal goal, and receive targeted coaching to help you achieve it.

Our AI-powered Coach Marlee allows you to undertake professional coaching at your own pace.

👉 Inspire yourself and others to see and achieve grand visions and goals with our Goal Catcher program.

Step 4: Develop an action plan

Create a written document outlining how you will achieve your professional goals. This professional development plan should include:

• A specific goal statement

What is it that you're trying to achieve? Unless you can say it in one sentence, you might not have the clarity you need. An example of a goal statement is, "Within 12 months, I will find a mentor who has experience working at an ad agency as a Creative Director."

• Long-term goals

Start with long-term goals, which are those you'll aim to achieve in the next one to ten years.

• Short-term goals

To keep motivation high, break those long-term goals into smaller short-term goals. These are the goal-setting objectives you'll achieve in the next weeks and months.

• A time frame and due dates

To hold yourself accountable, assign specific due dates for each milestone and add them to your calendar so you don't miss them.

• Metrics

How will you know you've succeeded? Assign metrics if you can. For example, it's not enough to say, "I want to be more creative." Instead, find ways to know you've achieved that goal in a quantifiable way.

💡 We recommend keeping a journal as part of your written documentation.

How to write professional development goals that drive business outcomes

Now that you've seen how others have set their developmental goals, it's time to write your own.

As you might have noticed, the professional development plans described above have a few things in common. The goal-setters are clear on what they want to accomplish and how they plan to do it.

This isn't an accident; it's a key part of setting yourself up for success when setting professional development goals.

Be sure that your goals are:

• Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timebound (aka SMART goals)
• Followed up with a realistic action plan
• Supported by the people around you
• Regularly reviewed and adjusted when necessary

📖 Read our in-depth guide on how to write professional development goals.

Ready to transform your professional development goals into tangible results?

Discover our evidence-based approach to professional development. Learn how to set goals that align with your unique motivational style and drive business success. No more generic targets that fall flat.

👉 Start with Marlee for free