Answers from frontline reps —

 

In 2017, I am focusing on three types of goals, personally and professionally: Development, Operational Status, and Effectiveness.

• For Development: I will continue to meet with my team members and my management team regularly to ensure that we discuss a career trajectory and create a method of action when achieving those goals. Personally, I am interested in leading through positive energy and, for my team I am interested in creating situations where they can achieve greater successes than thought possible.
• For Operational Status: I am committing to be mindful of how our credit union is thriving and meeting the needs of our business. I am also encouraging my team to provide insight into where we could meet our credit union’s goals by maximizing resources and reducing customer effort.
• For Effectiveness: A very wise manager once told me, regarding leadership, “There is no right or wrong, only effective or ineffective.” In 2017, I am taking a new perspective on those intelligent words and pledging to be more proactive. Leading can be additionally challenging if you are finding yourself reacting to events instead of taking a step back from the situation to be effective and create a holistic solution that answers the question behind the question.

— Megann Wither, Navy Federal Credit Union

 

Whatever goals that you set, have to work for you. Setting goals isn’t something that you do to please anyone but yourself.

First and foremost, I would like to get in better shape for myself as well as my family. I want to be around for a very long time to enjoy my family and all my friends.

I would like to make some changes in my lifestyle as in purchasing a house instead of just renting and throwing my money down the drain.

I also would like to get active in a new hobby. Keeping busy keeps the brain moving and that is always a good thing, especially as we grow older. However, in my business goals … well there are several avenues that I would like to pursue.

I would like to continue on in my career, but grow into another aspect of the job that would add other avenues to my day to day work. It would involve going back to school to continue my education, which is never a bad thing.

I think that it would be great if I could use some of both my personal and professional goals together.

However, when I set goals, I don’t just set one large goal. I break it down into more managable mini-goals, especially if it is something really big. If I want a promotion, then I set a goal to find out all that I can about that positon. Then I take the necessary steps to see if I would be a good fit for the position. Then I would submit the paperwork to have an interview for the position if I still felt it would be a good fit.

— Jo Sprowl, SKF USA Inc.

 

For 2017 I plan to get back to the basics. The foundation of customer service has always been in the connection you make with every person you talk to. Even though a lot of situations are similar, each person is going to see it in a different way and I want to really see and understand those differences. It’s the individuality in the way that you treat everyone that makes it all come together and I know I can do better. This is a goal that will assist me not only professionally but personally. It’s so easy to be distracted by everything we have going on and the amount of information we are bombarded with. I want to stop the whirlwind and start making true connections with people again.

— Rachel Dillon, Assurant Specialty Property

 

My personal goal for 2017 is to be more involved in what is most important in my life. I realize I’ve placed too much emphasis on working and providing for my family, but not enough emphasis on spending time with them and in my community. If working less overtime means I have to give up certain luxuries, such as my NFL Sunday Ticket subscription, the latest edition of the iPhone, or eating out every day, I’m more than willing to make that trade-off. Specifically, I plan to be more involved with my kids’ extracurricular activities, attend council meetings or other civic events, or volunteer to be a coach with a local youth sports association. I believe that the benefits to me, my family, and my community will more than outweigh any small sacrifices I make.

Professionally, my goal is to focus on developing my strengths. In the past I’ve held myself back by only worrying about what I perceived to be my weaknesses, but in my opinion, this approach wasn’t the most effective way to enhance my development. Since the weaknesses that I have do not affect my performance as negatively as my strengths could enhance my performance positively, spending more time on the latter becomes crucial to my overall development. Specific strengths I intend to focus on in 2017 are my leadership abilities and project management skills. I’m confident this approach will help set me apart, while making me a greater asset to my employer.

— Jerrard Gates, Navy Federal Credit Union