CAD Manager Confessions: Crushing Your 2023 Goals

Is it just me or did 2022 go by way too fast?

Due to time passing us by so quickly, I am sure you will reflect on the past 12 months and realize you may have missed the target on your goals for various reason.

On the personal side, I am a father of three amazing kids. Deion is 22, Kiki is 17 and a senior in high school, and Kaela is 15 and a sophomore in high school as well. I am married to my high-school sweetheart, Teresa, where we just celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary this past September.

Also, we moved from Oregon to Texas for my amazing job at Halff Associated in the summer of 2021, so 2022 has had its share of ups and downs as we settle into new schools, jobs, and our new Texas community.

Through all of that transition we have no regrets as the future is bright and wide-opened as we move into this new chapter of life, so the struggle is real when it comes to finding the time, energy, and focus to conquer our personal goals.

On the professional side, I’ve had my share of challenges as I continue to settle into my new role within my new company and continue to be the leader of change, so I’ve been working on leaning on the framework I am sharing with you today to help me reach my own goals to be the best natural version of myself.

So let me ask you this, what kept you from your goals this past year…

• Starting a new job?

• Moving to a new city or state?

• High utilization? Lack of planning?

• Higher than normal support tickets?

• Too much drama within your CAD Team?

• How about “busyness” work?

Or let’s keep it real for a second… maybe you are bored at your job and ready for a change?

Let the that simmer for a moment…

Once you identify the source and/or sources that are getting in your way, you will be able to create a more proactive plan to help protect and preserve the integrity of your goals to give yourself the opportunity to take inventory to right any 2022 wrongs to make 2023 even better.

Here are 10 steps in conquering those goals once and for all.

STEP #1:

REVERSE-ENGINEER THE END GOALS

What would a successful 2023 look like to you? Once you have identified what that looks like, you can then plan how you are going to achieve that plan.

When it comes to creating the plan for crushing your goals, take small steps regularly towards your ultimate goals.

In time, the goals that seemed so daunting before will be achieved much quicker than you thought possible.

STEP #2: MINDSET

You are human. Falling short is part of the process. The key is to pick yourself up quickly after missing a goal, and then reassess why you missed the goal so that you can pivot to get back on track ASAP. So don’t be too hard on yourself!

STEP #3: SET REALISTIC GOALS

Stop trying to be a Superhero and overloading yourself with too many goals, especially at your day job.

Keep in mind that you will be measured and judged based on whether you accomplish those goals or not.

Also, make sure that your goals align with your career ambitions.

Try learning a new skill to make you a better and more marketable professional within the industry, developing and implementing a new workflow or process that helps improve efficiency within your CAD Team or company, or finding time to network more this coming year.

By setting realistic goals, you position yourself to successfully achieve all your 2023 goals.