Your University Name    the Competitive Edge




Your Goals #1: Ready, Set, Go  
Printer Friendly
Print Summary
with Patty Bucheck

  1. I’m Patty Buchek, certified career management coach, personal brand strategist and Senior Assistant Dean at Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business. In the ready-set-go MBA job market, high achievers from all over the world who competed for admission to the program are setting up at the starting blocks for the next round of competition.

  2. The question we have today is, not whether you’ll get a job or not, but “What job is the best, right job for you?” And the conversation I want to have with you is about how aiming for the best, right job is the best approach to setting goals.

  3. Aiming high is a core goal setting principle. 25 years of research shows that there is a “positive, linear relationship between goal difficulty and task performance?”

  4. This is true, especially when the person is committed to the goal, has the requisite ability to attain it, and does not have conflicting goals or confusion
    1. So let’s talk about goal commitment –

  5. The prerequisite to goal commitment, is, well, having a goal. And although some of you will arrive at business school knowing exactly what you want to do next, many will feel disoriented.

  6. So it is important to assess your career options and decide which way you want to go, so that you can commit to your grand goal and align your activities with that distal objective. So let’s tackle this first, colossal challenge ingoal setting with this stark question, “Why are you doing an MBA at all? Why do it?”

  7. Isn’t it because you believe that the MBA will change your life? Belief is the highest form of commitment. Let’s make a list of what the MBA will bring that might be valuable to you:
    1. Money – Higher earnings is central to the ROI equation, especially with the high cost of tuition and you’re your time.
    2. Prestige – Large, brand-recognized corporations wine and dine top MBA talent to gain competitive market advantage. Getting courted by Goldman Sachs, Bain, Coca Cola, Google have resume and life-changing potential for you.
    3. Recognition – And they provide a forum for the highest achievement and public recognition for that top performance.
    4. Executive Access – Which might give you access to higher-level opportunities and influence.

  8. Money, prestige, recognition, and access, are all extrinsically motivated, that is, they are evident to others and your behavior is reinforced by external applause. Extrinsic motivation is critically important to goal achievement. It’s what keeps you moving from activity to activity. It can supply that burst of energy you need to get something done – now – and it’s excellent for short-term successes, which we’ll call performance goals and learning goals.

  9. The other form of motivation, equally important, if not more so, is intrinsic motivation. What moves you from the inside? This kind of motivation may not be as evident to others, because it is held by you, deep within. Some would call it passion. Intrinsic motivation is what will sustain you over the long run. It will provide that steady burn, which transcends any individual success, and lasts over time, as you get better and better at what you do in the service of a purpose. So adding on to our list of motivations…
    1. Enjoyment – What if the MBA afforded you the opportunity to earn great money, doing great work, with a great company, and high rewards, doing what you enjoy the most?
    2. Expertise – at the highest level possible…
    3. Excellence – Aren’t you after the same level of excellence that got you into the program to start? That’s awesome. That’s commitment and ability working together.
    4. Impact – So how will that rich mix of motivations manifest itself in your career and what difference will it make? Understanding your potential impact and solidifying your intentions makes a huge difference, not just in getting started, but in getting “there.”

  10. Even though the job offer seems primary, taking just a bit of time to understand what the big picture holds for you and what you can offer in the grand scheme, can be pivotal to the power of your career and the quality of your career journey. And the best part about it, is that getting and giving work together – the more you get the more you are prepared to give, and the more you give the more you are eligible to get. In this schema, your impact and what it means to you and to others anchors the whole equation.

  11. So doesn’t it make sense to start by considering that big audacious, long-term goal and work backward from that in order to achieve it?

  12. Now that we’ve created a context for the goals conversation, continue with me in Goals Video #2 as we drill down to more concrete aspects of goal setting beginning with choosing an industry and job function to focus on; preparing to win a job offer for that positioning; and remaining motivated along the way.

Expert BIO
with Patty Bucheck

Assistant Dean, MBA Career Curricula of the Georgetown University McDonough School of Business. Patty worked for over 20 years as Master Recruiter, Trainer and Human Resource Manager. She managed recruiting efforts for major employers and served as a relationship agent, navigating employer/employee relationships to complete placement assignments. Patty shared this expertise with professionals new to the recruiting industry as Trainer. Her final ten years in industry also included the performance of HR generalist functions.