OGL 482 Pro-Seminar II

Unit 3 Assignment:
Career Plan Template
Section 1: Creating your BHAG
Following the information in the “Good to Great Connections” PowerPoint presentation and all
of the additional information provided under the content area, and taking your Personal Mission
Statement development efforts into consideration, carefully develop your own personal long term
BHAG (***one amazingly HUGE, your world changing goal***). The timeframe for your
BHAG is 10-25 years out, however it will depend upon your age. For example, a 55 year old
person might be closer to the 10 year BHAG, whereas a 30 year old or younger person should be
considering a BHAG 25 years out. This BHAG may be related to your overall life/lifestyle
aspirations, or it could be related to some organizational, protean, or entrepreneurial vision you
have for the future. Dig deep and and go beyond the job. That is up to you. What it needs to be is
BIG! HUGE! REALLY HAIRY! STRETCH YOURSELF! LOOK BEYOND GRADUATE
DEGREE! LOOK BEYOND A JOB! HOW WILL YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THIS
WORLD?

Answer the following:

1) What is your BHAG (***one amazingly HUGE, your world changing goal***)?

Become someone who leaves an impact on and makes a real difference for the people

(and animals) of my community through collaboration and inspiration. Obtain a sense of

fulfillment and balance that allows me to continue to give back in a way that connects

people in the community, transcends those I am helping, and inspires others to do the

same.

2) Why is this your BHAG?

I chose this as my BHAG because it takes my passion for community and brings it up to

the next level. If I am successful, it will mean that I have truly helped to change people’s

lives for the better, and put processes in place for continued success. And in turn, this

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 will benefit my community as a whole. I have always done volunteer work in the

communities I have lived in, but this BHAG will take that up a knotch by connecting

more people together to do the same thing. By collaborating with people and working to

get others involved, it will make a much bigger impact than I could ever do alone. This

will also require me to feel balanced in my work life and my home life to be able to

accomplish this goal.

3) How does your BHAG align with your vision statement from Module 4?

My vision statement:

To find balance and fulfillment in all aspects of life, and to always be giving back.

My BHAG is in perfect alignment with and very similar to my personal vision statement.

But I would say that my BHAG is a much more aggressive goal than my vision

statement. My personal vision statement pertains more to just me, and how I want my

future to look. My BHAG expands to involve others into my goals, through collaboration

and inspiration. I want to unlock the potential of how we can help others together.

4) How does your BHAG align with your mission statement from Module 4?

My mission statement:

I am dedicated to living a life that embraces diversity, and celebrates differences. I strive

to connect with people, and treat everyone with dignity and respect

My BHAG also encompasses aspects of my personal mission statement. Part of my

mission statement says “I strive to connect with people”. This ties in directly with my

passion for community and giving back. I also believe that when we are in service to

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 people in our community who need a helping hand, we are treating them with the dignity

and respect that every human wants to have. This also ties in to my mission statement.

5) List your top five (5) obstacles in order from number 5 being least difficult and
number 1 being most difficult you need to overcome in order to obtain your BHAG
and explain the relevance of each one.

1) Balance at work

This obstacle is one that I currently have at the organization I am at right now. After

graduation, I hope to find something that offers more balance. If work feels like it is

taking over my whole life, as it has in the past, then I won’t be able to give as much to

my BHAG as I would want to.

2) Networking

In order to accomplish my BHAG I will need to connect and network with others to

make it happen. Since I will be moving to a new city after graduation, I will be

starting from scratch with the network of people that I know. Plus, the level of

networking that my BHAG will require is on a much higher level than I have ever

done before.

3) Time

In order to accomplish my BHAG, I will need to have the time to do it. Being this

goal is not something that is tied to my professional career (although it could be), I

would need to make sure that I have time outside of my career and personal life to

make it come to light. I will want to feel like I am able to give it 100% if I am going

to do it.

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 4) Burnout

I am sure that accomplishing my BHAG will have its challenges. This is why I will

need to keep my determination and perseverance strong to make it happen. Life can

feel overwhelming at times, and if I am not handling that well, burnout could be an

obstacle that I would have to overcome to accomplish my goal.

5) Balance at home

Just like having balance at work, I will also need balance at home in my personal life

to accomplish my BHAG. For the last couple of years, I have made school a priority,

which has taken away from my personal time and balance at home. After graduation,

I will have to find a new normal for my balance at home, so it is not an obstacle for

me.

Section 2: Career Vision

Consider your long-term vision for your career. Respond to the following questions, and make
connections to your personal mission statement, your BHAG(s), the themes you developed in
Module 4, and the textbook/supplemental readings (as applicable).

Answer the following:

1) Analyze the type of career you want to have, in terms of an organizational career or
a protean career, make sure it is clear you understand the concepts as outlined in
the textbook. Why?

Reflecting on the type of career I want to have, I am first inclined to think about the

career I have had up to this point. I have been with the same organization for over 16

years. It has very much been an organizational career. I started at the bottom and
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 advanced my way up a hierarchy of positions within the organization. I have been very

committed to the organization. And although most of my time with the organization has

been good, after graduation I will be taking my career out of retail, and so I have been

giving my next direction a lot of thought. Taking the long-term vision for my career into

consideration, I know I will want to switch things up, and go in the direction of a more

protean career. One of the key themes I identified in my thematical analysis is that I

desire a good work/life balance, and a protean career would better allow for that. I feel

having more autonomy at work would allow me to grow my potential and would give me

more work satisfaction.

2) Analyze your career with an explanation as one that moves you up the organization
or one you develop seeking alternative career paths. If you see yourself taking an
alternative career path, which one(s) sound the most likely? Why?

For the last 16 years, I have had a career where I moved up in the hierarchy of the

organization I was working in. I did it, not only for the pay, but also for the recognition.

While it was mostly a great experience for me, after graduation I will not be looking for a

job where I have to work my way up to a certain position again. Considering the long-

term vision for the direction I want to take my career, I think seeking some alternative

career paths could be a good way for me to go. If I do stay with the same organization, I

would consider the backtracker alternative of self-demotion from the position that I have.

I would want out of the retail side and in to the corporate side of the company. So maybe

not quite a backtrack as much as a horizontal exit. I would also consider being a career

shifter, which is when people take their skills and do something that is “more

fundamentally aligned with their interests” (Harrington & Hall, 2007, p. 112). And as

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 long as I felt financially secure, I could also seek the path of plateauer, by not taking

promotions if it means I feel more balanced in my life (Harrington & Hall, 2007).

3) Discuss and explain if you see yourself working an alternative or flexible work
schedule/arrangement? If so, which ones and why?

Taking into consideration the vision I have for my career, I absolutely see myself

working an alternative work arrangement. I would love to have a flexible schedule. I

think it would be nice to have the flexibility to work around things that I have going on in

my personal life. I think as long as the work I need to be doing is getting done, I feel it

shouldn’t matter when I am doing it. I see this as similar to the freedom I have taking

online classes. It does not matter if I work on my assignments at 6:00 a.m. or 6:00 p.m.,

as long as the work is complete by the due date. I also think that working remotely

would be an environment that I would be successful in, and I actually intend to search for

careers that I can do remotely after graduation. And as I get closer to retirement, I think

job sharing and gradual retirement could also have an appeal to me and would be

something I would consider.

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Section 3: Long-Term Strategy
Develop a strategy for moving toward your ideal future work/life situation and the realization of
your BHAG(s). Consider the timeframe for your BHAG(s). Provide a vivid description of life
“the way it will be” once your BHAG is realized.

1) Critically think about and then list out (not a narrative format) the interim steps or
milestones you have laid out for yourself that will aid you in reaching your BHAG
(you should have at least 10 to earn a rating of excellent and be referenced by time)

1. Graduation (December 2021)

2. Move to Minneapolis (3-6 months)

3. Find a job outside of retail that offers me better balance (< 1 year)

4. Find places in Minneapolis that I can start to volunteer at (6 months - 2 years)

5. Settle into my new career (1-2 years)

6. Pay off my student loans (2-3 years)

7. Pay off my credit card debt (2-4 years)

8. Start networking with new people that I meet in my community (6 months – 4 years)

9. Become financially stable enough again to not just work for a paycheck (3-5 years)

10. Start my journey of connecting people in the community to service (4-5 years)

2) In addition to career-related roles, consider your other life roles in relation to your
career goals. What are the 3 most precious things you are willing to sacrifice,
besides time, to achieve your BHAG? Why?

Sacrifice 1: Money

If I were to achieve my BHAG, I would be doing a lot of work that I would not be getting

compensated for. Being financially secure is something that is very important to me.

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 And, while giving back to the community is not something that you do for money, it will

still be a big investment of my time with no revenue to show for it. So, I am hoping my

new job will be compensation enough that I can use my free-time to achieve my BHAG.

Sacrifice 2: Family and Friends

In order to achieve my BHAG, I will need to invest a lot of my personal time, outside of

the time I invest at my job, in order to be successful. This will cut directly into the time

that I would be spending with my family and friends. Being able to spend that quality

time has been difficult since I have been in school, and I am looking forward to doing

more of that after I graduate. I will have to find a good balance if I want to be successful

at my BHAG.

Sacrifice 3: Working Alone

I have typically only had jobs in retail where I work with others. Since the pandemic, I

have found that I work alone really well. So much so, that I want to try to find a job that

I can work alone remotely after graduation. But in order to achieve my BHAG, I will

need to network and work with others in order to be successful.

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Section 4: The one to two year plan
Using a SMART goals-based approach, as well as project planning and management skill best
practices, create a detailed project plan for at least two specific goals. At least one must be
related to your long-term BHAG. The other may be related to some other aspect of your career
development or career-life integration. Both of these goals need to be things that you are
passionate about accomplishing.
Your selected goals and SMART plan (see SMART goal information provided in the module)
should be structured based on a one to two-year timeline. It should include specific milestones,
action items, sub-tasks as well as task-related interdependencies as applicable. With respect to
each goal, critically think about what specifically are the things you will do in the next one to
two years to achieve these goals.

Develop a clear and detailed SMART plan, with facilitating goals and steps/actions required
to accomplish your selected goals. It should be evident, by looking at the format and structure
of your plan, that you have developed some significant skills respect to project management.
Include Gantt charts (T) or other visual project representations as you see fit, and be sure to
address your approach to tracking/measuring your progress (M).

1) What is your #1 Goal? (at least one of the following must be related to your BHAG)

My #1 Goal, which is related to my BHAG, is to move to Minneapolis within the next 6

months, and then find places in the community within the next 2 years that I am

passionate about helping, where I can volunteer and start to network in the community.

Milestone Action Items Sub-tasks Task-related Planned Planned

Interdependencies Start Date End Date

Move to Sell my *Reach out to 12/1/21 6/1/22

Minneapolis condo and my realtor
find a new
apartment *Get my
condo ready
to sell
(painting,
small repairs,
etc.)

*Put my
condo on the
market

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 *Plan a trip to
Minneapolis
to find
apartments

*Downsize

How much I
downsize will
depend on the size
of the apartment
that I find
*Hire movers
to help

Volunteer in Find places *Research 6/1/22 12/1/23

the that I am animal
community passionate rescues
about
helping *Research
programs for
women and
minorities

*Research
needs in the
community

*Network
with people
that I meet
and new co-
workers

*Start
donating my
time to help
where I can

SMART Model:

a. Specific

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 This goal is specific because each milestone is unique and has a specific date

attached to it to help ensure completion. Until I move to Minneapolis, I will not

be able to give more detail on the “where” of which places I will spend my time

at, but those do not need to be known now to start.

b. Measurable

I will be able to measure the progress of my goal through completion of my sub-

tasks. If I start the project promptly on the start date, I should have given myself

enough time to successfully compete the milestones in the given timeframe.

c. Attainable

This goal is attainable, because it is something that I am passionate about. No

part of my goal is so outrageous that I would be unrealistic for trying to

accomplish it.

d. Relevant

This goal is relevant because community work is something that I have always

done. Giving back is in my blood and I want to use this goal to take that passion

to the next level.

e. Time-Based

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 5/1/21 8/9/21 11/17/21 2/25/22 6/5/22 9/13/22 12/22/22 4/1/23 7/10/23 10/18/23 1/26/24

Move to Minneapolis 12/ 1/ 21

Volunteer in the Community 6/ 1/ 22

2) What is your #2 Goal? (at least one of these must be related to your BHAG)

My #2 Goal, which is related to my career plans, is my goal for the route I will take to

look for a new job after graduation, outside of retail. I would like to stay with Starbucks,

if possible, since I have been with them for so long. But if I do not find a position that I

like, then it will be time to move on and hopefully find another organization I can be

happy at.

Milestone Action Items Sub-tasks Task-related Planned Planned End

Interdependencies Start Date Date

Graduation Get my degree 1/13/20 12/13/21

in
Organizational
Leadership

Interviews Craft my *Contact ASU 1/1/22 3/1/22

Interview Career
Skills Services for
help

*Set up mock
interviews
with trusted
friends and
family

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 *Set up
interviews
for practice

Starbucks Search for *Contact the 2/1/22 6/1/22

Position remote Career
Outside of positions Department
Retail Stores within at Starbucks
Starbucks that
interest me *Use the
Partner Hub
to search
position
openings

*Utilize my
District
Manager

Remote Search for *Open my job  This is 4/1/22 6/1/22

Position remote search to dependent on
Outside of positions organizations whether or not I
Starbucks outside of outside of find a remote
Starbucks that Starbucks position within
interest me Starbucks
*Set up a
profile on
LinkedIn

Move to Search for *Maintain my  This is 6/1/22 12/31/22

Minneapolis non-remote current dependent on
with positions in position with whether or not I
Starbucks the Starbucks find a remote job
and then find Minneapolis until I find a before I move
a job there area new job

*Used
LinkedIn to
network

SMART Model:

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 a. Specific

This goal is specific because there is an exact order in which I will pursue my

next job opportunity. Also, many of the milestones are specifically dependent on

the results from the one before it.

b. Measurable

This goal will be measurable based on the success I am having in my job search.

The less success I have with one of the milestones, the quicker I will move on to

my next option for jobs I want to search for.

c. Attainable

This goal is attainable because I will have my degree to help foster the job search.

It will lead me to job opportunities that I may not have had if I did not finish up

my degree.

d. Relevant

This goal is relevant because it will be a new beginning for me. I will have a lot

of big life changes happening all around the same time, so this goal will help me

stay on track.

e. Time-Based

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 10/1/19 4/18/20 11/4/20 5/23/21 12/9/21 6/27/22 1/13/23

Graduation 1/ 13/ 20

Interviews 1/ 1/ 22

Starbucks Position Outside of Retail Stores 2/ 1/ 22

Remote Postion Outside of Starbucks 4/ 1/ 22

Move to Minneapolis with Starbucks and Find Job There 6/ 1/ 22

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 Reference:

Harrington, B., & Hall, D. T. (2007). Career Management & Work/Life Integration: Using

Self-Assessment to Navigate Contemporary Careers. Sage Publications, Inc.

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