6 Ways to Still Hit 2025 Goals

Like many of us, you may have started the New Year with big goals, among them, of course, things to accomplish at work. But January brought so many distractions that you made almost no progress on any of them.

The problem is, too many people don’t set goals properly in the first place. The objectives they establish for themselves are too vague, too unwieldy, or too difficult to accomplish alone. It’s why some of your professional goals might already seem out of reach, even though it’s only the first week of February. “Too often you discuss what you’d like to accomplish, it gets written down, and then it goes on a shelf,” says Ryan Frechette, a Korn Ferry Advance associate principal. Unfortunately, as your chances of accomplishing these goals slip, so does your morale, and you can become disengaged professionally.

So how can you get a lot of meaningful things accomplished in 2025? Our experts lay out their advice for setting ambitious but realistic goals—then getting them done.

Dig deeper.

Experts suggest that workers examine how they spent their time in 2024. Ask what they’d like to do more of, what they’d like to stop doing, and what they would like to start doing,

Workers who have noticed projects that have intrigued them might consider what skills they’d need to develop to take them on, says Sharon Egilinsky, a partner in Korn Ferry’s Organizational Strategy team. If someone in the organization or industry has impressed you, you should think about why, and how that relates to what you do, she advises. “Ask mentors what is best to practice, develop, or work on to be a better team player next year,” she adds.

Be SMART about goal setting.

One of the biggest obstacles to accomplishing a goal is that it’s too nebulous. Being happier on the job, for instance, is a fine objective, but it’s also tough to measure. 

Jennifer Zamora, a senior principal at Korn Ferry Advance, recommends making SMART goals: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time bound. This will help you to clarify ideas, focus efforts, use time and resources productively, and increase the chances of achieving what you want out of your career.

Think big picture.

Don’t just focus on your current position. Broaden your thinking to consider the challenges your boss’s boss is facing this year. Figure out what’s happening a few levels above you and how your work intersects with it. Otherwise, you might set a goal that takes you down a path that doesn’t lead anywhere.

Think about your unique skills and how they overlap with the company’s highest priorities. For instance, if your company is struggling with direct-to-consumer strategies—and if you have an interest in marketing, understand influencers, and shop on Instagram and TikTok—consider a goal that uses your unique perspective to help your company grow its reach and revenue.

Look beyond 2025.

Don’t just think about the eleven remaining months of 2025; think about what you want to do in the long-term future, and what steps might help you reach that goal, says Frances Weir, a Korn Ferry Advance principal.

Determine what you want to do in your next job and deconstruct the skills and experience that will be required. Then clearly articulate this to your manager in the form of a very specific ask. It might be access to a learning opportunity or industry conference, or the ability to shadow someone in another department.

Tie development goals to performance goals.

Keep in mind that many companies tie performance goals to teams and departments. The best way to get your manager to buy into your development goals is to show how they’ll help you reach your performance goals, says Korn Ferry Advance principal Sondra Levitt.

Your development goal might be improving your communication skills, Levitt says, and your performance goal might be to increase customer satisfaction by 20%. Showing your manager how the two goals work hand-in-hand increases the likelihood of gaining support for your development goal, she says.

Develop metrics.

Don’t forget to include a way to measure success. Metrics can be tied to revenue and growth, or to something more qualitative, such as customer feedback and satisfaction surveys, or efficiency in resolving client issues.

Or maybe you measure success based on how you’ve improved your skills, expanded your knowledge, or achieved personal milestones, notes Egilinsky. “There is nothing wrong with being competitive with yourself,” she says.

Learn more about Korn Ferry’s career development capabilities from Korn Ferry Advance. 

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