Trauma-Informed Goal Setting for Career Development

It is that time of year when we review our goals from the previous year and set goals for the next twelve months. There are all kinds of goal setting, including fitness, emotional wellness, and performance goals.

In this article, I will explore the concept of career goal setting, why it is important, the struggles trauma survivors face during this process, and how to apply a trauma-informed approach to career goal setting.

What is Career Goal Setting?

Career goal setting is different than setting performance goals at work. Career goal setting is about determining what we want to achieve in our career for a season or over a lifetime based on our gifts, talents, abilities, and desires.

Career goals are more general in nature than specific performance goals. For example, career goals can look like expanding your professional network, starting a business, earning a certification, taking a leadership position, or getting promoted.

Why is Career Goal Setting Important?

In the words of the famous philosopher Zig Ziglar:

“If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time.” (Zig Ziglar)

Career goal setting is important because it provides focus, motivation, and direction around where we want to devote our energy.

For the trauma survivor, career goal-setting is part of the healing process. It has everything to do with us taking back power and control over our lives, which Dr. Judith Herman determined was the guiding principle of recovery.

“Trauma robs the victim of a sense of power and control; the guiding principle of recovery is to restore power and control to the survivor.” (Dr. Judith Herman)

Depending on where you are in your healing journey, taking back power and control can feel equally frightening and invigorating. These feelings may exist at the same time.

Setting career goals helps us move from a passive state of doing what others expect of us to an assertive state of determining our own desires. Again, getting to the point where we realize that we are allowed to have desires and needs that are specific to us is part of the healing process.

If you are not there yet and are thinking, “Yeah, right,” keep moving forward…you will get there.

Goal Setting Struggles for Trauma Survivors

There are legitimate reasons why trauma survivors, in particular, struggle with setting goals.

Selfishness. For many of us, having our own goals feels selfish. Perhaps we were taught that growing up.

Safety. Setting career goals can feel threatening and unsafe…especially if we spend a lot of time in an “appease” state of mind, trying to please others. Many of us actively practice “people pleasing” to feel safe, so we may not want to set or own our goals because that would “upset the apple cart.”

All-Or-Nothing Thinking. This is prevalent for most trauma survivors. We tend to think in black and white. If we don’t achieve the whole goal, we don’t achieve the goal at all…we’ve failed.

Lack of Self-Esteem. Many of us have a rather negative opinion of ourselves and what we can achieve. Perhaps, as a child, we were told we were stupid and wouldn’t amount to anything…and we believed them.

Afraid to Ask for Help. Some of us experience an intense sense of shame when we have to ask for help because we were accused of being “so needy” when we were children.

These are just a few reasons why trauma survivors struggle with goal setting, but I’m sure there are many more.

A Trauma-Informed Approach to Career Goal Setting

In 2014, SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) introduced the concept of “trauma-informed care” in a white paper titled “SAMHSA’s Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach.”

In this paper, they introduced six guiding principles of a trauma-informed approach: safety, trustworthiness and transparency, peer support, collaboration and mutuality, Empowerment/Voice and Choice, and Cultural/Historical/Gender Issues.

What might career goal setting look like if we overlaid or applied these six guiding principles to the process? Perhaps it would look more like an assessment.

Safety. When we, as trauma survivors, experience dysregulation or are triggered while considering career goals, it is an indication that something does not feel safe to us. Safety is ALWAYS going to be a biological priority for us.

Does it feel safe for us to claim a particular career goal?

Before I took the HUGE step of deciding I was going to open my own business, many limiting thoughts flooded my mind about what that meant and whether I could do it and make a living.

It did not initially feel safe to me; however, I broke down this big goal into manageable milestones, which helped me gain the confidence I needed to continue moving forward.

Trustworthiness & Transparency. When considering a personal career goal, it is helpful to think through the milestones/steps needed to achieve the goal to determine whether there is a sense of trustworthiness and transparency in the players surrounding you.

Let me stick with my example of becoming an entrepreneur and continue to pull the string through. Even though I had an MBA when I started on this journey, I knew very little about what it took to actually run an online business, so I decided I needed to hire a business coach.

I interviewed quite a few who did not have my best interests at heart. Unfortunately, that happens when people come from a place of scarcity and not generosity because they feel threatened about being able to pay their bills.

Most trauma survivors have a super-power called neuroception. Neuroception is our body’s unconscious ability to assess risk, danger, and safety. Because of our past experiences, our sense of neuroception is highly advanced.

I used that skill (yes, it is a skill) to filter through the business coaching candidates to find one that I felt had my best interests at heart and was willing to meet me where I was.

Peer Support. Peer support is really important for trauma survivors and can also be very elusive. We often tend to be lone wolfs to keep ourselves safe. However, we all need a little help to realize our career aspirations and goals.

This might look like joining a membership or Facebook group of other business owners, in my case. As you consider your career goals, would you have a supportive community of peers to help you achieve them?

Collaboration & Mutuality. This is a big one, but it is also tied to our ability to connect with others. When we are considering a particular career goal, we might ask ourselves whether there would be an opportunity to collaborate and mutually support one another.

I can’t tell you the amount of times I was told that I didn’t have to do this alone…and that’s why I say it to you in every one of my blogs.

Empowerment/Voice & Choice. This is another important one for trauma survivors. When setting career goals, do they give us a sense of empowerment/voice & choice, or do they leave us feeling powerless?

When I first started my company, I had to learn to trust my system or inner wisdom/intuition. I had to learn how to use my voice to be heard. I had to learn that I not only had the ability to choose, but I had the responsibility to choose…even if it didn’t turn out well. I could always pivot and make a different choice, but I had to learn that it was OK to learn when things didn’t work out like I thought they would.

This is definitely part of the growth process.

Cultural, Historical, and Gender Issues. When considering career goals, it is helpful to consider the cultural, historical, and gender issues that impact our ability to achieve them.

Are there limitations or influences from our culture that would hinder us from achieving our goals? Are there historical elements (personal or situational) that would impact us? Are there challenges related to our gender?

Suppose our goal is to be promoted to a position as an Executive Leader as a woman, but we currently work at a company that has an “old boys club” mentality. In that case, we may need to consider whether we can achieve our goal at our existing company.

General Guidance

1. Don’t be afraid to dream big. Often, we are the ones that are limiting our full potential. Lean into the discomfort. It is OK to have big goals.
2. Break it down. If we have the courage to dream big, we may need to break down our big goals into achievable milestones. You know how the saying goes…”you can’t eat an elephant in one bite.”
3. Create a plan. Create a plan for how you will achieve your big, audacious goal. What steps do you need to complete to get you there? Is there a timeline you would like to consider for completing those steps? Does that feel realistic to your system?
4. Share your goals. Share your goals with someone who will be excited and supportive of you. We all need encouragement and accountability at times.
5. Move slow. As trauma survivors, it may take some time for our nervous system to adjust to the changes we are making to achieve our goals…and that is both normal and OK. Slow progress is still progress.
6. Celebrate success. I heard someone recently say, “What we appreciate appreciates.” Success brings momentum, which breeds more success.
7. Capitalize on your resiliency. As a trauma survivor, you are already resilient…you’ve already learned that lesson…so use it to your advantage. When you fall down, which is inevitable, get back up…you’ve been doing that your whole life. “The difference between a big shot and a little shot is that a big shot is just a little shot that kept on shooting.” (Zig Ziglar) Keep shooting, my friend.
8. Keep learning. I do not believe in failure…I believe in learning opportunities. Nelson Mandela said, “I never lose. I either win, or I learn.” Keep learning and course-correcting so you can achieve your goals.
9. Connect with others. There is something to be said about the power of community. When we have a supportive and energetic community where we feel a sense of belonging, it helps us to continue moving forward even in the face of self-doubt and uncertainty.
10. Let go of Perfectionism. Achieving our goals rarely happens as we imagined it would. Life happens. There are obstacles we need to overcome. There are changes we need to make. “You don’t have to get it right, you just have to get it going.” (Mike Litman)

This article is longer than usual, but I hope you find it helpful as you work on your career planning. What big, audacious goal will you claim for 2024? What is the next right step you need to take toward achieving that goal?

An Invitation

If you are looking for an online community of other resilient overcomers focusing on their careers, I invite you to join The Resilient Career Academy™ Community. (RCA Community)

The RCA Community is a FREE group dedicated to helping/supporting those working to overcome adversity to achieve their full potential in their careers.

The benefits to you are:

• Community — The community provides support, encouragement, the ability to share frustrations and get feedback from people who understand the struggle
• Workplace/Career Resources — The group provides tools, resources, and templates to help you with your career journey
• Available Coaching Support — The community is supported by trained and certified coaches who are available for individual sessions
• Learning — You will have access to various trauma/workplace-related online courses developed by our coaches to help you in your journey
• Workshops/Webinars — You will have access to practical workshops/webinars targeted to help you in the workplace grow your career

If you are interested in joining us, click here: https://resilientcareeracademy.myflodesk.com/community

As always, you do not have to walk this journey alone. Contact me to schedule your free discovery call.

Trigger Tracker Template — This is a FREE resource to help you keep track of the triggers in your workplace and plan the coping strategies you will use to get through the experience.

Get on the waiting list for The Resilient Career Academy™. You won’t want to miss it.

If you want to stay informed on the programs, tools, and training I offer, sign up for my mailing list.

You can also visit my website for more information on courses and other freebies I offer at: https://www.cyndibennettconsulting.com.

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