PACK YOUR POTENTIAL

December 2025

Your Career and Professional Development Source

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Set Bold Goals for 2026

Ready to boost your career in 2026? If so, here’s how to set some professional goals, track your progress and celebrate your wins.

Get career growth tips

Leader Message

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Move Sideways To Move Up

Chris Vestal explains why career growth isn’t just about moving up the ladder. Sometimes it’s about moving sideways. By embracing a multidirectional career path, you can build on the transferable skills you already have, expand your network and prepare for leadership roles.

Learn about strategic lateral moves

Featured Learning

We’ve curated the four LinkedIn Learning courses below to help sharpen your goal-setting skills and align your priorities for maximum impact. LinkedIn Learning is an online video repository of training courses that NC State employees can access for free by logging in with their NC State email address.

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Defining and Achieving Professional Goals

Use goal-setting techniques to focus your efforts, change people’s behavior and achieve the results that’ll set your organization apart.

Watch these tips to streamline your goal setting

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Setting Team and Employee Goals Using SMART Methodology

Learn how to develop achievable, appropriate goals for your employees’ roles, and drive organizational success.

Learn how to leverage your team’s strengths

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How To Set Goals When Everything Feels Like a Priority

Get practical strategies to prioritize effectively and make space for the goals that truly matter.

Explore this quick course

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Create a Goal Timeline

This course explores how to gain clarity on your career goals starting with a powerful personal vision then building an effective timeline.

Explore this quick course

Tips and Resources

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Join the Core Values Conversation

Start your goal-setting journey by defining your core values, beginning with your best qualities. We’ll feature a word cloud of common themes in next month’s Pack Your Potential.

Tell us what makes you shine

Service Highlights

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Let Us Help You Plan With Purpose

Need help with strategic planning? Our Learning and Organizational Development team partners with departments to craft mission, vision, values and goals.

Contact the team to get started

Mark Your Calendar

Dec. 12: Increase Engagement and Accountability Through Feedback

Dec. 18: Journaling and Writing for Personal Growth

Dec. 24-Jan. 1: University closed for winter break

Jan. 27: Collaborating Across Generations

Feb. 3: Communicating Across Styles

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