Pack Your Potential - December 2025
Pack Your Potential - December 2025
In this month's Pack Your Potential, get tools and tips to help you navigate 2026 with confidence and clarity.
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NC State University

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 arrow
 
    

 
Leader Message
 
Portrait of Chris Vestal
 
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 arrow
 
 

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.

 
A woman points at a glass board covered in stickie notes while a smiling man looks on
 
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 arrow
 
 
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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 arrow
 
 
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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 arrow
 
 
A man's finger touches a point on a timeline that has a red flag that reads
 
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 arrow
 
 

Tips and Resources
 
A hand holding a pen above a notepad with an overlay of the word
 
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 arrow
 
 

Service Highlights
 
A group of employees at a table covered in papers and materials
 
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 arrow
 
 

Mark Your Calendar
 
Dec. 12: Increase Engagement and Accountability Through Feedback arrow
 
Dec. 18: Journaling and Writing for Personal Growth arrow
 
Dec. 24-Jan. 1: University closed for winter break arrow
 
Jan. 27: Collaborating Across Generations arrow
 
Feb. 3: Communicating Across Styles arrow


 

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