All this recent talk about goals and here I am without any set for myself. I’ve given it some thought and outlined 4 goals that I’m going to pursue in the next year. I’m not sure what metrics I’ll consider when measuring these; perhaps that will come as a later post. When the calendar says 2014, I want to be able to look back and know that I did the following.

Become more technical

During my time at VisionScape I took huge leaps forward in understanding the technology behind our web app, our desktop app and the API holding them together. Every time that a new challenge came up or a new feature was outlined, my goal was to understand the moving parts as completely as possible. I did have to be sensitive to asking questions that went outside my role; there’s nothing worse than a project manager that doesn’t know when to get out of the way and let developers develop. While VisionScape gave me a first-hand view into the implementation of complex web and desktop technologies, my future at DragonSearch promises to provide a much more comprehensive understanding of CMS technologies and foundational website design and structure. I’m fortunate to be working with a Conversion Rate Optimization and Landing Page Optimization specialists. Acting now on the strategic side of development, my new role places me in the conversation much earlier and this broader view has already proved itself to be a fantastic opportunity to learn.

Develop a more comprehensive understanding of running a business

Working with company that’s farther along in their growth means that I can see what the other side of the 20 employee threshold looks like. We have revenue goals, salary goals, infrastructure goals, technology goals, cultural goals, etc. In order to meet these goals, we need sustained growth and increased revenue. Taking a close look at the costs of acquiring new business, the cost of acquiring new talent, and the cost of creating greater depth in our company (rather than increasing head count to increase breadth) is an exciting challenge. I’m fortunate to be part of this part of the business. The experience is invaluable.

Kick ass at Business Development

Although technology really is fun and exciting (and much better cocktail conversation), business development has always been a natural fit for me when compared to coding and such. Every role I’ve held in my adult life has involved biz dev and, as sexy as technology is, my ability to offer something unique and excel in that area cannot be discounted. I believe that you should find what you do best and find a way to do it better. I want to kick ass at business development.

Stay hip to startup culture

Ok; this is a freebie (mostly since I read Hacker News to unwind). The reason I am making this a goal is because it is fun and I like being aware of what folks are doing to get their projects off the ground. Fun goals are important and it would be exciting to get involved in a startup again in the future. Certainly meeting the other goals above will point me in the right direction.