As an executive, if the choices you’re making now aren’t supporting your long-term career planning, then they’re hindering your future success. Even if you’re happy in your current position, you need to cultivate ambition to safeguard your ongoing prosperity and happiness. If your “someday” goal is your own firm, striking out into a new field, or leveling up within the C-suite, then you need to make adjustments in your career plan now. Most executives are confident they’ll recognize and seize opportunities when they’re presented. But few know how to generate opportunities for themselves to take charge of their career path.
Having a long-term career plan is essential for the following reasons.
Of all the aspects of your life, your career may be the one with the greatest longevity. That’s why it’s crucial that it’s something that enriches your whole being. But if it doesn’t, you can make sure that it can support an early retirement or help you pivot into a second act where you’re truly passionate. Long-term career planning should begin with a 20-year outlook for when – or if – you’ll retire and how your golden years will look.
Whatever your current level of education, many executives opt for a (second) master’s degree or a doctorate. An advanced degree can open doors to new fields or get you the experience you need for your next promotion. You can structure your working life to support the rigors of school, research, and writing a dissertation with long-term career planning.
The earlier in your career you go back to school, the more flexibility you’ll have with finishing your next degree. Preemptive planning means you’ll be able to take breaks when you need to, prevent burnout, and commit to accomplishing even challenging goals like getting a Ph.D.
Working with an executive coach for long-term career planning means you’ll become more resilient during times of tumult in the economy and shifts in your field or company. A coach will help you see the opportunities in those moments, so you don’t backslide in your career during volatile economies.
If there’s one thing recent events have shown us, it’s that today’s executive needs to be resilient. You have to adapt to working from unexpected places and activating new skills to lead your team confidently, regardless of the obstacles. Long-term career planning helps you prioritize the skills you need to learn and leverage the areas you excel in to achieve your loftiest goals.
When many executives begin long-term career planning, they put aspects of their personal life on hold until they make “enough” progress. Whether it’s moving to your dream city, getting married, or having a family, strategic planning accounts for the things you want in your personal life. With a clear vision of the future, you can find a sustainable balance between your future ambition and current needs.
Instead of toiling in the present while overburdening “someday,” a long-term career plan will identify education, training, and companies to get you closer to your objectives. There’s nothing worse than the feeling of wasting years in a job or at a company that wasn’t helping you advance towards your future goals.
Are you sure the strategies you’re implementing to achieve your career goals support your long-term growth? Our executive coaches have decades of experience working in diverse fields. They’re able to provide sharp insight into setting and achieving goals worthy of your ambition, drive, and talent.
Long-term planning is an investment in yourself to ensure you’re in control of your career. Schedule a consultation to meet the future on your terms.
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