Stage 1 Tips
Your Values Guide Your Choices
When you're on vacation, you have choices to make. Are you in the mood for lounging on the beach, riding roller coasters at the amusement park, or hiking in the mountains? They're just choices, none intrinsically better than another. What you choose will be based on what you value most.

The same is true in your career. Abandon the idea of trying to get your career map "right." Instead, focus your attention on choosing the kind of experiences you want to have in your working life. A career plan is simply a defined program that gives you those kinds of experiences.


Thought Experiment: Underlying Goals
How would each of these 10 underlying goals change your career plan? Write a short paragraph (or list) for each, saying what choices you might make if this was your primary career goal.
  1. To maximize your income
  2. To achieve status and authority
  3. To have the greatest degree of freedom and autonomy
  4. To enable the greatest balance between work and family
  5. To give you the greatest intellectual challenge
  6. To give you the greatest personal challenge
  7. To position yourself to take advantage of hot industries
  8. To have the most fun
  9. To make a difference, make the world a better place
  10. To achieve the greatest level of security in your professional life
Narrow it Down a Bit
Now highlight the three goals which have greatest appeal for you, and sketch out a plan that synthesizes the elements of these top three.

For example, you might design:

  • A plan that would give you income, autonomy, and intellectual challenge: "Becoming self-employed in a new and fascinating field."
    • OR
  • A plan to have fun and make a difference: "Get hired by a company in a hot industry with a corporate culture that encourages play and creativity, and which has a product which improves people's lives."
The Payoff
Imagine you already have this job. What's happening to your happy meter?

Coach's Hint: Don't Rush

Take your time with this process. Don't settle for a plan which is only a marginal improvement on your current circumstances. Look for something that would be truly fulfilling, enlivening, and exciting to you.

If it isn't exciting to you, you're less likely to follow through on your plan. Also, employers love to hire people who are genuinely passionate about their work.

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