To quote George Harrison in his song, Any Road: “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.”
As we approach the end of the year, now is a great time to reflect on where we’ve been and where we’re headed. In my work with the leaders of corporate America, I’m continually surprised by the number of people who don’t have a written plan for what their future looks like (or what they want it to look like).
The new working reality in 2020 is that people will have many jobs and many careers over the course of their lifetimes. Gone are the days of a clearly defined career ladder where you steadily progress up the rungs from one role to another within the same company, keeping your eye on the ultimate prize of a seat in the C-suite. For past generations, the future was well-defined, and workers zealously pursued the next promotion without really knowing where they ultimately wanted to go.
How many of you are actually doing work that brings you absolute joy? I’m talking about the kind of work that gets you excited to wake up in the morning and get to it. My guess is, sadly, too few. I’ve been in the workforce for more than 30 years, and it took me a long time to figure this out: You aren’t going anywhere without a plan.