Defining Your 10-Year Career Goals and Purpose

Deciding where you want your career to be in the next 10 years is vital for your professional success and fulfillment. Defining your 10-year career goals and purpose can help clarify your path. But it can also feel overwhelming. Where do you even start to think that far ahead for defining your career purpose and goals?

As Yogi Berra wisely said, “If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else.” That’s why getting clear on your long-term career vision is so important.

I recently had a coaching conversation with one of my team members as they explored defining their 10-year career goals and purpose using the Golden Circle model. I’d like to share this helpful framework to guide anyone setting professional aspirations for the next decade.

The Golden Circle model says to start with your “why” – the purpose, motivations and reasons behind your career goals. Connecting to this deeper why provides meaning to the “how” and “what” elements later on.

Some key questions to unearth your career purpose why:

1. Why do I work?
2. What difference do I want to make through my work over the next decade?
3. If I could achieve all my wildest career dreams 10 years from now, what would that look like?

As Walt Disney said: “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”

Once you gain insight into your 10-year why, outline tangible goals across 3 horizons as part of defining your 10-year career goals:

Horizon 1 (1-3 years): Short-term professional goals
Horizon 2 (4-6 years): Medium-term goals
Horizon 3 (7-10 years): Your biggest and boldest dream career goals

Defining intentional 10-year career goals gives you a North Star to guide your decisions and progress. As Abraham Lincoln stated: “The best way to predict the future is to create it.”

I suggest reviewing your career goals annually using this structured Golden Circle approach. You’ll be amazed at how close you get to actualizing your wildest dreams a decade from now, as long as you take small steps each day in that direction.

Let me know what big career goals emerge for you over the next 10 years! I find it really motivating and inspiring to hear other people’s professional visions and dreams.