S8 Ep11: How to Build a 3-Year Career Strategy (That Doesn’t Feel Rigid)

Welcome back to Your Path to Career Success — the podcast that helps you build the skills, confidence and strategies to thrive in your career.

In this final episode of Season 8, we’re talking about something that can feel both exciting and overwhelming: creating a 3-year career strategy that gives you clarity and direction, without locking you into a rigid plan.

Instead of feeling weighed down by “perfect planning,” you’ll learn how to use your strategy like a compass - guiding you forward with purpose while still leaving space for growth, pivots and new opportunities.

🔍 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
• Why a 3-year career strategy matters and how it’s different from a rigid plan
• How to create a vision that feels inspiring and motivating
• Practical steps to set flexible milestones that support your growth
• How to review and adapt your plan so it evolves with you
• Real-life stories and tips to keep your strategy energised and adaptable

You’ll walk away with tools to map out your next three years in a way that’s flexible, motivating and aligned with who you are becoming so you can grow with confidence, not pressure.

✨ Season Wrap-Up
That’s a wrap for Season 8! Thank you so much for tuning in, following along, and sharing this journey with me. We’ll be back on 17th September with Season 9 — a brand-new series focused on new and aspiring leaders, exploring how to grow your leadership career with clarity, confidence, and purpose.

What Next?
Thanks for being part of Season 8 of Your Path To Career Success — where ambition meets inner clarity.
🦉 Ready to take your career to the next level? Book a free discovery call to explore how my 3-month Unlock Your Career Potential coaching programme or ad-hoc 1-2-1 support can support your growth.
🦉 Found this helpful? Subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a colleague who could use a boost of encouragement.
🦉 You can book 1-2-1 support with me here: https://calendly.com/thecareerowl
🦉 Follow me on LinkedIn for more behind-the-scenes tips, mindset shifts, and leadership insights.

Recommended Resources
To go deeper into creating a career strategy that works for you:
• Toolkit: Career Pathway Toolkit — a self-guided resource for mapping out your next steps
• Book: Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett & Dave Evans — for building a career path that’s flexible and fulfilling
• Book: Atomic Habits by James Clear — for making small, consistent shifts that build long-term success
• Tool: Vision boards, journals, or digital trackers — to help you visualise and adapt your progress

Until 17th September — keep dreaming big, stay adaptable, and remember: your career is your journey. You’ve got this. 💛

Transcript

Hello and welcome back to Your Path To Career Success — the podcast that helps you build the skills, confidence, and strategies to thrive in your career.

I’m your host, Kathryn, and today, for Episode 11, the final one in Season 8, we’re diving into something that can truly transform the way you think about your career — building a 3-year career strategy that actually works for you… without feeling like a straightjacket.

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by long-term planning, or worried that setting goals means locking yourself into a path with no room to breathe, this episode is definitely for you.

Let’s get into how you can map out your next three years in a way that’s flexible, energising, and aligned with who you really are.

✨ In today’s episode, we’re diving into:
• Why having a 3-year career strategy matters
• How to create a vision that inspires and motivates you
• Practical steps to set flexible milestones that keep you moving forward
• How to review and adapt your plan regularly — so it grows with you
• Real-life examples and tips to keep your strategy feeling energised and adaptable

So whether you’re just starting out, looking to pivot, or aiming to level up your leadership, grab your favourite beverage, find a comfy spot, and get ready to build a career strategy that works for you — not against you.

Segment 1: Why Build a Career Strategy?

First up, why bother with a 3-year career strategy at all? Isn’t that just a fancy way of saying “make a plan and stick to it”?

Well, yes and no.

Having a career strategy is about intentionality — it’s your personal roadmap that helps you make decisions, seize opportunities, and, importantly, say no to things that don’t fit your goals.

I often hear from clients how easy it is to get pulled in a million different directions — new projects, shiny new roles, side hustles that sound exciting — but without a clear strategy, it’s easy to lose sight of what really matters to you.

Here’s the kicker: a good career strategy is not a rigid plan. It’s more like a compass, not a GPS route.

Let me explain what I mean by that. A GPS route is fixed — you put in a destination, and it tells you exactly where to turn, step by step. But life rarely works like that, right? Unexpected opportunities pop up, your interests shift, maybe your priorities change. The compass, on the other hand, gives you a general direction, but you get to decide how to navigate around obstacles or take detours.



One of my favourite quotes that really sums this up comes from author Joseph Campbell, who said:
“If you do follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life you ought to be living is the one you are living.”

Your career strategy should give you that sense of direction and purpose — a "north star" — but with the flexibility to explore.

Here’s a quick story:
I once worked with a client, Emma, who thought she had to follow a very strict career path — getting a certain job, in a certain company, by a certain age. But after some deep reflection, she realised her true passion was shifting towards leadership development and coaching. Because she had built her strategy around flexible milestones, she was able to pivot her goals and start taking steps in a new direction without feeling like she had failed.

If you’re thinking, “This sounds great, but how do I even start?” — I’ve created something just for you.

On my website, www.thecareerowl.co.uk, I offer a Career Pathway Toolkit priced at just £9.99. It’s packed with practical worksheets, reflection prompts, and planning templates designed to help you map out your career journey with clarity and confidence — all at your own pace.

Whether you want to use it to build your 3-year strategy from scratch or to refresh and adapt an existing plan, this toolkit is designed to make the process feel manageable, motivating, and even enjoyable.

Tips to keep in mind as you think about building your strategy:
• Reflect regularly: Make time every few months to check in on your goals and progress. What’s working? What needs tweaking?
• Stay curious: Keep learning and exploring new skills or roles that spark your interest — that’s how you keep your compass updated.
• Be kind to yourself: Your strategy isn’t about perfection. It’s about progress, and that means adapting as you grow.

Remember: Your career is your journey. Having a strategy helps you steer it — but you’re in the driver’s seat.

Segment 2: The Three Pillars of a Flexible 3-Year Career Strategy

So how do you actually build this flexible, 3-year career plan? I like to break it down into three core pillars that keep your strategy both clear and adaptable:
1. Your Vision — The Big Picture
2. Your Milestones — The Guiding Stars
3. Your Review Rhythm — The Adaptation Engine

Let’s unpack each one.






Pillar 1: Your Vision — The Big Picture
This is the heart of your strategy.

Start by asking yourself: Where do I want to be in 3 years?

But don’t just think about job titles or fancy promotions. Think bigger — how do you want to feel in your work? What skills do you want to develop? What kind of impact do you want to make? Imagine your ideal work-life balance, your core values in action, and the environment where you truly thrive.

Don’t worry if this feels a bit fuzzy or vague right now — that’s perfectly okay. Your vision is more like a canvas than a blueprint.

For example, your vision might be:
• “I want to be leading projects that challenge me creatively.”
• “I want to build deep expertise in data analysis while maintaining a healthy work-life balance.”
• “I want to work somewhere that prioritises sustainability and ethical business practices.”

Here’s a quick quote I love from the legendary author and coach, Zig Ziglar:
“If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.”

Having a vision gives you something to aim for — your North Star — especially when day-to-day work feels chaotic or distracting.

Quick Tip: Write your vision down somewhere you can see it often — on your desk, your phone wallpaper, or in a journal. Revisit it whenever you need a reminder of your bigger picture.

Pillar 2: Your Milestones — The Guiding Stars
Now, that big vision needs to be broken down into bite-sized, actionable milestones.

Think about smaller markers you want to hit along the way: skills to learn, roles to try, certifications to earn, or projects to complete.

Here’s the important part — make your milestones flexible. They’re guideposts, not rules carved in stone.

Examples might be:
• “Within the next 12 months, I want to complete a leadership course.”
• “In year two, I aim to manage a cross-functional team.”
• “By year three, I want to contribute to strategic planning at my organisation.”

Each milestone keeps you moving forward and focused without boxing you in.

I often hear from clients that setting these flexible milestones helps reduce overwhelm and the fear of “failing” a goal — because there’s room to adjust as they grow and learn.

Pillar 3: Your Review Rhythm — The Adaptation Engine
Finally, here’s a pillar that’s often overlooked but absolutely critical: your review rhythm.

Set a regular, scheduled check-in with yourself — this could be every quarter, twice a year, or whatever suits your natural rhythm and schedule.
During these reviews, ask yourself:
• What’s working well in my plan?
• What feels outdated or off-track?
• Have my interests, values, or priorities shifted?
• Are there new opportunities or challenges I want to explore?

These reflections transform your career strategy from a dusty, forgotten document into a living plan that evolves with you.

I remember a client — Sarah — who scheduled her review sessions like mini “career retreats.” She used the time to celebrate progress, rethink priorities, and plan new moves. This ritual kept her career fresh and exciting, even through unexpected life changes.

Segment 3: Tips for Staying Flexible and Motivated

Before we wrap up today’s episode, I want to leave you with some quick but powerful tips to keep your 3-year career strategy flexible, fluid, and most importantly, motivating.

Because here’s the truth — a career journey isn’t a straight line. It’s a winding road with unexpected turns, sometimes detours, and often surprises. And that’s perfectly okay.

So here are five things to keep in mind as you build and live your career strategy:
1. Be kind to yourself.
Sometimes, you might feel like you’re “falling behind” or not hitting every goal exactly on time. Remember, your career is your journey. It’s absolutely fine to adjust, pause, or take a different route when needed. Perfectionism can be a sneaky roadblock, so give yourself permission to be human.

2. Celebrate small wins.
Every milestone you reach — no matter how small — is progress. Maybe you’ve learned a new skill, had a great conversation with a mentor, or simply showed up on a tough day. These moments add up. Take time to acknowledge and celebrate them. They’re the fuel that keeps your motivation burning.

3. Stay curious.
Your strategy should have room for experimentation and learning. Stay open to new opportunities that might not have been part of your original plan. Sometimes the best career moves come from unexpected places or passions you hadn’t explored before.

4. Get support.
Share your vision and goals with people you trust — whether that’s a mentor, a peer group, or a coach. Talking about your plans out loud helps clarify your thinking, builds accountability, and inspires you to keep moving forward, especially when things feel challenging.

5. Visualise your progress.
Use tools that work for you — vision boards, journals, apps, or even simple sticky notes on your wall. Keeping your goals vivid and in sight helps your brain stay focused and motivated. Plus, it’s a powerful way to remind yourself why you’re on this path.

Here’s a little parting thought from the incredible Maya Angelou that I love sharing:
“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.”

Closing:

So there you have it — Your 3-year career strategy is a tool to empower you — not constrain you. It’s about creating a path that feels true to who you are, adaptable to change, and exciting enough to keep you moving forward.  Remember, the goal isn’t perfection or rigid control. It’s about creating a roadmap that guides you toward meaningful growth while letting you pivot as life and work evolve.

Thanks for listening to Your Path To Career Success.

📣 If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to follow, rate, and review the show. It really helps it reach others on their path to career success. 

👥 And if you know someone who could use a little encouragement, please share this episode with them. Let’s spread the calm.

Thank you so much for listening throughout this season. Season 9 will be just around the corner, and I can’t wait to continue supporting you on your path to career success.

Until next time — keep dreaming big, stay adaptable, and own your journey.