Lee Iacocca started his career at Ford in 1946 in an entry-level engineering job. By 1960 he was a vice president and in charge of the group that designed the Mustang, and 10 years later he was a president of the firm. After being fired from Ford in 1978, he became president at Chrysler and eventually rose to the CEO spot, a job he held until he retired in 1992. 

 Lee Iacocca started his career at Ford in 1946 in an entry-level engineering job. By 1960 he was a vice president and in charge of the group that designed the Mustang, and 10 years later he was a president of the firm. After being fired from Ford in 1978, he became president at Chrysler and eventually rose to the CEO spot, a job he held until he retired in 1992..

The story goes that, while he was still an undergraduate, Iacocca wrote out a list of all the positions that he’d like to hold during his career. Number one was “engineer at an auto maker,” followed by all the career steps that he planned to take until he was a CEO. He also included a timetable for his climb up the corporate ladder. Then he put his list on a threeby-five-inch card that he folded and stowed in his wallet, and we’re told that every time he took out that card and looked at it, he gained fresh confidence and drive. He apparently reached the top several years ahead of schedule, but otherwise he followed his career path and timetable faithfully. As you can see, Iacocca used goal-setting theory to motivate himself, and there’s no reason why you can’t do the same.

Exercise Task 

1. Consider the position that you’d like to hold at the peak of your career. It may be CEO, owner of a chain of clothing stores, partner in a law or accounting firm, or president of a university. Then again, it may be something less lofty. Whatever it is, write it down. 

2. Now describe a career path that will lead you toward that goal. It may help to work “back”—that is, starting with your final position and working backward in time to some entry-level job. If you aren’t sure about the career path that will lead to your ultimate goal, do some research. Talk to someone in your selected career field, ask an instructor who teaches in it, or go online. The website of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, for example, has a section titled “Career Resources,” which includes information about career paths and position descriptions for accounting. 

3. Write down each step in your path on a card or a sheet of paper. 

4. If, like Lee Iacocca, you were to carry this piece of paper with you and refer to it often as you pursued your career goals, do you think it would help you achieve them? Why or why not?