Envision Your Ideal Career: The Power of Defining Your Values and Mission

By Dr. Stacey Ishman
Founder, Medical Mentor Coaching | Academic Career Coach for Physicians

Introduction: From Clinical Expertise to Career Clarity

In the early years of my academic career, I was hyper-focused on pediatric obstructive sleep apnea. It was my niche, my research focus, and the backbone of my academic identity. I gave invited talks, ran clinical programs, and published widely. But over time, I noticed something important: what energized me most wasn’t another article on sleep apnea—it was the conversations I was having with students, residents, and junior faculty. The energy I got from helping others clarify their path far outpaced the satisfaction I felt from publishing another paper.

That shift didn’t mean abandoning everything I’d built. It meant realigning. It started with a pause—a step back to evaluate what mattered most to me, and how I wanted to spend the next decade of my career. That reflection led to a new mission and vision. I started crafting a path that centered on mentorship, strategic guidance, and career acceleration.

And I’ve never looked back.

Why Start With Vision, Values, and Mission?

We’re conditioned to believe academic success is about ticking boxes: publishing, presenting, getting grants, joining committees. But what if you're climbing the ladder only to realize it's leaning against the wrong wall?

That’s where this foundational work comes in.

Your values, mission, and vision aren’t fluff. They’re the decision-making tools that keep you from drifting, overcommitting, and burning out. They help you invest your time in work that builds a future you actually want.

When your calendar reflects your values, it becomes easier to focus, easier to say no, and easier to grow in a direction that’s meaningful.

Example: Dr. Amara’s “Yes” Problem

Dr. Amara, a junior pediatrician at a large academic hospital, came to me exhausted. She was on three hospital committees, covering extra clinics, and doing late-night charting—yet felt invisible. When we did her values work, recognition and impact came to the top. But none of her current work reflected those values. Within months, we restructured her commitments to focus on a national advocacy project and invited lectures—both high-impact and highly visible. By the end of the year, she was nominated for a national award.

Step 1: Define Your Core Values

What Are Core Values?

Core values are the principles that define who you are and how you want to work. They influence what feels fulfilling, what drains you, and why you might feel friction in your current role.

When you don’t know your values, it’s easy to say yes to work that sounds impressive but doesn’t energize you—or worse, actively misaligns with your goals.

Some common values for academic physicians include:
Autonomy, excellence, collaboration, mentorship, innovation, impact, justice, financial security, flexibility, or lifelong learning.

🎯 If you're not sure where to begin, this Core Values List is a great place to start.

My Example: Choosing Impact Over Volume

One of my top values is impact. I realized I could help far more people by coaching 100 academic physicians than by publishing 100 more articles on sleep apnea. That realization didn’t come overnight—it came from revisiting my values and asking, “Where do I create the most meaningful change?”

Additional Example: Dr. Jorge and Academic Integrity

Dr. Jorge, an early-career surgeon, was stuck in a mentorship relationship that felt increasingly transactional. His top values? Integrity and growth. We worked on restructuring his research collaborations so they honored his commitment to ethical authorship and mentorship of trainees. Within a year, he had formed a new research team, won an internal grant, and was promoted with strong letters that reflected his authenticity and leadership.

Step 2: Craft Your Mission and Vision Statements

A mission statement answers: What do I do, who do I serve, and why does it matter?
A vision statement answers: Where am I going? What do I want my legacy or long-term impact to be?

These short but powerful statements give you a sense of purpose and a compass to guide your academic decisions.

My Mission and Vision Statements

• Mission:
  “I empower early-career academic physicians to design fulfilling, impactful careers by providing high-yield coaching and mentorship.”
  
  
• Vision:
  “To lead a national movement that redefines success for academic physicians—grounded in purpose, balance, and strategic achievement.”
  
  

These statements help me say yes to aligned opportunities (like invited keynotes on faculty development) and no to others that don’t serve my long-term vision.

Additional Example: Dr. Leila, Researcher-Educator

Dr. Leila, a physician-scientist in infectious diseases, felt pulled between clinical service, teaching, and research. Through this process, she wrote:

• Mission: “I conduct community-driven research to improve vaccine access in underserved populations and mentor underrepresented medical students in public health research.”
  
  
• Vision: “To build a nationally recognized pipeline for inclusive infectious disease research training.”
  
  

With this clarity, she confidently declined additional inpatient weeks and instead applied for (and received) a K award aligned with her values and goals.

Step 3: Use Your Mission and Vision to Audit Your Career

Once your values, mission, and vision are clear, they become tools for evaluating every part of your academic life: your calendar, your committee work, your publications, your talks, your mentees, even your social media.

Ask:

• Are my current projects building the career I want, or the one I fell into?
  
  
• Am I spending time where I want to be seen and grow?
  
  
• Are my “yeses” aligned with my long-term vision?
  
  

My Example: Evolving My Speaking Calendar

After clarifying my coaching mission, I realized that 40% of my invited talks were still focused on clinical topics that no longer matched my core identity. I didn’t scrap everything overnight, but I began strategically shifting. I created a new keynote talk on time management and career design. I pursued sponsorships aligned with physician wellbeing and began submitting to national meetings under education and leadership tracks.

Additional Example: Dr. Malik’s CV Makeover

Dr. Malik, an early-career hospitalist, realized that while he was publishing prolifically, none of it tied to his vision of improving faculty retention. We developed a content plan for invited essays, created a professional portfolio page, and aligned his next grant application with faculty wellness. Within a year, his national visibility shifted from “excellent writer” to “emerging leader in academic culture and retention.”

What to Do Next

You don’t need a 10-year plan—you need a clear direction.

Here’s what you can do this month:

• Identify your top 5 values
  
  
• Write a 1-2 sentence mission that describes your purpose and work
  
  
• Draft a vision that reflects your long-term aspirations
  
  
• Review your current commitments and ask if they align
  
  
• Make one change: say no to one misaligned task, and say yes to one aligned opportunity
  
  

Final Thoughts

The path to academic success doesn’t have to be chaotic or overwhelming. It can be intentional, strategic, and deeply personal.

When you lead with clarity—rooted in values, guided by mission, and directed by vision—you become more confident, more promotable, and far more fulfilled. This kind of alignment isn’t just about avoiding burnout—it’s about building a career that feels meaningful and sustainable.

You don’t have to figure it all out alone.

If you’re working through this and wish you had more structure, encouragement, or someone to help you stay focused on what truly matters, I’d be honored to support you. That’s exactly why I created the Academic Physician Career Kickstarter—to give early-career physicians the tools and guidance they need to take action with clarity and confidence.

And if you have a colleague or mentee who’s feeling overwhelmed or uncertain about their next step in academic medicine, please feel free to pass this along. Sometimes, a small nudge toward clarity can change the entire course of a career.

You deserve a career that fits—not one that just happens to you.