Understanding Vision vs. Goals - 工管

Ah, ¨Career Vision〃 versus ¨Career Goals.〃 Every MBAˆs worst nightmare.

Is there a difference between a goal and a vision? Kind of yes, and kind of
no.

Harvard asks: What is your career vision and why is this choice meaningful to
you?

Wharton asks: What goals are you committed to and why?

Hereˆs how theyˆre BASICALLY the same:

In both, youˆll deliver a clear path forward with respect to what you want
to DO when you grow up. The open-ended feel of ¨vision〃 doesnˆt get you
out of that one! Thatˆs the goals/vision aspect.

In both, you will tie aspects of your past to your career dreams, showing us
not just where the itch comes from but far more importantly, demonstrating
that that itch will lead to your ultimate success. Thatˆs the ¨why
meaningful〃 or ¨why committed〃 aspect.

But there is a subtle difference, too.

When youˆre talking about your vision, youˆre describing how the puzzle
pieces to your life and career allllll fit together. The vision is in not
just knowing what those pieces are (which is hard by the way—takes serious
thought and clarity), but how they snap together to form a complete picture.

When youˆre talking about your goals, you are describing the mission: ¨Here
ˆs what I intend to accomplish.〃

The only difference then, and donˆt feel too compelled to stretch this toooo
far, is that there is an art to conceiving and executing a vision, versus
identifying goals and achieving those. With the vision and the career arc,
you are truly demonstrating an ability to picture a complex timeline, and
show that you understand how each node affects the next one. With the goals,
you are mostly focused on those future nodes. Explaining why theyˆre there,
and proving that youˆll nail them.

To sum:

Vision = (1) identify the puzzle pieces and (2) show how they snap together.
Goals = (1) think Mission: Impossible, identify the objectives and (2)
explain the significance of achieving them.

And that, my friends, is how you understand vision vs. goals. Now Iˆll let
you get to those essays….

Jon Frank
HBS 2005
Founder Precision Essay
http://www.precisionessay.com

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