This is Your Mid-Career Reset

"What got you here won’t get you there." – Marshall Goldsmith

Mid-career in academic pharmacy is the most misunderstood career stage. You’re experienced- but stretched. You are accomplished- but uncertain. You are trusted- but often taken for granted.

You’ve built credibility and now you’re asked to do more, contribute more, and lead more. Yet many faculty reach a point where the old strategies no longer create the growth, fulfillment, or opportunity they once did.

Mid-career is the pivot point and your Career Compass must evolve.

Here are three ways mid-career faculty can regain clarity, expand direction, and build readiness for their next level:

1. Rediscover Your North Star

Key Idea: The biggest mid-career trap is drifting— accepting roles, tasks, and responsibilities simply because you’re good at them or other expect them. But excellence is not the same as alignment.

Try This:

• Ask yourself: What kind of impact do I want to make in the next 1-2 years?

• Identify what energizes you and what exhausts you.

• Decide which roles still serve your vision… and which no longer do.

Example:
A mid-career faculty member realizes they no longer want to be the “catch-all service person. Instead, they reposition toward leadership in curriculum redesign— a shift that renews professional energy and opens doors to future administrative opportunities.

2. Expand Your Influence, Not Just Your Workload

Key Idea: Mid-career growth isn’t about adding more responsibilities. It’s about elevating your impact and visibility.

Try This:

• Lead a cross-department project aligned with institutional strategy.

• Present your work at AACP or a discipline-specific national meeting.

• Strengthen your scholarly nice through a collaborative, multi-institutional project.

Example:
A clinical faculty member co-leads an interprofessional simulation initiative. This single project multiples influence— strengthening teaching, scholarship, and visibility with campus and clinical partners.

3. Build Readiness for Leadership— or Reinvention

Key Idea: Mid-career is where high-potential faculty either accelerate— or plateau. Readiness determines the difference especially when opportunities suddenly arise (e.g. interim roles).

Try This:

• Request professional development to grow your leadership skills.

• Engage in projects that add strategic value.

• Request stretch assignments: leading accreditation prep, chairing a task force, mentoring junior faculty aligned to your goals.

Example:
A faculty member uncertain about future leadership roles leads a micro-project improving workload documentation systems. This small win uncovers strengths in operations and change management—revealing a path they hadn’t previously considered.

Final Thoughts:

Success in academic pharmacy isn’t defined by titles or timelines. It’s defined by alignment between your strengths, your values, and what the profession needs next. Mid-career is a launchpad— if you have clarity, direction, and readiness. Your next chapter begins when you stop managing expectations and start designing impact.

Next Steps to Recalibrate Your Career Compass:

Looking to bring clarity, direction, and momentum to your academic pharmacy career? EduLead-Rx offers individualized leadership coaching and consulting to faculty redesign their path, break plateaus, and clarify the next level opportunity.

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