Recruiters know that the top 1% of executives reach the peak because they clarified their career goals early and as a result worked to a plan; they set targets and made each job a step on a career path towards their chosen destination. If you can't easily answer this common interview question: "Ten years from now, what do you want to be doing every day?" you haven't got an adequate career plan - and it's never too late to write one. 

On the other hand it's astonishing how many senior executives we meet who are frustrated, demoralised or bewildered about how their careers are going and the reason is nearly always the same, they don't have a proper plan and therefore have no idea of how they are doing, even when they are doing well. Planning is something we all do in business and no need to give the principles of successful planning here, except to say that caree plans span much longer time-frames than business plans do. 

Be honest (with yourself) about where and at what stage in life you would like your career to peak; as everyones does eventually, and plan accordingly.  Don't make the very common mistake of building a hopelessly unrealistic career plan that only ever involves going upwards; all careers reach a peak eventually and smart people plan where and when they want to be in life when their career starts to take a back seat.