The pandemic has given many of us the gift of time. The stress and anxiety of illness and, for too many, loss, has also produced reflection.
We’ve been climbing the career ladder for so long. Striving to be the best in our classes at school to get into a good college, to get into a good profession, to get into a good company, and to climb through the ranks. We have our eyes on the prize. We’re reaching for the brass ring. We’re meeting and breaking our quota, exceeding our goals, and surpassing our objectives. We are earning promotions, and raises and titles.
And at the end we get….. Well, what exactly do we get? A chance at the next promotion? A chance at the next title? A chance for the next raise?
Patrick Lencioni’s latest book, The Motive, asks the basic question, “Why do you want to be a leader?” In his book, which reads as a fable, the protagonist eventually determines that he does not want to be the CEO. The work of a CEO is not the work that he enjoys, or finds fulfilling, or is particularly good at.
It is past time to re-consider the metaphor of a career ladder. Life isn’t a ladder, and companies aren’t meant for climbing.
First off, most organizations are shaped like pyramids, with more people at the “lower” levels than at the top. Since that is true, if everyone is climbing, then some of us necessarily must stall out. We cannot all be the next CEO of our organization. We cannot all reach the C-suite. To properly function, organizations need people excelling at a wide variety of roles and levels.
Second, the wide diversity of people and skills means that we will excel in different roles. The skills needed to be a world-class CEO are not the same as a world-class software developer or a world-class violinist or a world-class teacher. We should all focus on seeking excellence in the roles we enjoy.
Finally, there is no brass ring. There is no prize at the end of our lives, excepting that of a life well-lived, that of a fulfillment of purpose, that of joy and that of the dance.
Climbing requires one to look up and to be constantly dissatisfied with your current rung of the ladder.
Let’s get off the ladder — let’s throw this unhelpful metaphor to the curb and get on the dance floor.
When we dance, the point is not to reach a certain spot on the dance floor, as the philosopher, Alan Watts, reminds us. We dance to enjoy the dance. We dance to achieve excellence in what we are currently doing. We dance a variety of dances. We dance at different tempos, according to our needs. We dance with family, and we dance with friends.
Your career isn’t a ladder and the end is not a brass ring.
Let’s get off the ladder, and start dancing.