Climbing the corporate ladder is a bad career growth metaphor

Glory to the bricklayers

“Rome wasn’t build in one day, but they were laying bricks every hour”

John Haywood (American historian)

In the pursuit of career growth, the metaphor of climbing the corporate ladder has long been ingrained in our minds. However, as we delve deeper into the essence of career development, it becomes evident that there's a better analogy - glory to the bricklayers.

This wiser perspective on career progress and growth resonates deeply with my own experiences and with the overall complexity that goes into gaining deep experiences in problem solving that can only happen in a sequence of lateral moves. The idea of the corporate ladder can inadvertently lead to a linear career progression, where predefined steps and hierarchies of power become the sole focus. However, in today's dynamic world, where organizational structures are flatter and complex matrixes, the concept of climbing ladders falls short.

Early in my career, a boss shared invaluable advice that shaped my mindset - to think of my career as a collection of experiences, as a mosaic of “moments of impact”, rather than a ladder to be climbed to get somewhere higher. This shifted my focus from thinking of titles and promotions to seeking diverse opportunities and perspectives that would contribute to building a solid foundation for long-term growth.

The bricklayer's approach embodies patience, persistence, and the focus on tangible progress, rather than the fixation on the next rung of a linear career ladder. It helps anchor heart and the mind in a healthier place which helps take on every given opportunity with the same curiosity of the day 1.

“This advice helped me think less of rungs and ladders, to be more intentional about finding bricks of different shapes and sizes to build with.”

But why is it that the idea of a corporate ladder resonates even less to me today than 20 years when I first received that wise advise?

Because let’s be real, even in a well constructed house with solid foundations there are ladders to climb. It is not either or, but it is more about what matters most in terms of mindset to develop early on in your life the way I see it.

The Metaphor of the Corporate Ladder

The problem with this idea is that if taken at heart implies a linear career progression, where well defined and clear steps (rungs) are there to be climbed towards a hierarchy of power. However, this is not the case in life in general and even less a modern flatter complex organizations. The flatter an organization is, the bigger the opportunities for lateral moves within functions or across functions are.

Another and more fundamental problem with this metaphor is that it can imply a zero-sum game where “my progress” comes at the expense of “your progress”.

Of course there are promotion cycles and roles that only one person can get into, but for the most part what we need is to foster cultures of collaboration and co-creation, cultures that harness the collective brain of teams to solve complex problems, to innovate. We need to build strong walls towards a challenging future, not to create unrealistic competitions to climb ladders. The wall is team centered, the ladder is self centered. The wall implies a lot more skin in the game by doing the hard work step by step, the ladder may imply less of that and more of opportunity, relationships and luck to hang strong of the rung. Again, it’s not an either / or simplistic argument, but yes it is a strong recommendation to shift mindset for early and solid career development.

We need to revolutionize our culture to build and nurture better, smarter and flexible teams to solve problems that do not even yet exist, not to obsess with power at the top.

The Metaphor of being a Bricklayer instead

The bricklayer by definition builds something tangible and lasting, is less focused on personal gain. A bricklayer contributes to the foundation and solid structure of a building. This metaphor suggests focus on teamwork and collective purpose, it implies the desire to leave a lasting impact on the organization. The bricklayer is a legacy builder. Additionally, being a bricklayer gives us the idea of a more hands-on approach to team work. The ladder climber implies a more self-centered approach with less regard for the bigger vision and the team.

“Never be too big to do the small things that need to get done” (James Kerr, ‘Legacy’)

If I had the opportunity to sit down for a coffee today with that boss that 20 years ago planted the seed of the bricklayer metaphor in my mind I would tell him “Thank you very much! I would have never thought that those words would be so foundational to my way of thinking at work. Every single day presents a new opportunity to look at the wall and see where it needs reinforcement; as well as to help others better place bricks in the foundations of their careers, so they are not only solid, but collaborative rather than selfish and self-centered.”

Be a proud bricklayer, humble, focused, full of resources and grit; knowing that when you will look back, what you will have left behind is a solid structure upon which to build anything you want!

P.S. Before I go, here you have “The Treat,” where I share some of the music that kept me company while writing … In this case is a playlist that helped me focus with energy… Enjoy as you bid farewell to this post

Lead yourself, Learn to live. Lead others, Learn to Build.

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