Whilst many baby boomers entered the workforce dreaming of the corner office, the generations that followed have uncovered that a successful career does not necessarily involve a vertical climb up the corporate ladder.
It is easy to assume that employees with talent and potential can’t wait to get their foot firmly wrapped around the next rung on the corporate ladder. This sort of focus, determination and drive should be celebrated. But in a work climate where significant effort is being put into removing hierarchical structures, perhaps it is time to replace the ladder with a jungle gym.
Perhaps you remember the pressure of choosing your career when you finished school. Whatever your choice, chances are you were told to ‘put your head down and work hard’ so that you could climb your way to the top. But what if you didn’t want to climb the ladder and instead you were interested in trying new things, joining different industries, or even changing careers? If this sounds like you, you are not alone.
Sheryl Sandberg, former COO of Facebook famously recalled her own career as a jungle gym and not a ladder. In a speech delivered to a group of Harvard Business School Graduates, Sheryl shared:
“Careers are not a ladder; they’re a jungle gym. Look for opportunities, look for growth, look for impact, look for mission. Move sideways, move down, move on, move off. Build your skills, not your resume. Evaluate what you can do, not the title they’re going to give you. Do real work. Take a sales quota, a line role, an ops job, don’t plan too much, and don’t expect a direct climb. If I had mapped out my career when I was sitting where you are, I would have missed my career.”
Many organisations put a lot of effort into developing employees for career progression and this should be applauded. However, agile businesses understand that sometimes the best way to attract, engage, and develop employees is to build a culture where success is not defined by title or seniority. It is built by the richness of experiences, insights and knowledge that comes from having the courage to move sideways and even down.
Some of the advantages for an employer who supports a jungle gym culture include:
Sometimes organisations believe that they don’t focus on hierarchy but there are hidden signs that it is well and truly alive. Senior people continue to be allocated cubicles with a window, have access to car parks, and are the only ones invited to corporate events. To entice employees to start climbing the jungle gym, they need to believe that a sideways move also has benefits.
Does your organisation send a company wide email with a two-paragraph introduction when a leader joins the business but allows the new accounts payable officer to slip in unnoticed? If so, then the unwritten message is only the senior people are important enough to announce, reinforcing the ladder.
Not all employees are trying to become leaders or expand their responsibilities. Many are looking to be a part of value-driven projects, acquire new skills, and gain new perspectives and insights. Not all employees with high capability want to translate that ‘up the ladder’, so it is critical to have internal pathways and development opportunities that embrace employee choice.
Traditionally, workplaces had rigid work structures and when you left the business for a stint overseas the door was firmly shut. A key step to a jungle gym culture is to embrace work practices that empower employees to choose their career on their terms, and welcome quality employees back to the business as they would a family member.
Leaders can subconsciously impart their belief system to team members and with good intention; when they see talent, it is tempting to invite the employee to join them on the career ladder. It is important to train leaders to ask questions about what matters to employees and in which direction they want to head, then support them on their journey. Additionally, it is key to understand that the next step may not be the final one and it is all part of the jungle gym career.
Some employees are still concerned about job security and this has in many cases created a reluctance to take the next career move. This means that even if you were motivated by the career ladder, the rungs are quite often full.
Conversely, the jungle gym offers employees new opportunities to look outside of the traditional pathways, daring to look left, right and even below to create the perfect career opportunities. What’s great about the jungle gym culture is it encourages employees to stretch out their hand and invite their peers to climb across.
Further information
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Georgina is Senior Content Writer and HR Specialist – Publications at Ai Group. She is an accomplished Human Resource professional with over 25 years of generalist and leadership experience in a broad range of industries including financial services, tourism, travel, government and agriculture. She has successfully advised and partnered with senior leaders to implement people and performance initiatives that align to business strategy. Georgina is committed to utilising her experience to create resources that educate and engage and is passionate about supporting members to optimise an inclusive workforce culture that drives performance.
