Climbing the Ladder

We live in a hierarchical society. Maybe it’s our Anglo-Roman cultural roots, but despite our feeling that we’re an “independent people,” Americans like to know where they are on the “ladder of life” and like to climb that ladder. In fact, as Americans, we pride ourselves on the fact that the ladder is there.

The question is: should you climb it?

I know a lot of people who believe that “success” means getting to that next rung on the ladder. I won’t judge them for this. There’s a lot of pressure to go up. But I think each of us who decides to climb needs to ask, “Am I personally better off for climbing higher? And if I am, is my organization?”

Those are harder questions than we think. It’s natural to say “of course” on both scores. But some would argue that thriving in what you do, based on knowing your abilities and limitations, makes for a much more successful career than climbing a ladder that leads to frustration or worse.

So your career move this week? Step back and ask yourself: should I pull up another rung?