Lateral Vs. Vertical movement

In all of our careers, we reach a juncture where it is quite natural that at some point one gets bored, goes through a phase of questioning the job and one’s presence in the organization. Reasons range from being bogged down by routine tasks, a need for challenge, sizing up your achievements against others, organizational changes, and at times one’s personal situations.

Movements in organizations on the occupational level are cumulative efforts to establish leadership skills and inspire talent. However, these movements from one level to the other imply changes in skill, competency, and income. It’s a historical journey for both, the organization and the employee and actively support in achieving organizational goals and improvements on a personal front.

The fact of the vertical paradigm is that today's work is no longer divided up into small tasks that require higher and higher layers of management to put together. Instead, most work is accomplished through parallel processes that cut across different functions, geographies, and specialties. Therefore, real success comes from services performed on every level not just traditional arrangement.

Look laterally for career moves- Don't think of job descriptions limited to job families, or groups of jobs that have something in common. Think from the perspective of your own skill sets. For example, if you are a financial analyst, and your basic skill sets are strong in that area, you may be suitable for other analyst positions, perhaps in market research or sales. It is easier to move within a company where you are a known factor. Horizontal experience also broadens your skills, which improves your chances of moving up.

Prove you can handle a change- Volunteer to help your manager with components of your job and learn to do them well. Your progress should automatically make you a candidate for the next manager job. Emphasize on exploring how you can add value while progressing through roles.
Grow your skills to grow in your job- Seek out and take advantage of opportunities when they appear, and actively exceed expectations. You will never regret it.

Most of us grow up assuming that career success is only vertical. We climb the ladder and move from junior positions to senior ones. As such, we implicitly compete with others because there are fewer positions as we advance. It's like a reality show where people get voted off the island. The truth is that hierarchy is just a way of designing the organization: It drives how we think about relationships at work, contribution in careers of peers, and relative success.

It's a different world all around us. Nevertheless, if a world without career ladders allows you to take charge of your own career and asks you to take parallel roads, then it is a far better one.