We’ve all heard about climbing the corporate ladder. We might joke about it, stress about it, or even aspire to this at some point in our professional careers.
But…if you’ve spent any time pursuing this goal or watching others around you try to scale that ladder, you’ve probably learned a hard truth: the ladder is a trap.
We don’t believe in climbing the corporate ladder around here. Here’s why:
The Problem With the Corporate Ladder
It’s crowded, and space is limited.
On the typical ladder model, everyone is competing for the same resources, and very few can win. This creates the necessity for backbiting, competition, and withholding what we have.
You have to climb over others to get to the top.
On the ladder, there’s a hierarchy. You have to be above someone else for it to work. In fact, climbing above as many people as possible is the ONLY goal of the ladder.
On the ladder, your success relies on someone else’s failure. You can only gain comparative success, which isn’t actually meaningful at all.
The ladder assumes everyone is wired for leadership.
The only way to climb the ladder is to get promotions, which in most organizations, means leadership positions.
The problem with this is that we’re not all wired for leadership any more than we’re all wired to be accountants or in IT.
Success shouldn’t be limited to those in leadership positions. We need a success model with room for everyone.
That ladder doesn’t lead where we’re told it does.
As long as you’re above someone else on the corporate ladder, you’ve “succeeded.” It has nothing to do with actual fulfillment or personal growth.
What good is “success” if you aren’t actually fulfilled or growing? That kind of success doesn’t actually make us happy.
So why not aim for a different kind of success that everyone can enjoy?
Our Model of Success and Growth
Instead, we think of our success as an Upward Spiral.
Spirals are found in math, science, nature, and art. Look at waves, snail shells, flower petals, galaxies, and mathematical equations like the Fibonacci sequence.
Everything in nature follows this pattern, so why wouldn’t our own growth and progress do the same?
Instead of a linear ladder leaning against a wall, the Upward Spiral has no end, gets bigger as you progress, and has room for everyone.
What do we mean by “success”?
When we say success, we mean that your needs are met. This means your physical needs like sufficient income, but also your higher needs like belonging, purpose, and fulfillment.
We don’t sacrifice any needs for others. We believe you can have it all. You can meet your physical needs while doing meaningful work, growing as a person, and discovering the unique contribution you’re here to make to the world.
That kind of success is available to everyone at Redmond, not just a few at the “top.”
Here are just a few reasons why we prefer the spiral to the ladder.
It’s about improving yourself, not proving yourself.
As corny as that may sound, that really is what we practice around here.
A big part of your journey at Redmond is your own personal development. That’s part of elevating the human experience!
When you’re learning, growing, and progressing, you feel fulfilled. This model of success actually leads to deep, lasting success that, on the ladder, is always still one step, pay raise, or promotion away.
We rise together.
As associates, we don’t compete with one another. (Except at cornhole, but what happens at the cornhole tournaments stays at the cornhole tournaments.)
We don’t do “promotions,” or rather, our leadership positions come with no prestige or financial gain.
We don’t compete for a slice of the pie. Instead, we aim to make the pie bigger for everyone. We’re trying to go from a Walmart-size pie to a Costco-size pie, and beyond.
The higher you go, the more room there is.
The Upward Spiral is about customizing roles where everyone can make their greatest contributions and be happiest. It’s not about competing for the roles with the most clout.
When everyone is doing something they’re great at, the company grows and makes even MORE room for jobs, innovation, and success for everyone.
There’s always room for growth (for individuals and the company) and more ways for you to contribute in a unique and meaningful way. This is how the pie grows bigger and creates more opportunities for everyone!
How do I know that I’m making progress on the Upward Spiral?
One of the initial challenges of the Spiral is that it’s not as cut and dried as the ladder. Because the definition of success is so nuanced, it can be tricky at first to tell if you’re making progress.
Things may also appear to take longer on the spiral. (It’s not straight up, after all.)
This requires a lot of trust in the process. Focus on your journey and self-development first, and trust that true success and fulfillment will follow.
How do I make a plan for my progress?
Planning for success looks a lot different on the Spiral than it does on the ladder.
Instead of mapping out your 5 and 10-year plans, your success plan on the Spiral might look like:
- Leaning in and engaging with the culture topics.
- Diving deep into your 3 Circles Journey, starting with being helpful.
- Taking time for regular Reflection.
- Staying curious and learning about topics that interest you, whether they relate to your everyday work or not.
- Getting to know yourself especially in your current role.
“Pay attention to what you pay attention to.” -John Green
There’s Room for Everyone
As we all move up the Spiral, as we all grow, learn, improve, contribute, and collaborate, the company will grow and everyone will win. We all feel fulfilled because we’re contributing to something bigger than ourselves. The pie is getting bigger, and as a result, everyone’s compensation grows, there are more jobs, and we all get more gain shares. (Though this isn’t the main point of the Spiral. These are just the inevitable perks of synergy!)
We’re all working together to elevate the human experience as we move up that Spiral, starting with our own human experiences.
Additional resources
The 3rd Alternative by Stephen R. Covey
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
