The Corporate Lattice

If you think you read the above title incorrectly or that I didn't mean to say "Corporate Lattice" but instead "Corporate Ladder," you read it correctly ... and it is what I meant to say. According to an article by Cathy Benko in the New York Times (Up the Ladder? How Dated, How Linear, November 8, 2008) the corporate ladder, as we know it, is obsolete. No longer does a worker need to make a straightforward upward climb from the bottom to the top rungs of a corporation. Instead, one can take diversions along the way, as life situations change our career trajectories. Lateral moves are okay and so are taking steps backward. Standing still is okay too. Benko, in explaining the lattice metaphor says, "Lattices allow movement in many directions. Like the literal lattices you see in gardens, these are living platforms for growth with upward momentum visible along many paths — a much closer depiction than a ladder of how today’s careers are built and talent is developed."

I love this concept. Not everyone desires to become president of the company. That doesn't imply laziness, nor does the desire to reach the executive office mean that one is power-hungry. Everyone is different when it comes to choosing a career and in deciding how that career will progress. There are no rights or wrongs here and that is a very important thing to keep in mind as you follow your own career path. Rather than keeping your eye on the end of the path, make sure you notice the variety of detours you can take along the way.