Climbing the ladder or just trying not to trip?

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about careers, work identities, trajectories, and all the complicated stuff in between. It’s funny how, at some point, many of us start measuring our progress in promotions and raises, as if success is just a series of checkpoints. I mean, who doesn’t like a shiny new title or a better paycheck?

But the more I reflect, the more I realize it’s not that simple.

Sometimes appraisals aren’t always about how well we perform. Especially as organizations grow bigger and hierarchies get taller, visibility becomes an issue. Unless you’re working directly under senior leadership, it’s hard for them to know what you’ve done. So naturally, most people start focusing on making sure their managers see their work, sometimes more than focusing on the work itself. Even then, dynamics can get tricky. A manager’s perception, fair or not, can influence appraisals. You might be seen as too aggressive, too passive, too opinionated, or even too different. And before you know it, factors beyond your control start determining your career trajectory.

And even if we do everything right, check all boxes, master the skills, and play the game to become the ideal candidate, it often comes at a cost. We start shaping ourselves to fit expectations, and before we know it, we’re torn between who we are and who we need to be to keep climbing. That’s a tough trade-off.

It’s because of this tying one’s self-worth to external validation feels a little fragile. In my opinion, careers are supposed to be messy, and there are so many moving parts that we can’t control, like perceptions, biases, and timing. That’s why it feels important to zoom out and ask bigger questions. Am I satisfied with the work I’m doing? Am I continuously challenging myself? Am I growing in ways that matter to me?

Sure, good appraisals matter. But they’re not everything. Staying true to who we are, our values, quirks, and ambitions matters too. Maybe more. And when I think about it, the real question isn’t whether we’re moving up fast enough. It’s whether we’re moving in a direction that actually feels right.

What if success wasn’t about climbing higher but about moving forward in a way that feels true to who we are? Something meaningful, even if it doesn’t always come with a title?