Climbing the Corporate Ladder
In truth, it is the dream of every career person to clinch or occupy the topmost position in an organization. For one, it serves as a good return on investment (ROI) on the many years spent in college as well as the financial sacrifices made, specifically in a bid to upgrade and develop individual skills. This ROI is often measured in terms of the salary increment and other accompanying perks that come with being the top executive, which subsequently translates to more financial freedom and a better lifestyle. Some, however, might view this ROI in terms of the freedom that comes with being the boss, especially the autonomy to make decisions and being the overall authority. However, as noted by Karis (1991) in his famous article titled “Climbing the Corporate Ladder,” there is no clear-cut or cookie-cutter means of achieving this objective. Regardless, one can certainly enhance their chances of climbing the corporate ladder by:
Improving job Performance – ideally, besides educational qualification, getting to the top requires that an individual performs consistently at the highest level possible. Particularly, in some cases, applicants pass through rigorous vetting processes, with the highest achievers being considered for the top position.
- Developing effective communication skills – leaders are required to possess the best communication skills because their primary task is to organize other employees to achieve a common goal. Effective communication ensures that information is transmitted effortlessly and easily across the board, with fewer misunderstandings (Yowell, 2009).
- Building leadership skills – arguably, what most people aspiring to climb the corporate ladder forget is that the prestige that comes with sitting at the top of the food chain comes with added responsibilities – leading others. Therefore, for one to climb and remain there, he/she must acquire and master the key leadership skills, including agility, empathy, integrity, dependability, relationship building, decisiveness, and so on.
- Getting the right experience – certainly, one attribute that most company shareholders, owners, or appointing authorities consider before handing over the management of their investment to a particular individual is their experience in the specific sector as well as leadership. This experience often comes with several years of practice or an extensive understanding of the processes involved. Therefore, a person wishing to get forward in their career must spend quality time at different departments or management levels in the organization or other companies to acquire the needed experiences.
- Getting the right qualification by pursuing higher degrees – today, most companies promote people based on their educational attainment, which is loosely translated to signify more skills. Therefore, an individual wishing to get that promotion must be willing to sacrifice their finances, sleep, holidays, and family to pursue that Master’s degree or Ph.D. (Yowell, 2009).
- Networking and taking part in company activities – as an aspiring leader, it is important that an individual actively participates in sporting events, social gatherings, and charities sponsored by companies. This can expose an individual to more important people who can play a pivotal role in enhancing one’s career.
- Volunteering – besides just participating in company events, one can also look for means to make the work of the executives easier. Workers who regularly assist their supervisors usually get noticed easily by the crowd and, subsequently, increase their odds of being recognized and appreciated by other chiefs.
- Finding a mentor – getting a mentor can assist an individual in climbing the ladder easily and fast because mentors are individuals who have traversed these paths before and, thus, understand the dos and don’ts of getting to the top.
- Remaining confident and patient – most people who are afraid of trying and failing never reach the top. Getting to the summit often takes years of practice, most of which is spent in gaining the right skill set and experience (Yowell, 2009).
- Utilizing social media carefully but effectively – following the internet bubble, everything is digital, from job applications and socialization to networking. However, for people intending to take leadership positions, it is important that they carefully tread with caution by posting non-offensive, professional content. This might haunt them when applying for top leadership positions.
Although climbing the leadership ladder is difficult in itself, perhaps because of the many little and troublesome details, certain factors even make this nut harder to crack. One of them is gender bias or stereotypes, which is a major problem for women wishing to advance their careers. Some companies or people erroneously view women as inferior leaders to their male counterparts, which results in women being overlooked during promotions (Jayarathna, 2018). The other hurdle is inadequate financial resources to pursue further education or build the required skills. Finally, some companies have a culture that discourages personal growth, meaning that people can never get the opportunity to get promotions fairly, or others might not get the chance to increase their education.
References
Karis, B. (1991). Climbing the corporate ladder: Becoming aware of the rungs. Journal of Business and Technical Communication, 5(1). https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1050651991005001004
Jayarathna, D. Y. (2018). Perceived career barriers for human resources professionals’ career development to climb the top of the corporate ladder perceived career barriers for human resources professionals’ career development to climb the top of the corporate ladder. Global Journal of Management and Business Research, 18(3).
Yowell, S. (2009). The hippie guide to climbing the corporate ladder and other mountains: How JanSport makes it happen. Thomas Nelson.
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Question 
Climbing the Corporate Ladder
We know many of you want to get a return on your investment by climbing the corporate ladder. As we all know, there is no cookie cutter way to accomplish this task. However, there are certainly ways by which one can enhance their chances to climb the corporate ladder.
Climbing the Corporate Ladder
Therefore, as a way for Capella University to continue to help you further your career, for this discussion:
- List at least ten ways to climb the corporate ladder. Consider job performance, communications skills, and leadership, just to name a few.
- Consider roadblocks that may prevent one from climbing the corporate ladder.
Your post should be substantive and logical to the topic. Read the Discussion Participation Scoring Guide to learn the discussion participation requirements of this course. In addition, post your work in the text box, not as an attached file.
Response Guidelines
Read the posts of your peers and respond to two. Provide a substantive and logical response that considers the following:
- What are your thoughts about the ways your peer identified in climbing the corporate ladder?
- What other ways can you share with your peer?
- Select one of the ways listed and consider the consequences of it. What could backfire and actually stop the climb to the top?