More web than ladder: Why career development is not linear
We used to think of careers as ladders. The metaphor was tidy and comforting—each rung earned through time, effort, and, traditionally, some leader who gave us the magic rope needed to get to the next rung. Climb steadily enough, and eventually, you’d reach the top.
But anyone who’s actually built a career in the last two decades knows the truth: ladders are the exception, not the rule. Most of us don’t move in straight lines. We loop. We pivot. We pause. We take detours. We learn that forward isn’t always the same as up.
And we realize that it’s no longer dependent on a special leader with a magic rope, but it’s up to us as individuals to own our own career. Not that leadership support and mentorship aren’t important, but it’s we who choose where and what we want to strive for next in our career.
Career development at Flexential
At Flexential, we think about career development in terms of a web: dynamic, flexible, and interconnected. Careers today are influenced by far more than ambition and tenure. They’re shaped by industry shifts, personal priorities, skill transformations, and—sometimes—the chance to say “yes” to something that wasn’t even on your radar a year ago.
The most well-rounded professionals I’ve worked with didn’t just climb ladders. They built webs. They took sideways moves to gain range. They followed curiosity into unfamiliar territory. They stretched themselves in ways that don’t fit neatly into a resume line item. And they emerged not only with broader skill sets but with sharper instincts and a deeper sense of purpose.
Of course, we still need frameworks for growth, clear expectations, and visible pathways. But if we only reward linear progress, we miss out on a huge swath of potential. We overlook the people who’ve built resilience by navigating complex change. We undervalue the ones who stepped outside their comfort zone to support a cross-functional initiative. We forget that range is a form of expertise.
Rethinking career mapping
Careers aren’t GPS-guided. They’re more like maps that get updated as you move. At Flexential, we’re rethinking how we support career development. It means encouraging employees to explore roles that stretch their thinking and sharpen their skills. It means building a culture where people can take a risk without fearing they’ve derailed their trajectory.
What matters isn’t how quickly someone climbs, but how intentionally they navigate to weave something more dynamic, something built on the foundations of a growth mindset, resulting in career development that is ultimately more resilient.
Work is no longer built on ladders. And how well we, as leaders, support career navigation—not with rigid expectations, but with curiosity, flexibility, and trust is essential. At Flexential, we’re embracing the future—and we’re better for it.
Veena Bricker
Chief People Officer
Veena leads Flexential’s People and Culture team to support the overall business plan and strategic direction of the company. She has 20 years of experience in all aspects of Human Resources, including talent management, learning and development, total rewards and change management. Veena joined the company in 2020.
Before Flexential, Veena was a principal and managing director at Blake Street Group, offering talent and organizational consulting services to corporate clients, private equity and venture capital firms. In the past, she led HR at Optiv, CoreSite and worked with several other companies in various HR capacities.
Veena holds a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University and a master’s degree from Cornell. She also completed the Advanced Human Resources Executive Program from the University of Michigan.
