Why the Best Career Moves Aren’t Always Promotions

Many professionals believe career growth must always move upward through promotions and bigger titles. In reality, some of the most valuable career moves are horizontal. Inspired by Bonnie Hammer’s idea that success does not only move up, this post explores how following opportunities can build deeper expertise and lead to stronger long term success. Drawing on personal experience across consulting, corporate roles, and software companies, the article shows how broad experience strengthens leadership and helps combat burnout, self doubt, and imposter syndrome. The key insight is simple. A fulfilling career comes from building skills, exploring opportunities, and defining success on your own terms.

A question I hear often from women I coach goes something like this.

"I was offered a job but the title is smaller. The salary is lower. The company feels aligned with my values though. Would taking it ruin or slow down my career progression?"

You can almost hear the anxiety behind the question. The fear of stepping backward. The quiet voice of imposter syndrome whispering that one wrong move will undo years of work.

That belief is exactly what 15 Lies Women Are Told at Work challenges in Lie Number 10.

There is nowhere to go but up.

Bonnie Hammer argues that success rarely looks like a straight ladder. Sometimes the most powerful career growth happens when you move sideways.

I agree completely.

Career Growth Is Not Always Upward

We were taught to believe the ladder metaphor. Each rung is higher. Each promotion means progress.

Real careers look more like jungle gyms.

⬆Some moves go up. ➡ Some go sideways. ⬇Some even look like a step back.

But those moves build depth and depth creates opportunity. Horizontal moves expand your skills. They help you understand the business from multiple angles. They often give you experiences that people who only chase promotions never gain.

And that breadth becomes incredibly valuable.

Following the Opportunities Built My Career

My own career path looked anything but linear. I moved from consulting to corporate roles to small software companies. At the time I did not realize I was building an incredible toolkit.

Consulting exposed me to manufacturing, finance, and distribution. I saw three completely different paradigms and could apply what I learned in one to the others..

Corporate roles showed me how large organizations operate. I learned how executives think and how strategy becomes reality. I also learned about bureaucracy and the tendency to promote your self interests.

Later I moved into small software companies. That move looked like a step backward on paper. I became an individual contributor (IC) again. I had to earn my keep all over. But it turned out to be the best decision I could have made.

Because those experiences combined into something powerful. They helped me become a strong product manager who could speak to executives, engineers, customers, and operations teams. I understood the whole business.

That kind of perspective would have been hard to teach. It came from following the opportunities rather than chasing the ladder. Read more about following opportunities in this blog post about lie # 1.

Managing Career Goals as a HyperAchiever

Many hyper achievers push for constant promotion because they believe that is the only definition of success. The result is often stress.

😨 More responsibility. 😰 More pressure. 😱 More meetings.

Sometimes less joy.

Managing your hyperachiever often starts by asking a different question. Not "What is the next promotion?" But "What kind of work do I actually want to do?"

That shift can quiet self doubt and help you follow your dreams instead of someone else's or society's perceived version of success.

I have a client who loves the job of an IC, but her hyperachiever drives her to seek more and more senior opportunities. We work hard to find the combination of feeding her hyperachiever while still generating joy.

Generating Success Without Generating Stress

Bonnie Hammer offers several pieces of advice that stuck with me. These ideas challenge the idea that career growth must always move upward.

Shore Up Your Foundation

Make sure you are building the skills needed for long term success.

Every role should add something to your foundation. A skill. A perspective. A deeper understanding of people or business.

That foundation is what eventually allows you to rise above.

Stretch Yourself

Seek assignments that grow your competencies.

When I moved into software companies I discovered something important. I loved working on the revenue side of a business rather than the cost side. I also loved the energy of smaller organizations where goals were shared and bureaucracy was lighter.

Those discoveries only happened because I stretched beyond my original path. I only knew big corporate and was energized in this smaller more entrepreneurial environment.

Size Matters

Company size can change how growth looks. In a small company you might hold a vice president title but do work similar to a director at a large organization.

At large tech companies like Google, Meta, or Amazon product managers can earn around 450K for a title that might pay closer to 150K at a smaller firm.

So moving to a bigger company may come with a smaller title but greater compensation and broader experience or vice versa. Upward growth does not always look like upward growth.

Loyalty Is Not Always Best

This one can feel uncomfortable. Men often advance faster because they are willing to leave organizations. Women tend to show greater loyalty. Ironically that loyalty sometimes slows promotions.

If a company assumes you will stay no matter what, incentives in the form of promotions are salary increases become less urgent.

At that point a promotion may be less reward and more negotiation.

I felt I had to stay at one company because I worked part time so I could be there when my kids got off the bus. That loyalty stalled me and as soon as I got a chance, I left. I made a vertical move. I was the first product manager at the company so I did everything from Associate Product Manager, to Director, to VP and chief cook and bottle washer. I soon started building out the department and got my VP title. But again, it was a bit of a step back and forward at the same time.

Be Flexible and Patient

Many people leave the moment something goes wrong. I can think of two times when leadership changes made me uncomfortable. My first instinct was to leave.

Instead I waited. In both cases the situation clarified itself over time. Eventually I did leave both companies because my values and the new leadership direction and my contribution did not align.

Waiting helped me make that decision calmly rather than reacting out of fear.

Shift Your Perspective

Sometimes the problem is not only the company. It might also be your mindset.

One of my clients had a very difficult boss. During that time we worked closely together in coaching. Eventually she was let go.

Instead of rushing into the next job we spent time unpacking the experience. What happened? What she could learn? What did she want to do differently moving forward?

That reflection helped her enter her next role with confidence rather than carrying the same stress into a new environment.

How Do You Decide If You Want To Take That Job?

If you are struggling with a career decision right now, try asking yourself three questions.

What skills will I gain from this move? What opportunities might this open later? What kind of life will this role support?

Those questions shift the focus away from title and toward growth.

And that shift helps overcome fear and quiet the voice of imposter syndrome.

Takeaway

There is no single path to career success. Constantly chasing promotions can make it feel like you are progressing. But real growth often comes from building your foundation and following the opportunities that expand your skills.

Those moves broaden your perspective, increase your value in the market, and open doors you might never have expected.

Your career is not a ladder. It is an exploration.

If you are seeking guidance on how to manage your career and define success on your own terms, schedule a free discovery call. We will talk about your career goals, the opportunities in front of you, and how coaching can help you build your own formula for success.