Your Growth Path

Companies today create a growth path for their employees. This is usually an important prerogative of the company’s human resources department. It may not always be as effective as they think ofcourse, but brownie points for trying.

Now the reasons for this growth path being created are two-fold. There are the selfish reasons, and there is the selfless reason. The first and main reason is to try and retain employees and decrease attrition. The second one is to groom the better employees so that they might later be able to further the company and help it grow. These are the selfish reasons. As for the selfless reason, it is to make the employee feel good and secure, so that he or she might have something to look forward to and work towards, a little bit like the carrot and the donkey.

And of course the ‘selfless’ reason causes the selfish reason and hence it all seems to work out quite well for both parties involved.
Looks like a good deal? Well it pretty much is, on the face of it.

Now consider this. You as an employee have been given or shown a possible growth path. It looks like a lucrative path, one with interesting possibilities, the truth being in this particular field and company it possibly is. The money might not be too bad either.

But here-in lies the catch of life. And one must stay vigilant. This is a growth path that only leads you to where you might become what your boss’s boss is (Or something in those lines). Think about it.
Considered? Now answer this,

‘Do you want to become your boss’s boss?’

Answered?
Now think about this. Is that the person you wish to really become? And this means hook line and sinker.
Is that the kind of life you wish to lead? Those hours? Those responsibilities? Those kind of problems? Almost exactly that person life in most matters? Is that your best case scenario future? Does what he or she do really excite you the way you think it does?

Now think about this as well, X number of years to get there – is that where you want to be in those X stated years? Exactly in that position? All the sweat and toil, and is that really the position you want to be in, with regard to the whole package? Money, responsibility, kind of work, and kind of life? In short is Mr. ‘insert the name of your boss’s boss here’ the person you wish to become and lead a similar life if not the same? Is that who you want to work towards and be in a couple of years time?
Of all the infinite possibilities of what your life and this world has to offer, is your prerogative to become what your boss’s boss is today, a few years down?
Now also answer this,

‘Is that your best-case scenario future? Is that your life plan? Was it ever?’

It is at this point that you must ditch the well-travelled path and ignore the map signs and decide for yourself. Take the blinds off. School is out and we are right in the thick of life now. So answer honestly.

If the answer is in the affirmative, great! And good going! You perhaps should give yourself a pat on your back. You have the right ‘Growth path’ for you.

If not, then it’s time to rethink your ‘growth path’ and plan. Because, while a company will always offer you one, and with this you will feel secure and nice in that little shell of a life, you will be bound to just that. Eventually tunnel vision takes over and once the tunnel is up, it is usually quite late.

So make the right decision.

Choose the growth path of your life wisely.