Why career growth gets harder over time

Understanding how organizational hierarchy shapes your career.

Most people plan their careers as if organizations were ladders. In reality, they are built more like mountains.

People begin their careers expecting steady progress. For the first few years, this often seems true. Promotions come relatively quickly, responsibilities increase and career growth feels predictable.

Then, at some point, something changes. Promotions become less frequent. People with excellent performance stay in the same role for years, while others seem to progress despite similar performance and experience.

Many assume the answer lies in individual performance, luck or organizational politics. In reality, one of the biggest factors is much simpler: the shape of the organization itself. As organizations narrow towards the top, fewer opportunities remain and every promotion becomes more competitive.

The myth of the career ladder

Not every successful career has to end at the summit

Most people imagine career growth as climbing a ladder. Every few years you move one step higher, earn a new title and continue the same journey until you eventually reach the top.

Large organizations, however, are not built like ladders. They are built much more like mountains.

At the bottom, there is space for thousands of people. As the mountain rises, the paths become narrower and fewer people can continue climbing. Eventually, only a small number of positions exist near the summit.

Understanding this changes the way we think about careers. Promotions do not become rarer because organizations stop rewarding talent. They become rarer because there are naturally fewer opportunities available at each higher level.

The good news is that not everyone climbs a mountain for the same reason. Some people dream about reaching the summit. Others are perfectly happy reaching a beautiful viewpoint, enjoying the journey and returning home fulfilled. Careers work in much the same way. Success is not defined by reaching the highest position—it is defined by consciously choosing the destination that is right for you.

The structure behind the mountain

How organizations are typically designed

The mountain is not just a metaphor. It closely reflects how large organizations are intentionally designed.

According to organizational design principles promoted by Bain & Company, a typical large organization consists of around 8–9 organizational layers, with managers supervising approximately 6–7 direct reports. Even with such a relatively flat structure, companies can successfully operate with hundreds of thousands—or even millions—of employees.

Interestingly, Bain also argues that the most effective organizations are often even flatter. Their recommendation is approximately 7 organizational layers with 10–15 direct reports per manager. Fewer layers help organizations make decisions faster, reduce bureaucracy and limit micromanagement.

For employees, however, this has an important implication.

The fewer organizational layers there are, the fewer opportunities exist for vertical promotions.

The mountain becomes narrower even faster.

Let’s see what this looks like in practice.

The First Ascent

Why early career growth feels faster

Every mountain climb begins on relatively easy terrain.

The paths are well marked, the trails are busy, and reaching the first viewpoints usually requires more determination than exceptional climbing skills. Thousands of people complete these routes every year because they are designed to be accessible.

Early careers often follow the same pattern.

Large organizations employ many people in entry-level and junior positions, creating numerous opportunities for progression during the first years of a career. Moving from Assistant to Junior Specialist, Specialist or even Manager is often a natural consequence of gaining experience, building confidence and demonstrating consistent performance.

These early promotions can create an important illusion.

Because the first few career steps happen relatively quickly, many people unconsciously assume that the same pace will continue throughout their careers.

But this is exactly where the mountain begins to change.

As organizational layers become narrower, promotion opportunities become less frequent. Instead of dozens of available positions, there may be only a handful. Instead of simply proving you are ready for the next step, you now compete with many other talented professionals who are equally experienced and equally ambitious.

The climb hasn’t become impossible.

It has simply become steeper.

Preparation to Higher Ascents

Why broader experience becomes more valuable than deeper specialization

Every higher section of a mountain requires different preparation.

Steeper trails demand more than physical fitness. Climbers need to understand the route, prepare for changing conditions, use appropriate equipment and often rely on the experience of others. Reaching higher altitudes is no longer about taking another step—it is about becoming a different kind of climber.

Experienced climbers know that reaching Camp 1 is not an achievement in itself. It is the point where they stop preparing for today’s climb and start preparing for the much bigger ascent ahead.

The same shift in mindset happens in successful careers.

Early in our careers, being an excellent specialist is often enough to progress. As we move towards more senior leadership positions, expectations change significantly. Leaders are expected to understand broader business challenges, make decisions across multiple functions and balance competing priorities.

This is why technical expertise alone gradually becomes less decisive.

Organizations increasingly look for people who can connect different perspectives, understand the wider business context and successfully work across functions.

For this reason, horizontal career moves often become one of the most valuable investments in long-term career growth.

At first glance, moving to another department without a promotion may feel like a slowdown. In reality, it often accelerates future career opportunities. Every new function expands your perspective, builds new capabilities and helps you understand how different parts of the organization work together.

Returning to our mountain metaphor, experienced climbers rarely prepare for their next expedition by repeating the same route. They deliberately choose different mountains, terrains and weather conditions because every new experience prepares them for higher and more demanding ascents.

The same principle applies to careers.

Sometimes the fastest way to climb higher is to spend some time exploring a different trail.

Leading the Climb Together

Why leadership becomes more important than individual contribution

Every climber eventually reaches a point where success depends on the team as much as on individual’s ability.

High-altitude expeditions are rarely solo achievements. Climbers rely on each other to plan, make decisions, carry equipment and respond to unexpected challenges. The higher the mountain, the more important teamwork becomes.

The same principle applies to careers.

Early in our professional lives, we are primarily evaluated on the quality of our own work. As we move into leadership roles, however, our contribution changes. Success becomes less about what we personally deliver and increasingly about what our teams achieve.

This is why becoming a people manager represents one of the most important milestones in any career.

Organizations do not promote leaders simply because they were outstanding specialists. They look for people who can build trust, develop others, make difficult decisions and create an environment where teams perform at their best.

For this reason, leadership potential is often evaluated long before someone receives their first management position.

Taking responsibility for interns, supporting junior colleagues, leading cross-functional projects or coordinating people without formal authority all provide valuable opportunities to demonstrate leadership capabilities long before becoming a formal people manager.

As careers progress, creating value through others gradually becomes more important than maximizing your own individual contribution.

The Final Ascent

Why reaching executive roles takes years of preparation

Reaching the highest mountain summits is rarely one continuous climb.

High-altitude expeditions require patience, careful planning and long periods of preparation. Climbers spend days or even weeks in successive camps, allowing their bodies to adapt, studying weather conditions and making shorter training ascents before returning to camp. These climbs are not detours—they are an essential part of preparing for the final ascent.

The same principle applies to executive careers.

Reaching the highest organizational levels is rarely a sequence of consecutive promotions. Future executives spend years broadening their experience, leading increasingly complex teams, working across different functions, markets and geographies, and developing the judgment needed to make decisions with a much wider business impact.

Each experience prepares them for responsibilities they are not yet ready to carry.

Just as climbers cannot skip altitude camps, future leaders cannot skip the experiences that prepare them for greater organizational responsibility. Every horizontal move, every challenging assignment and every unfamiliar environment gradually builds the perspective required for the final ascent.

The Summit Isn’t for Everyone

Why the highest career isn’t always the right destination

The higher the mountain, the fewer climbers continue the journey.

According to Bain’s organizational design benchmarks, in best-in-class organizations with around seven organizational layers and wider spans of control, the top executive levels represent only a very small fraction of all employees. Simply reaching those positions requires years of consistent performance, broad experience and demonstrated leadership.

Yet capability alone is rarely enough.

Just as many highly experienced climbers never attempt an 8,000-metre peak, many outstanding professionals never become CEOs or Executive Committee members. The difference is not always talent. Reaching the highest organizational roles requires an exceptional combination of performance, leadership, breadth of experience, timing and opportunities that become increasingly limited as the organizational pyramid narrows.

The summit is objectively the highest achievement in the organizational mountain. However, every additional level also comes with a higher personal price—greater responsibility, broader accountability, more difficult decisions and often years of sacrifices made long before reaching the top.

That is why many successful professionals consciously choose a different destination.

Rather than dedicating their careers to reaching the highest summit, they find challenge, fulfillment and satisfaction by climbing different mountains, reaching breathtaking viewpoints and building careers that better match their own ambitions, values and personal priorities.

The purpose of understanding the organizational mountain is not to convince everyone to climb higher. It is to help every professional make that choice consciously.

About the Author

For more than 20 years, I have built my career in multinational organizations, growing from a trainee to a General Manager leading multiple countries. Along the way, I made 13 career moves—both vertical promotions and horizontal transitions across different functions and responsibilities.

Leading teams of more than 300 people across 20+ nationalities has given me the opportunity to observe hundreds of career journeys. Some professionals progressed rapidly, others built long and fulfilling careers at different organizational levels, while some struggled to find the role where they could truly thrive.

These experiences—combined with my own career path—have shaped my perspective on how careers develop in large organizations. The insights shared throughout this article are based not on academic theory, but on years of making people decisions, developing talent and observing how organizations identify and prepare future leaders.