The Imposter Series: Why success is never at the top of a career ladder.

I’ve taken some time out since my last article, spending a long weekend in rural France to switch off. Being miles away from anywhere gave me time to reflect on some of the feedback from the previous articles. I’ve been asked quite a lot about my journey, how I got to become MD at Social Chain and what I’ve learnt along the way.

Imposters syndrome has such negative connotations and in the past, it has certainly caused a negative impact internally. It is only now that I can fully reflect and acknowledge that without my inner imposter, I would likely not be where I am now. It has allowed me to maintain my drive and keep learning. The fear of being ‘found out’ has meant that I have often taken an indirect path, filled with various opportunities along my route, to where I am now. However, the self-doubt that accompanies imposters syndrome is worsened by the pressure society places on the importance of the career ladder.

When I look back at my career trajectory it has been far from a straight journey up the ladder, instead involving diagonal, horizontal, and at times backwards steps. As I opened the door to new opportunities I worried that I would be starting at the bottom of the ladder again, having to learn a whole new skill set to get promoted. However with each step, transferable skills have been gained and persistence has been learnt. Reflecting on the definition of the term ‘career ladder’ led me to this definition by Cambridge Dictionary;

"A series of jobs from the lower paid with less responsibility to the highest paid with the most responsibility within a company or particular profession. If someone has a good work ethic they should move up the career ladder."

The reaction to this definition can only be described as very similar to that of googling “managing director,’ completely disheartening and outdated. The explanation makes you feel like your progression is intrinsically tied to promotions in your role, within the same industry and that you only get those opportunities if you demonstrate ‘good work ethic’. This is undoubtedly an archaic concept for today’s working economy. What happens if you are not happy in your industry or profession? Will you never achieve a top place on the career ladder? Does this mean you won’t have a fulfilled career?

The most concerning element of the ‘career ladder’ is it’s deep rooted place within the education system. As children, we’re told that the route to success is to attend university and climb the ‘career ladder’. This usually involves filling out a questionnaire for the careers advisor in order to be told what industry you would be most suited to (mainly in jobs you couldn’t see yourself doing). In one motion, you are pigeon-holed based on an external opinion. I think I was told I should be a teacher – definitely a no. It has been reported by the BBC that a third of future jobs don’t currently exist. Not only does this highlight that it is highly unlikely that our eventual careers will be in the same industry as those at the onset, but it also highlights how the times have changed and will continue to change repeatedly.

It is clear that my education now had nothing to do with my current career. My school didn’t offer any media courses and it was only when I had to go through clearing to get into University that I ended up discovering a whole industry that I didn’t even know existed. It is a desire to continue to learn and stay out of my comfort zone that has allowed career progression. In the industry we work in, adaptability is of the utmost importance and it is these attributes that allow us to move with the constant changes to people’s media consumption habits.

I found myself feeling the need to develop my skills a couple of times in my career. The feeling of wearing what I would call ‘comfy slippers’ first came along when I was buying magazine advertising space. Even though I absolutely loved my role (I’m at my happiest with a magazine in my hand!), I had a feeling that I wanted to learn more and needed to keep up with the changes in the industry. At this point, magazine sales were dwindling and people were beginning to spend more time online than reading print. My desire to progress was strong, so I took it upon myself to proactively approach a new client with a magazine development, thus piquing my interest in new business for the agency. It was this interest in pursuing areas of potential business growth that guided me to become a Business Development Controller. Although I didn’t have any experience in what the role would entail, I quickly got into the habit of finding leads, approaching prospects and co-ordinating pitches. Most of the time I had a tendency to feel out of my depth, however learning on the job and assisting with 66 pitches in one year gave me the key to understanding how businesses are run, how commercial proposals are developed, how to choose the best team for a pitch and the legalities of new client contracts.

One of the areas that I always felt I needed to develop was my digital knowledge. I had touched the peripheries of the digital landscape, being able to talk confidentially about digital marketing, but I really wanted to become more of an expert in this ever-growing arena. I wanted to be able to adapt to the changing marketplace, knowing this was key for my career development.

When I first started talking to Social Chain, my inner imposter was on high alert. I specifically remember in my interview being acutely aware that I couldn’t answer any specific questions about algorithms. That being said, what I quickly learned was that I could take my transferable skills that I had learnt in previous roles (negotiation, client service, the ability to put together commercial structure proposals) to facilitate Social Chain and help develop the business even further.

Success in our industry and especially at Social Chain, is not closely linked to the succession of jobs and hierarchies, or “ladders.” Respect, growth and team abilities are what drives individual progression. We encourage people to follow their personal passions, as often that aligns them with the company goals. We’ve found that if people are not passionate in their roles we don’t get the most out of them.

It is safe to say that the trick for all our futures is to always remember to take off the comfy slippers and to remember to adapt to the ever-changing landscape that we find ourselves in. Do not be pressured by the need to climb a metaphorical ladder and do not be scared to seek discomfort in work environments, only then will true progression occur.