Leadership and People Management

Career success used to be defined in terms of climbing the corporate ladder and moving up the salary scale, often sacrificing other personal aspirations along the way. Yet socioeconomic changes have altered not only the nature of competition, but also people's priorities and their conception of professional development. Rather than a steady ascent to the summit, careers are regarded as winding paths shaped according to various stages and cycles of a person's lifetime. The author analyzes this shift and describes four ways in which companies can drive personal and professional development among their workforce, based on feasible flexibility, development-oriented relationships, visibility and transparency, and diversity management.