The Promotion Myth

From the time we’re young, we’re taught that career growth means climbing the ladder. Title bumps, bigger paychecks, and corner offices are framed as proof that we’re “making it.”

For some women, those promotions eventually come. And yet the achievement feels strangely hollow. For others, they haven’t reached that rung yet but feel pressure to chase every opportunity, whether it fits them or not.

Either way, the same question rises: Does this actually align with me?

Why the Ladder Fails Us

The ladder assumes success is always “up.” But not every season of life is about speed, expansion, or more. The ladder ignores context: our values, our energy, our families, and the other roles we hold outside of work.

For women early in their careers, this pressure often shows up as chasing a promotion just to prove worth. For women later in their careers, it shows up as arriving at the title and realizing the view from the top doesn’t feel the way they hoped.

As Akilah, a CEO and career coach, put it: “The biggest surprise for me was learning that titles and paychecks don’t equal purpose. True alignment came when I stepped into spaces where my skills could serve people and create real impact.”

The result is the same. Promotions measure progress, but they don’t always measure growth.

Redefining Career Growth Through Alignment

Alignment means your values, energy, and work are moving in the same direction. And it’s not something to wait for until you’ve “arrived.” It matters from the very beginning.

• Early career: Alignment can look like exploring roles that light you up instead of only chasing what your parents, professors, or society told you to want. Taking the job that helps you learn, even if it doesn’t impress on paper. Saying yes to experiences that grow you in the right direction, not just the fast one.

• Mid-career: Alignment can mean taking a lateral move that gives you flexibility for your family. Or finally naming the parts of your role that drain you and reshaping your work around the pieces that fuel you.

• Later career: Alignment often looks like stepping into work that feels like legacy. That could mean mentoring the next generation, pivoting into an industry that matches your passions, or choosing projects that carry meaning over prestige.

Alignment doesn’t mean the easiest job or the most glamorous one. It means the truest one for your season.

Why Alignment Matters More Than Promotion

Research shows that alignment is not just a feel-good idea. It’s essential.

• When you know and use your strength, you’re more engaged and perform better. (Gallup)

• People aligned with their values at work report higher satisfaction and lower burnout (GALT).

• Companies with employees who feel aligned see higher retention and performance (Forbes).

But beyond the data, alignment is what makes a career sustainable. Promotion might boost your title. Alignment fuels your life.

Practical Shifts to Rethink Career Growth

You don’t have to overhaul your career to start practicing alignment. Small, intentional shifts add up.

• Name your values. Ask yourself: What matters most at work right now — money, impact, learning, stability, flexibility? Write it down.

• Audit your energy. Which tasks fuel you? Which drain you? Pay attention to how your body responds — your nervous system often knows before your mind does.

• Redefine your metrics. Beyond salary or title, measure progress by asking: Is my skill set expanding? Am I being stretched in ways that make me better? Am I being exposed to opportunities that help me grow into the next version of myself?

• Do a monthly alignment check. Once a month, ask yourself three quick questions:

  • What new skill did I practice or improve this month?

  • Did I say yes to something that stretched me?

  • Did my work feel connected to what I care about most?

If the answers keep coming up “no,” that’s a signal. Not to panic, but to pause and consider where alignment is missing.

Gentle Close

Career growth isn’t about climbing faster. It’s about moving truer.

Promotion might change your title. Alignment changes your life.

When you’re ready, we’ll hold space for you to build a career — and a life — that feels like yours. Join the Waitlist. Bring a friend. Let’s unlock your main character energy together.