Career quilts, not career ladders: a new way of thinking about growth

For decades, professional success has been framed as an ascent. Choose a field—often a specific organization—climb each rung step by step, and don’t look back. The “career ladder” has long been the dominant metaphor for corporate success, visually embodying ambition, stability, and achievement.

But modern careers don’t always resemble ladders. They look more like quilts.

A career quilt is constructed from diverse experiences stitched together over time. Some patches are intentional—choices made to reshape your career. Others stem from detours, pivots, or unplanned opportunities, from layoffs to unexpected life shifts. What matters isn’t whether the path is linear, but whether the pieces align to reflect who you are, what you want, and where you create value.

This shift in mindset isn’t just about semantics. It reflects how growth actually unfolds today.

Growth doesn’t always mean up

Ladders assume progress moves in one direction. Quilts recognize growth can come from lateral moves, industry changes, or roles that don’t seem like the obvious next step.

Changing careers isn’t starting over, and trying something new doesn’t automatically mean a setback. These moves often expand perspective and judgment in ways a straight climb can’t. Professionals who’ve navigated varied environments tend to see problems more clearly, communicate across functions more effectively, and bring context others lack.

In a world where workplaces and roles evolve constantly, adaptability and breadth aren’t risks—they’re competitive advantages.

Why this matters now

Today’s workforce enters organizations with vastly different expectations and experiences, especially Gen Z. Even early-career employees have navigated layoffs, a pandemic, industry disruption, and rapid shifts in what “stability” at work means. For many, patiently climbing a single ladder doesn’t reflect reality. They’re already building quilts—and leaders can either acknowledge this or ignore it at their peril.

For leaders, this impacts both sides of the talent equation. When hiring, you may encounter unfamiliar resumes. This doesn’t signal a lack of ambition or commitment; it often means skills were developed in a different sequence. When it comes to retention and career growth, the reluctance to leave is no longer what it was. People are willing to try new things and even relocate. Leaders who recognize, support, and openly discuss quilted careers don’t just attract top talent—they retain it. This raises a key question: how do those with quilted careers clearly convey the value they offer?

The hidden skill of making sense of your own story

One challenge of a quilted career is explaining it. Just as people expect careers to follow a neat upward ladder, they also expect a quick, polished elevator pitch. Those with non-linear paths often worry about how hiring managers, investors, or senior leaders will perceive their experience and qualifications. This is where intentional framing becomes crucial.

Rather than recounting roles chronologically, strong career storytellers connect the dots. They highlight the skills they’ve developed and the value those skills deliver today. Sales experience becomes “fluency in influence and negotiation.” Time managing people becomes “pattern recognition in performance and motivation.” A shift to a new field becomes evidence of “learning agility and self-awareness.”

The real question isn’t whether the path looks familiar—it’s whether it makes sense and what unique value it creates.

Four filters that guide smart career quilting

When deciding which patch to add next, the most successful professionals pause before “stitching in” a new experience. They consider four questions, inspired by the Japanese concept of Ikigai:

• What am I genuinely interested in?
  True growth requires curiosity. If motivation stems from boredom, obligation, or burnout, the patch won’t last.

• What am I good at, or capable of becoming good at?
  Stretching yourself is healthy. Constantly struggling uphill with no progress isn’t. Growth occurs when effort translates into momentum.

• What do people actually need?
  The strongest careers solve real problems. Focus on work people need, not just what’s trendy this year.

• What will people pay for?
  This is the grounding question. Value isn’t just personal—it’s market-driven. If people are willing to pay for it, it’s more likely to thrive. That means talking to those who decide how money is spent.

Beyond the questions you ask yourself, there’s one more to consider: how will this move be understood by those who can provide opportunities? Securing opportunities requires people to say yes. Explain your quilt in a way that builds confidence and demonstrates intent.

The future belongs to flexible builders

Today’s organizations are increasingly led by people whose careers would once have been labeled “non-traditional.” They’ve moved across industries, functions, and roles. They bring breadth, not just depth, and know how to turn experience into judgment.

Career quilts are built through choices. Some patches are added intentionally; others emerge from circumstances. The work lies in deciding what to pursue, what to avoid, and how to make each new patch fit with the ones before. Done thoughtfully, these choices create a career that can adapt as the world and life itself change.

For leaders, this means rethinking how growth is defined, recognized, and rewarded. The question is no longer whether a career followed the “right” path, but whether experiences have built judgment, perspective, and the ability to solve today’s—and tomorrow’s—problems. Leaders who embrace quilted careers don’t just reflect the modern workforce; they help shape it.

The ladder was built for a different era. The quilt is built for this one.