HORIZONTAL GROWTH OR VERTICAL GROWTH is a question that’s on my mind these days. Sometimes if you are lucky, one leads to the other,but sometimes one hampers the other.
The common belief is that networking with your peers generally doesn’t help in achieving long term career goals (promotions to be precise).It only helps you create an environment where working is a fun and there is a way to share your frustration (while you see others moving up the ladder).If you focus only on growing horizontally, you may be labelled as “lacking aspiration” and interested in staying happily where you are.
On the other hand networking with your seniors may attract criticism and get you the label of “bootlicker” and leading to similar more negative perceptions building up. But it sure helps moving the success ladder.
One more option is to leave all the networking stuff behind and focus on working hard, meeting deadlines, doing over-times.But won’t it be called one way of networking vertically?
So whats best to do. And if the right path is making a blend of both, how does one do that? I couldn’t help but wonder,unlike taught by our parents to travel on one boat at a time, is it time to travel on two boats at the same time?