 How
Career Management Is Like a Game of Hopscotch
By Roger E. Herman, Career Journal
Correspondent
Hopscotch began in ancient Britain during the early
Roman Empire. The original hopscotch courts were more
than 100 feet long and used for military-training
exercises. Roman foot-soldiers ran the course in full
armor and field packs to improve their footwork, much
the same way modern football players run through rows of
truck tires today.
Roman children drew their own smaller courts in
imitation of the soldiers, added a scoring system and
the game of hopscotch spread throughout Europe. The game
goes by different names in different countries, but the
principles are the same. Players jump through a pattern
painted or drawn on a surface. The objective of the game
is to land on the right squares as one jumps from one
end of the pattern to the other. Sometimes the player is
required to land with one foot in one square, sometimes
with one foot in one square and the other foot in
another square.
Hopscotch is a fast-moving forward-motion game.
Twister is another popular game, patented in the 1960s,
with minimal forward movement. Players attempt to place
specific body parts on colored circles marked on a mat.
Some of the positions become impossible, knocking the
player out of the game. In both Twister and hopscotch,
falling down means you're out of that round of play.
The Rules of the Game
The rules of games must be followed, right? Maybe
not. Perhaps we each can make up our own rules. If we're
playing alone, it's always easier to make up our own
rules, to play the way we want to play. When we manage
our careers, we are really engaging in a solo game. Our
careers are totally independent of others, though we do
consider family issues in the choices we make and the
rules by which we play.
As I look at hopscotch, I see a pattern and a set of
procedures that's typically followed the same way by
everyone who plays. The same rules usually apply in all
countries. The process is universal. Or is it? Can we
move more than one direction? The answer depends on whom
you ask. Some creative hopscotch patterns are in
different geometric shapes, requiring players to move in
varying directions. Twister's rules have been modified
countless times by people seeking to break the
traditional ways of playing the game.
Is it necessary to play the game by the rules? The
answer depends on whom you ask. Longtime players may
insist that the rules be followed because that's what's
most comfortable for them. They've learned to follow the
rules; that's the way they are able to play the game
with the highest level of success and/or security. Those
new to the game, or who get bored with the status quo,
are eager to change the rules so they can play the game
their way.
Games and Career Management
So what does all this have to do with career choices?
Is career management a game? In some ways, it is. Most
importantly, today many professionals are ignoring the
old rules and choosing to play the game their way. Some
of these are young folks who, at their stage of life,
believe they can make their own rules. Other players are
more seasoned professionals who are tired of the way the
game has been played because they lose too often.
Recognizing that the odds aren't in their favor with the
way the rules are written and the way others play,
they're consciously altering conditions to try to level
the playing field.
An increasing number of professionals are playing a
sort of career hopscotch by their own rules. Instead of
staying with one company or even following a traditional
linear career path, these mavericks are hopping from one
career path to another -- from sales to accounting to
management -- and from retailing to manufacturing to
transportation and logistics. They're moving up the
ladder in one organization, then hopping to a lesser
position in another company...because the new position
offers new and different challenges and opportunities.
From the outside, this pattern could look like fear of
success, but it's actually the Frank Sinatra refrain:
"I'll do it my way."
In the next few years, employers will shake their
heads in amazement as some of their top performers leave
to accept positions with lower compensation, less power
and status that's inferior to their current role. It
isn't just about the money; people want meaningful work,
appreciative leaders, competent co-workers and life-work
balance. Moving up the corporate ladder doesn't
necessarily assure achievement of any of these
objectives.
You'll have a greater chance of success if you steer
your career in a direction that makes sense to you.
You'll be in control... and accountable. As in
hopscotch, if you fall down, you lose your turn and
start over. Exploring opportunities in a growing and
shifting economy isn't a problem. Like playing Twister,
reaching out in new directions is part of the game.
-- Mr.
Herman is a work-force futurist based in Greensboro, N.C. He's the
author of "Impending Crisis: Too Many Jobs, Too Few People" (2002) and
"How to Choose Your Next Employer" (2000), both published by Oakhill
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