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The Trail Off the Cliff
Last month, I watched a former colleague celebrate their promotion to Senior Director. Big title. Bigger salary. Expanded responsibilities. But when I asked what excited them most about the role, they paused. "Honestly? I'm just glad I stayed on track." On track. Like they were following painted lines on a factory floor.
When did professional success become about following someone else's path instead of forging your own?
Here's the uncomfortable truth: Most professionals aren't climbing a ladder. They're marching in a line. The difference between executing like an Ant and living like a Honey Badger isn't about ambition or work ethic. It's about whether you're building independence or deepening dependency.
The Professional Trail That Leads Nowhere
Walk into any corporate office and you'll see the phenomenon in real time. Professionals arrive when they're told, leave when they're allowed, work on projects assigned by others, and measure success by whether they moved up the predetermined structure. They're following the pheromone trail laid down by previous generations, never questioning where it leads.
The trail promises security. Follow the path, hit your milestones, get promoted, repeat. But here's what they don't tell you: The trail only works when the colony thrives. When market conditions shift, when leadership changes, when AI disrupts entire departments, or when your company decides to "restructure," that trail disappears overnight. And if you've spent years perfecting the art of following rather than forging, you're left without the skills to navigate open terrain.
The data backs this up. The average professional changes jobs every 4.1 years now, yet most still build their careers as if they'll retire from one company. They develop capabilities that only matter inside their current organization. They let their employer define their professional identity. They trade optionality for the illusion of stability.
This isn't about being a bad employee or lacking loyalty. It's about recognizing that professional fragility has become the default setting. When your entire career architecture depends on one employer's continued approval, you're not building independence. You're building dependency.
