Rita Perea is president and CEO of Rita Perea Leadership Coaching and Consulting, specializing in working with senior leaders to successfully engage employees, lead teams, manage change and balance work and life.

Do you remember playing the“Chutes and Ladders” board game as a child? Squeals of delight ensued as we moved our pawns ahead the number of squares indicated by the spinner. Bad luck if your game piece landed on a chute; you had to move backward on the game board and lose precious momentum in getting ahead. Good luck was landing on the first step of a ladder. Your game piece was rewarded by automatically advancing to the top of the ladder and getting ahead on the game board. Landing on a ladder meant that you had a good shot at winning. Everyone wanted to land on a ladder. But landing on a chute meant that you most likely would lose the game and walk away from your friends in disgrace. It was a tough and powerful life lesson. And not one that you wanted to repeat.

Sometimes it can feel as if our careers are one big game of chutes and ladders. Except that life is not a game, and being blindsided and sent backward in our careers can have serious economic and social consequences for us.

Moving up the career ladder in a sequential fashion is the stuff that corporate dreams are made of. Career advancement is what every American is taught to strive for. And some even feel entitled to it. Move forward. Get ahead. Be a success and a winner.

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