Your Career Isn’t Stuck - You’re Playing the Wrong Game (The hidden rules behind career progression)

Many professionals reach a stage where they perform well, meet expectations, and invest consistent effort - yet their careers stagnate.

This experience is often explained through bad luck or organizational politics. Research, however, points to a different explanation: careers stall when individuals align with formal rules while ignoring the informal systems that actually drive advancement.

Organizations operate through visible structures such as KPIs and performance reviews, but real career outcomes are shaped by informal signals - visibility, trust, timing, and perceived impact (Pfeffer, 2010). When these two systems diverge, effort alone stops converting into opportunity.

Why effort doesn’t equal advancement

From an organizational perspective, effort is difficult to evaluate directly. Decision-makers rely on signals - observable behaviors that imply future value and leadership potential (Spence, 1973). High-quality work that does not generate clear signals of relevance often remains unnoticed, even when technically excellent.

This explains why many professionals feel they are “doing everything right” while others advance faster. Those who progress are often not more capable, but better aligned with what the system currently rewards (Ferris et al., 2005).

The cost of playing the wrong game

When misalignment persists, motivation declines, and frustration increases. Studies on power and capital in organizations show that individuals who lack access to informal influence often experience reduced career mobility, regardless of competence (Bourdieu, 1986). In response, many professionals increase effort rather than adjust strategy - deepening the gap rather than closing it.

Career growth rarely responds to intensity alone. It responds to clarity.

Practical ways to realign

Progress begins with interpretation, not rebellion. The goal is not to abandon values, but to make contributions legible to the system.

1. Observe who advances

Notice patterns in promotions and trust, not just performance scores.

2. Identify real rewards

Look at what leadership responds to most: speed, ownership, outcomes, or clarity.

3. Make impact visible

Frame the results, not the tasks.

4. Shift to ownership

Move from execution to problem framing and accountability.

5. Reposition strengths

Align existing skills with current organizational priorities.

Research on judgment and decision-making shows that clarity and framing significantly influence how value is perceived (Tversky & Kahneman, 1974). Often, small shifts in positioning create disproportionate career impact.

A clearer way forward

Careers rarely stall because of missing skills. More often, they stall because professionals continue to invest in behaviors that are no longer effective. Understanding the game an organization is playing is not a compromise of integrity - it is a condition for progress.

How I help

In my work with professionals and leaders, I help uncover the informal rules shaping career movement and translate experience into visibility, clarity, and strategic positioning — including professional presence and LinkedIn visibility. When effort no longer leads to opportunity, the solution is rarely to work harder, but to play smarter.

References (APA)

Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In J. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of Theory and Research for the Sociology of Education (pp. 241–258). Greenwood.

Ferris, G. R., Davidson, S. L., & Perrewé, P. L. (2005). Political skill at work: Impact on work effectiveness. Davies-Black Publishing.

Pfeffer, J. (2010). Power: Why some people have it—and others don’t. Harper Business.

Spence, M. (1973). Job market signaling. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 87(3), 355–374.

Tversky, A., & Kahneman, D. (1974). Judgment under uncertainty: Heuristics and biases. Science, 185(4157), 1124–1131.