They say, “Do what you love and the money will follow,” but what often goes unsaid is that at some point you have to stop Start managing others instead.
In most companies, people only advance by climbing the corporate ladder, which often forces them into leadership positions that take them away from their true passion — their craft. Instead of honing this craft, people born to create get stuck checking their work and playing office politics. This phenomenon leads to undesirable career paths for many one third from technicians who expressed that they did not want to take on a leadership role.
People turning away from what they love could be one reason for Britain’s stagnating productivity figures -18% below Germany ONS figures show – and low engagement, with only 10% of Brits feeling engaged in their work, which it says is among the lowest levels in Europe Gallup.
The way the career ladder is structured, people are powerless to change their situation. Therefore, companies must take responsibility for providing different career paths to colleagues so that they can hone their true skills. Not just workshops, but something lasting that brings out the best in people and rekindles their passions.
Craftsmen can be paid just like managers
In 2023 Shopify began to differentiate between management and craft careers. Now craftsmen better understand how to advance their careers at Shopify and can continue to be compensated like a manager.
Our goal with this two-pronged approach was to avoid pushing people up traditional career ladders that are not suitable for them. Our colleagues honed their core skills before joining Shopify. We want to let them continue. Otherwise, they risk losing their zeal.
We also recognize the power of giving people more autonomy, which McKinsey has discovered increases employee motivation, job satisfaction and performance. We promoted a digital priority Workplace culture Where employees can choose where they want, we eliminate the fear of rejection of meeting invitations and are now continuing our commitment to employee autonomy with the option of managerial and craftsman careers.
It is currently difficult to find the right talent. and startups feel it the most 82% of SMEs report skills gapscompared to 66% of large UK companies. By giving an employee the opportunity to design their own role, you are hiring the best person for the job as long as the transition goes smoothly.
Considerations for designing non-traditional career paths
For a non-traditional career path to prove viable, companies must commit to the development of their employees. Investing in appropriate training is a great way to equip colleagues with the tools to reimagine their roles.
But not every small business can afford external training programs. It may be more economical to train internally from employees who already have the desired skills and share their knowledge within the company.
Establishing a flow of feedback from other employees is crucial to managing the transition. When an employee takes a non-traditional path, it can impact colleagues. It is therefore important to regularly seek other opinions on the changes. It may turn out that aspects of the new role have a negative impact on other people and adjustments need to be made.
It’s also important to set clear goals for an employee and personalize their role so everyone understands what progress looks like. Consider how this will support their development, but also how the company can achieve its goals using this new role. This ensures that clear expectations are set and you can easily track performance.
We launched earlier this year ~Championship, a system that prioritizes, recognizes and rewards employees who continually improve their craft. It is not only important to offer different career paths, but also to demonstrate the methodology How Employees develop their craft over time, and giving them recognition keeps the staff on the right track. We hope ~Mastery will do just that.
Why creators have to create something
Employees are a company’s greatest asset. While some prefer the traditional career path, many say goodbye to their passions when they pursue such a path. If you limit their creative powers, you risk the value of these assets declining.
Employees aren’t the only ones who thrive when they’re mobile in their roles. Companies also benefit from this. Startups in particular may find that a person’s passion leads to the creation of new departments or revenue streams, allowing companies to grow alongside their employees.
We want more business leaders to open the door for employees to take ownership of their development. While any transition needs to be closely monitored, increases in productivity, employee engagement and business performance are on the table. The form of career advancement is there to be broken.
Deann Evans’ career spans more than two decades in leadership roles in e‑commerce and SaaS. She currently leads the European expansion of Shopify, the global commerce platform that powers millions of modern, high-growth brands like Gymshark and Huel. This role allows Evans to support merchants through Shopify’s extensive partners and developer community.
