Carol Bartz, tech industry heavyweight and, among other titles, current Executive Chairman of the Board of Autodesk, spoke to Stanford students for the second time in early 2006. Her point is still relevant to anyone looking to move ahead in the Fortune 500 sphere: broad experience in numerous corporate roles is the best possible training for a career at the top.
Video: Pyramids, Not Ladders
Carol Bartz, Autodesk
2 min.
6 sec.
In this clip, Carol Bartz points out that young workers needn't be afraid of a lateral career move. Ambition often focuses only on upward motion, whereas well-rounded experience in a number of departments - sales, marketing, or customer service, just to name a few - gives a career a solid foundation. Ladders are unstable, Bartz says, but pyramids have depth, safety, and strength.