The Career Shortcut Hiding in Plain Sight

July 23, 2025

You’re not stuck because you’re underqualified. You’re stuck because you’re in the wrong room.

Most people don’t get stalled in their careers because they lack talent or work ethic. They get stalled because they keep climbing the wrong ladder—hoping the next rung will lead to something better.

They chase titles, departments, or raises—without ever asking the more important question:

Who am I working next to?

Because growth doesn’t always come from moving up. Sometimes it comes from moving closer—to the builders, the decision-makers, the people who are doing meaningful work at high speed.

That’s the shortcut no one talks about: proximity.

The Shortcut: Proximity Beats Promotion

“Proximity” isn’t just being in the same org chart as someone important. It’s about working closely enough to absorb, to learn, to be seen.

It’s about:

  • Watching how decisions are made, not reading about them in recap emails

  • Hearing how people handle pressure and ambiguity in real time

  • Being in the room—even if you’re not the loudest person in it

Careers accelerate not because someone gets promoted, but because they get noticed. And people get noticed when they’re close to the action.

The 3 Types of Proximity That Accelerate Your Career

1. 🧠 Proximity to Power

This is when you’re working side-by-side with someone who has influence—and uses it well.

A friend of mine took a lower title just to work directly under a rising VP. Within a year, she was leading cross-functional initiatives and sitting in board meetings. Her visibility skyrocketed.

It wasn’t about the role. It was about the room.

2. 🚀 Proximity to Talent

When you’re around exceptional people, you rise. Period.

I once joined a product team where I was the least technical person in the room. It was humbling. But I learned more in six months than I had in the two years prior. My bar for quality shifted overnight.

You don’t grow by being the smartest one in the meeting. You grow by being the most curious one in a room full of people better than you.

3. 🔭 Proximity to Vision

Sometimes, it’s not a person—it’s a mission. A project. A startup. A team with unreasonable goals and no playbook.

One of the best career moves I’ve seen? A woman left her “safe” Big 4 job to join a 12-person climate startup. Her title was unclear. Her calendar was chaos. Two years later, she’s running operations—and owns a meaningful piece of the company.

When you get close to something that matters, your contribution does too.

How to Spot a Proximity Opportunity

These roles rarely look glamorous. In fact, they often seem ambiguous, messy, or even “beneath you.”

But look closer. The gold is in the details.

Watch for:

  • Job posts that say “you’ll wear a lot of hats”

  • Founders hiring a “right hand,” “chief of staff,” or “generalist”

  • Small teams tackling urgent, messy problems

  • Projects no one owns—but that leadership clearly cares about

And ask yourself:

Will this put me closer to the people or work that moves the needle?

Questions to Ask Before You Leap

Not every proximity move is smart. Some are distractions. Some are chaos in disguise.

Here’s how to vet it:

  • Will I learn faster here than where I am now?

  • Does this team or leader build people, or just burn them out?

  • Am I trading ego for experience—or just jumping out of fear?

  • Do I have the financial and emotional buffer for a short-term dip?

This is where a “risk budget” matters. Know what kind of chaos you can afford right now.

Try This: The Proximity Audit

Take 5 minutes and ask yourself:

  • Who do I spend the most time with at work?

  • Are they playing offense or defense in their careers?

  • When’s the last time I felt challenged—in a good way?

  • Am I close to the action… or insulated from it?

Bonus move:
Reach out to someone building something you admire. Ask them:

“What are you working on right now that really matters?”
And then just listen.

The Wrap-Up: You Don’t Need a Ladder—You Need a Launchpad

We’ve been trained to chase promotions. But what if the smartest move isn’t a step up—but a step over?

Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is move closer to momentum, energy, vision, and excellence—even if it means letting go of your title for a bit.

Because the fastest way forward isn’t always up.
Sometimes it’s simply getting closer to the fire.