The Manager's Path: A Guide for Tech Leaders Navigating Growth and Change

by Camille Fournier

Consider your breakpoint levels. It is common for companies to have certain levels that they consider “up or out.” These are early-career roles where a lack of advancement means that the person has not achieved the maturity or independence needed to remain at the company. This policy tends to get translated into your ladder as an implicit or explicit breakpoint level. What is the lowest level at which people can sit forever, never getting promoted but also not underperforming? This is your breakpoint level. For many companies, it’s somewhere around senior engineer. Someone who’s made it this far is a solid team member, but he may stay at this level indefinitely by his own choice. It’s good to have a notion of where this is. You may even want to use it as the point at which your ladder levels get harder to achieve. Expect your team to cluster around this level, with fewer people above or below it.