19 Dec Internal Mobility: Most Companies Are Missing the Point
Internal mobility has become one of those corporate buzzwords everyone loves to say but rarely knows how to execute well. We chase retention, we chase engagement, we chase the dream that people will stay long enough to truly understand our business and become cultural carriers – amplifiers of who we are and why we exist.
And that matters. When you finally have someone who “gets it”, who lives your values and delivers consistently, the last thing you want is for them to feel stuck. Most companies get internal mobility wrong in two major ways.
Mistake #1: Assuming Everyone Wants Mobility
Not everyone is looking for upward movement. Not everyone wants a new title or a bigger job. And yet, organizations often default to thinking that mobility equals ambition, and that lack of mobility equals lack of drive.
That’s a false narrative.
Just because someone doesn’t want to climb vertically doesn’t mean they don’t want to grow. They may want deeper challenges within their role, expanded scope, or opportunities to build mastery but not a new title..
Ignoring these employees creates a silent class of employees who feel unseen, undervalued, and excluded from development conversations simply because they’re not chasing the ladder.
And the reality is that employees who don’t feel they’re growing are employees who eventually leave or worse do the bare minimum – we call them coasters.
Mistake #2: Mobility Programs That Only Serve the “Usual Suspects”
If your internal mobility strategy only focuses on high-potential employees, you’re missing the point entirely.
If you always promote your “starters,” how will anyone from the “second string” ever develop into the “first string” role?
Companies often get this wrong by:
- Letting managers build career tracks, but only for their top 10 favorites.
- Assuming readiness instead of developing it.
- Neglecting the employees who feel “less than”—and those people disengage quietly and permanently.
- Creating formal structures without creating access for everyone.
You won’t know who’s holding back unless you give your people permission to step forward. You don’t know who needs exposure to a new team, a new project, or a new environment to unlock their potential.
Internal mobility should be an option for everyone, not a prize for a select few.
The Real Shift in Mindset: Internal Mobility vs. Internal Growth
A growing body of research shows that the rising work for cares far less about promotions and far more about skills and experiences.
- 76% of Gen Z employees say they want more opportunities to learn new skills rather than climb a hierarchy. (can we mention something around Gen Alpha?)
- Only 28% say their primary motivation at work is upward mobility.
So Is your organization focused on mobility… or on growing your people?
Traditional career pathing—rigid ladders, linear titles, “pay your dues and wait your turn”—isn’t resonating anymore. Employees today want fluidity, personalization, and growth that aligns with who they are, not who the org chart thinks they should be.
When you focus on growing the person, promotions happen organically. But when promotions happen without growth? That’s when the problems start.
You get drama and misalignment. You get individual contributors who are turned into managers without leadership ability. You get disengagement, resentment, and a drag on your business.
The root cause is simple: Leaders aren’t growing their people. They’re promoting them. And those are not the same thing.
Right Now Is the Perfect Time to Shift the Conversation
We’re entering performance and planning season. It’s the time of year when employees expect a dialogue about what’s next.
This is your opportunity to pivot from “career pathing” to growth pathing.
Start with prompting questions like:
- What do you want to do more of next year?
- What environments help you do your best work?
- Where do you see yourself developing?
- What skills do you want to build?
- What experiences would stretch you in a healthy way?
These conversations aren’t about promotions.
They’re about understanding how to grow your people so they can grow with your company.
And when that becomes the mindset, internal mobility stops being a program and starts being a natural outcome of culture.
Internal mobility is important. But internal growth is essential.
Mobility keeps people in motion, but growth keeps people invested.
When leaders operate as coaches and not gatekeepers, the organization becomes a place where:
- high performers stay longer,
- steady contributors feel valued and challenged,
- and opportunities are accessible, not exclusive.
That’s how you retain culture carriers, build economy of scale, and create a workforce that pours back into your organization instead of walking out the door.