The Ladder to Climb

So you're at the first or second rung, and you're looking up at a long ladder above you stretching up into the sky like Jack's bloody beanstalk only more utilitarian looking.
If you look around you you'll see there's more of these ladders around you. You gotta pick the ladder to climb. Sometimes, to reach the heavens above, you will have to change ladders. So lets look at your ladder right now and see if this is one that matches your needs. You know, your weight, your width and the space between rungs and other such things that would needlessly stretch this analogy to breaking point.

Here's three questions that will help you know the answer. And here's the rule: At least two of them should return a positive answer.
1). Do you appreciate the products coming out of your organization?
2). Do you believe in the markets or customers your organization serves?
3). Do your values match the values of your organization?

I guess I should first tell you what I mean by "organization". I use that term to loosely mean the company as a whole, but in large companies, it could mean the specific profit making unit you're working for. I know some of you may not be in a line job, but in an corporate function like Finance or HR or some such. In your case, consider this "organization" to be your "function", your internal customers to be your customers and your services to be your products.

Now that we've got this definition crap out of the way, lets look at those questions. These questions are difficult to answer, so I'll tell you what I mean a bit more clearly.

Appreciate the products: Do you use your company's products? If the products are not good enough for you, then don't work there. If you're not a smoker and never were, don't work in a cigarette company. If you don't like chocolates, don't work for Cabdury's. See where I'm going? Good.
Now I know this gets complicated when your organization puts out products that are either:

• For niche markets, like luxury goods (which I define as goods that you can not afford to buy 3 off), OR
  
• For consumption by other businesses, like machines and robots, or services
  

In these cases the "use the products" test of appreciation doesn't work, and the only appreciation of the products most employees will have is through literature and company propaganda (internal and external) otherwise known as marketing. It's hard to rise above that noise if you can't use and test your products against your competitors. So in those cases, you only got two questions. Gotta get them both "yes". Sorry.

Believe in the markets: Simply, do you believe that the market you're serving will grow? Do you believe that the customers you're serving will grow?
It is important here to not go by company information. Company information is seductive and is meant to be encouraging and comforting to employees and stakeholders. Your quarterly financials are immune to some extent, but hell, that's a snapshot of the past 3 months. Your financial forecasts are going to be wrong, and are going to be presented with a gushing, flowery, positive spin, designed to give investors as much of a hard on as is legally feasible.
You should look up data from analysts, trade publications, and economic indicators, from sources external to your company. Try hard to find contradicting reports and use your judgment to compare differences. Reach out to the referenced sources to see if the information is used in a valid fashion. Google is your friend. Do this at least once every three months. Preferably close to your quarterly results. It should not take you more than three hours. If you're not in a market that is set to grow significantly (>5%) over time (5 years), quit.
Numbers of cars sold in the world shrinking? Don't work in a car company.
Number of SUV sold in your country shrinking? Get out of the SUV division.
Modify the italics in those statements for your product and the market you serve, and you'll have your answer.

Match the values: This is a very tough thing to do because it is tough to know what your company's values are. Actually it's tough enough to know what your own values are, but this isn't that book.
The one place you should not look to know your company's values is the place where your company has written them down. Let me guess. Performance, Integrity, Customers, Quality and general well being for all. That's your company's value statement, isn't it? Yeah. Bullshit.That's what happens when lecherous consultants lull egomaniacal executives into an overly philosophical setting in an extremely golf prone environment.
Look for you company's values in the places where the values are tested.
How do they treat their suppliers? Do they pay them on time. Give them credit when necessary? Support them through hard times? Does this match how you treat your maid?
How does your company treat it's employees? Do they provide reasonable rewards? Do they provide reasonable learning experiences? Do they provide a safe working environment? Do they empower them to make mistakes while simultaneously showing concern and forgiving genuine first time mistakes? Does this match how you would treat your child?
You see where I'm going? Your organization can be personified as an individual. If you do that and try to find parallels in that individual's behavior with your own, you will know if your values match.

Lets be clear about one thing.
None of the above, you will notice, is a value judgment.
I don't care what your values, beliefs and appreciations are - on an absolute scale. What I am trying to convey is that if they don't match with those of your organization, make a change.
If you are a hard core capitalist and a follower of that transplanted Russian Ayn Rand, who has the entire last speech of Atlas Shrugged memorized, that's YOUR world view. Fine by me. You'll be happy working for Goldman, and what's more, since there's a match there, you will have a higher chance of growing in the organization than if you worked at Greenpeace.