The traditional corporate ladder—where an employee joins a company at entry-level and climbs straight up for decades—is officially gone. Bishop points out that while organizations want to retain talent, they do not always have linear promotions to offer.
HR’s Actionable Solution: Shift your internal development conversations. Instead of mapping out rigid vertical paths, coach employees to build a diverse portfolio of skills and a strong personal brand around those skills. This allows talent to be flexibly deployed where the business needs them most.
Want to learn more? Join Kevin Bishop at SPARK TALENT 2026 in Disney Springs, Florida, where he will dive deeper into LinkedIn’s concept called talent velocity and share practical tools to help you invest in your people.