How I see it as a small, young fish in a large, old pond...

Executive Grooming At Marriott

Here is a story about Marriott executives and seniors leaving the company after years and years of employment to move on to executive positions for other companies.
As a young manager, I've spent my ENTIRE four years (I know, many of you skip over jobs you've only had for that short of time.) working for the same company, and many of my upper managers have been with the company for 20+ years.  It is a scary thought that after so much time and work devoted to a company that top executives are leaving the companies they grew with.  Does this mean that companies aren't doing enough to retain their employees and to really utilize their investments?  Perhaps it is a good thing for Marriott to keep things new with a fresh pair of eyes every few years. This often makes me wonder how far down my path will I travel with the same company before realizing that they aren't getting me where I want, giving me what I want, or that I have outgrown my company. I hear not too many people keep the same jobs through out their upper management years, so it must be a good thing to keep moving. Harry Beckwith writes in his book 'Selling the Invisible' to "Be a shark, never stop moving." This seems to apply on all levels of work, from the small things such as keeping your standards and procedures fresh and relevant, all the way to career courses.  Staying in one place for too long is never good, you get lazy and too comfortable. Maybe the key to success IS to "be a shark" and always keep moving towards your personal goals, not just your companies goals.