Leave your swim lane, now!

A Swim Lane You Say?

You might have heard several definitions of what a 'swim lane' is. Of course, most would agree that a swim lane is, well, a swim lane in a swimming pool. Although this is true, there are other references to this term. A swim lane can be a column or a row in a flowchart, it can be a kanban reference, etc. For this article, we're going to be referring to the more colorful version of this meaning, which is the "stay in your swim lane" meaning.

Leaving Your Swim Lane

Many of us have been penalized for leaving our swim lane. The whole "stay in your swim lane" is a business reference which is typically used when someone tries to participate in an area of business without being asked and ultimately others' toes feel stepped on. This results with the individual being punished socially and/or formally for the attempt.

For anyone who studies organizational behavior, the term "stay in your swim lane" is divisive, counterproductive, and is harmful to the organization. That is, those who try new things and those who challenge current methods and procedures in hopes of finding better ways of producing results are often penalized. Ironically, a typical corporate culture will punish those with whom it desperately needs for its own survival, for the very reasons outlined above.

Life With Swim Lanes

The very intent of this article is to encourage you to consider leaving your swim lane. This reasoning, however, is based on the fact that most people never leave their swim lane, and for good reason. Who actually likes to be punished? Who actually likes to put their job and potentially their career at risk? With this being said, a small minority of people create positive disturbances in their corporate environments by leaving their swim lane. So, more need to do this but this might not be for you.

In most organizations, unfortunately, staying in your swim lane optimizes your chance of keeping your job. Creating no disruptions optimizes your chances of being promoted in a traditional company where there is fire and brimstone, heavy-handed leadership styles, and executive teams that have been promoted beyond their skill sets. These leaders need minions rather than free thinking future leaders. If this is your current environment then you might need to find new employment before traversing into new swim lanes (i.e., lane changing). On the other hand, if you work for a progressive, forward thinking company, staying in your lane can act in reverse for you.

Life Without Swim Lanes

A progressive company with confindent management and leadership should embrace unrestricted ideas coming from anywhere in the organization. Even strong personnel can benefit from having confidence in their leaders. In fact, swim lanes won't exist in a truly "people-first" organization. Employees use their core-compentencies to move the company forward and are encouraged to flex muscles they haven't used. That is, employees should feel free to leave their comfort zones. For example, a marketing professional should be encouraged to participate in a meeting where technology or accounting is the topic of discussion. Not only does this spread knowledge, but it helps colleagues understand and appreciate the value of others. It also exposes those who desire to hoard information and feel threatened, which helps leaders mentor and correct this toxic behavior.

What Next?

Ultimately, you will need to determine your tolerance level and the risk/reward involved with leaving your swim lane (i.e., carving your own path). Many employees have little passion in the tasks which compose their day-to-day activities. Furthermore, many leaders fail to cultivate a corporate culture which embraces employee advancement through proven motivational techniques. If you can relate to this then you might consider leaving your swim lane or, perhaps your current employer to find a better fit for you. Regardless, you have to decide where you want to be in 3, 5, 10 years. If your path feels as if it's a dead-end and you're unhappy with that prospect then don't expect a positive change to occur until/if you apply the pressure -- leave your swim lane.