Elephant graveyards

Some years ago I heard someone sarcastically say “This is where elephants come to die” in response to me asking them what is such an intelligent person as them still doing in that company.

Since then I have been referring to “elephant graveyards” when describing companies and teams that don’t have room for intelligent people to rise up the ranks and grow as engineers.

An elephant graveyard, when applied to a corporate setting, is a team, company, or some other set of conditions in which otherwise bright engineers are forced into positions or assignments where there is no hope for future career growth. In this post, I hope to define the conditions that must be present for an elephant graveyard to form, how to detect them, and how to navigate them.

Conditions required for an elephant graveyard to form

An elephant graveyard forms when the Dimensions of Career Growth become stagnant.

What to do if you find yourself in an elephant graveyard

First of all, try and detect an elephant graveyard before you join the company. Ask questions about team dynamics and the project maturity cycle. Don’t join a company or a team where elephants come to die.

If you find yourself in an elephant graveyard, however, it’s not all over. Evaluate your overall situation. Is work-life balance important to you at this phase of your life? Are you being fairly compensated at this moment in time? Are there opportunities within your company on other projects? Is there an opportunity to shake things up on your existing project?

As long as there is room to grow, there is no reason to be restless. You are not an elephant and you are not in a graveyard. Not yet, at least.

Parent pages