I entered the elevator and selected the floor button when the gentleman beside me replied with a smile, “one floor short of the penthouse!” I laughed along as well, replying “That sounds like a good story or book title!” He smiled and nodded in agreement as we rode up together. Normally, exchanges like that would pass and fade into the background, but that phrase has stuck with me in literal and metaphorical ways.
We once lived in a high-rise apartment building in Manhattan on the 44th floor, one floor short of the penthouse. Now, while many of us are encouraged in society to strive for the best and the highest and grandest things, sometimes one floor short of the penthouse is just fine and enjoyable too. We had very similar south facing unobstructed views from midtown all the way down to the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor. And we could see down 42nd Street to the Hudson River. Maybe it wasn’t as grand or sweeping as the penthouse view. But nonetheless it was an amazing and inspiring view that we were content with and happy in our apartment one floor short of the penthouse.
Metaphorically, I think about how I and many others struggle every day in the daily grind of work and careers to get ahead, climb the metaphorical career ladder and achieve what society and others tell us is the pinnacle of success, the penthouse of our careers. I’ve seen many friends and others get burnt out trying to get to the mythical penthouse of their careers. And I’ve seen leaders who were promoted to positions beyond their abilities, great potential leaders who were passed over and never reached their pinnacle, and leaders who intentionally chose to stop at or move back down to the metaphorical one floor short of the penthouse for various work/life balance reasons.
This reflection reminds me of a saying once told to me by a very colorful character, a senior leadership client from my consulting days. One day we were chatting at work and he said to our small team of consultants, here’s the best advice I give everyone, “Find your peter and be the turtle.” We all chuckled at the humorous advice and also cringed because he was known for saying some inappropriate office jokes and we had no idea what the explanation was going to be for this advice! He went on to explain that “find your peter” referenced the Peter Principle. Wikipedia describes The Peter principle as a management concept developed by Laurence J. Peter, which observes that people tend to rise to “a level of respective incompetence”: employees are promoted based on their success in previous jobs until they reach a level at which they are no longer competent, as skills in one job do not necessarily translate to another. My previous client translated this to suggest, finding your Peter Principle level and then step down one space to your level of competence. As a quick aside, the remainder of his advice, “be the turtle”, as he described it meant to know when to stick your neck out and take chances and know when to pull yourself back into your shell for protection and save your neck. As quirky as his advice was, it makes sense to me and still resonates.
The advice from him about “find your peter” came to mind for me when thinking of the phrase one floor short of the penthouse. Even though the idealized penthouse in our careers and life is what we are told to strive for, if it is above our level of competence according to the Peter Principle, are we not better one floor down at our level of competence? Some would argue, and I’m not opposed to the idea, that you could grow, learn, and develop the skills and capabilities to be competent at the next level up. However, even if it is possible, would you be happy there in your career or just as happy one floor short of the penthouse with still an amazing view and life?
Those are questions we each have to consider for ourselves. As someone who loves movie and music quotes I’ll share two of my favorites related to the theme of this article. First, in rock musician Prince’s iconic song Let’s Go Crazy, he sings the following lyrics:
“In this life you’re on your own
And if the elevator tries to bring you down
Go crazy, punch a higher floor”
And the second quote from one of my favorite classic films with Bette Davis, Now Voyager, is,
“Oh, Jerry, don’t let’s ask for the moon. We have the stars”.
The line is spoken by Charlotte Vale (Bette Davis) at the end of the film when she is asked if she will be happy, and it signifies her contentment with what she has—a relationship with Jerry, and their “child,” Tina.
* The full quote: “Oh, Jerry, don’t let’s ask for the moon. We have the stars.”
* Speaker: Charlotte Vale, played by Bette Davis.
* Context: She says this to Jerry when he asks if she will be happy.
* Meaning: The line suggests that she doesn’t need more than what she has. She has found love, has been transformed, and has a family unit with Jerry and Tina, symbolized by “the stars” being enough to be happy.
* Significance: It is considered one of the most memorable and romantic lines in cinema history.
I know that’s a lot more detail for the film quote, but I did say it was one of my favorite films. And to me this quote aligns with the theme of one floor short of the penthouse.
In summary, my takeaway is in life and career it’s ok to punch a higher floor for the penthouse, but it also is just as good, pleasing, and rewarding to land among the stars, one floor short of the penthouse.
As always, I encourage each of you to consider these reflections and themes against your own stories. What is your experience with career and life goals trying to get to the penthouse and punch a higher floor? What’s your experience or thoughts on choosing one floor short of the penthouse? What are your thoughts on the Peter Principle? Have you ever felt that you or your leaders exceeded the level of competence? What did you or the leaders do? How did this topic resonate or not resonate with you? Did anything different come up for you than what I shared? If so, consider sharing in the comments. And if you’d be interested in a live video group coaching chat about this topic let me know as well.
In closing, I remind us all that there’s no right or wrong answer or path here. Whether you punch a higher floor and reach the moon and penthouse or you punch an elevator button for one floor short of the penthouse and land among the stars, you still have opportunities to shine, be happy, successful, and thrive. Because, whether it is the penthouse or one floor short of the penthouse, your story matters.
