Brief Reflections for HR Professionals

Do you feel your organization can and should play a role in helping people align work with their inner aspirations and values? Do you have what you consider an effective program in place to do this?

Would you find resistance in your company, either from management or from employees, to the idea of an "inner-needs" oriented career and performance development program? Do you agree there would be payoff for the company as well as the individuals in such a program?

Do you feel a universalized lexicon using such phrases as "individual life values," "inner aspirations," "personal success criteria," "larger purpose" and "life stage transitions" can be helpful in bridging the gap between corporate culture and the spiritual needs of employees?

Does your organization use research-based competency models that define what specific non-technical behaviors distinguish successful from less successful performers in key functions? Are they available on line for easy use in self and 360 degree assessments?

Have these models been incorporated into practical tools that can be used as the basis for an integrated performance development program? Are they being used for such things as selection, self-assessment, performance appraisal, development of training objectives, and career/life planning?

What behaviors have you observed that help some individuals respond to career dislocation better than others? Do you have tools in place to define and teach these behaviors to others?

Are your HR programs focused too much on the "outward" needs of the organization and not enough on the "inner" needs of individual employees? Are you doing enough to liberate people's spirits and help them grow in jobs where their energies flow naturally?