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I have seen and experienced a
shift in today’s professional human capital.
Throughout the tenure of my
career, I have had the privilege of interfacing with various levels of people
across multiple industries. Only
recently, have I seen and experienced a shift in today’s professional human
capital.
When I say “professional human
capital,” I am referring to the current workforce in the “traditional” American
industries of law, finance, engineering and healthcare.
A societal shift takes place each
time man evolves. At the turn of the 20th
century, for example, society transcended from the Victorian Era to the
Industrial Revolution with the introduction of machinery. Today, we are being transported from the Industrial
Era to the ever-changing, fast-paced Technology Revolution. And, just as
machinery played a major role in changing the way people worked then,
technology is impacting our day-to-day operations.
Through many years of research
with individuals and members from small and large companies, I have found that
not only has the technology revolution shifted the way we work, it has shifted
our beliefs, beginning with the employee all the way up to the leader.
A change in our workforce has
been taking place over the last decade. We have become, what I like to term, a “coddled”
workforce. I often ask an individual why they are pursuing a particular career
and, 8 times out of 10, I am told, “I want to make money and have a nice life.” Rarely am I told that a particular career
path is something they believe in, or is an interest they have always wanted to
pursue.
I have
seen how the culture of companies is being affected by the new mantra of “It’s
a job,” or, “It is not what I can do for the company it is what it the company
can do for me.”
This shift
influences the ethics and integrity of the core values of a company— from leaders
with a lack of vision and mission to team members with a lack of belief and
pride in their work. There is an
epidemic of people not willing to go the
extra mile on a project— to take on an ownership role or to create a
solution for a challenge.
Most
people today seem to have lost the zest of ingenuity that has been the
foundational rock of our most successful companies of all time. To have the attitude of “It is not my
responsibility,” indicates that some people have lost their way in pursuing what
they believe in. To carry this belief into a company, through all the various
life cycles of a project, is detrimental.
So, I
encourage many of my clients to step back for a moment when I give them the
assignment to ask themselves these questions: “Why am I doing what I do for my career?” And, “Is
this something I dream about and am I willing to go the extra mile to pursue?”
If you are doing something with
your career that you truly believe in,
there are no limits as to where it may
grow.
