THE CHANGING FACE OF AMBITION -- HRM TO TAKE NOTE

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"Don't resign. What happens to my prestige if you resign?" these were the comments of a teenage girl to her mother who was a doctor. They lived in an industrial township where a hospital supported the huge residential colony. The girl has seen her mother being revered and greeted with respect as they walked around the colony, in the super market as also in the village vegetable market. Obviously the girl prided among friends about the mother being doctor much to the envy of students whose mothers were not on job or were in lesser strata of job.

But the same girl as a child below five years cried everyday as the mother left for office and also as she grew swore that she would not go for job more so as a doctor since she has seen the disturbance of telephone calls at home that often snatched her mother from her due to emergencies. The nuisance created by the job in the love from mother was virtually haunting her as a child. 

But teenage is the gateway to adulthood and the child started seeing value and a new meaning in the designation of doctor. It was esteem, status and prestige which percolated down to her from the mother and the bondage between the two drifted from love to stature. In teenage it is the company of friends that is more meaningful and the loving mother offering status as a bonus adding more amity to the value of friendship.

Ambitions of people in organizations also waver. Based on age group, family composition and compulsions of financial needs and above all spouse stress. A good leader needs to understand the desperation of a man in twenties doing two shifts as driver or BPO executive only to earn and execute personal life plan. A son in tenth or plus two level of schools or a daughter due for marriage is the time for parents to soft pedal on their career ambitions.

Curriculum vitae that have gaps in growth path have stories of changed ambition due to self marriage or maternity and infant related issues. While none would throw his ambition out, it would always waver and falter due to personal/social causes. Leaders need to scan personal road map issues of individuals and help them coalesce it with job role challenges. It is not easy as the concept itself is not prevalent.

HR leadership needs to innovate as they confront newer conflicts in the changing work environment due to change in lifestyle. The girl followed her mother in becoming a doctor and faced the world with more clarity on work life balance. All may not be lucky like the girl but it is a novel HR thought process that can help many employees in similar situations to realize their dreams with greater comfort. Being ahead of time in thinking and action is also a continuous process HR leadership need to create and adopt. That could be the beginning of HR leadership receiving accolades for a change. 

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