How many people are in your company? How many are just like you?

No matter how big the number is when you answer that first question, the answer to the second one is always the same. Zero. The answer would be the same if asked you how many people in the world are like you.

You’re unique. Your life and career will be unique. The big question for you is, “How can I create the life and career that are perfect for me?”

Don’t expect much help from your HR department. Most HR departments are “one size fits all.” Some are little more flexible. They’re “two sizes fit all.” One size includes “high potentials.” The other is for everyone else.

The good news is that some companies are starting to recognize that “one size fits all” career development is a bad idea. A few of them were covered in a recent Human Resource Executive Online article titled: “Flight of the High Performers.”

Don’t let the title fool you. The core of this article is about companies who are finding ways to let everybody take charge of some of their own career development.

At Dow Chemical, a program called My Profile allows all employees to share their experiences and aspirations with the company. At Wachovia, a program called hGrid gives IT employees a way to connect with interesting projects. At Hewlett Packard, a program called “People Promise” is designed to help individuals find options for their career development.

This is good news if you work one of these companies. If you don’t, you’re still stuck with “one size fits all” career development, unless you do something about it.

In most companies’ the “one size” is for people who want to move up in management. If that’s not you, check out the different Career Paths we’ve identified so you can start customizing your own path.

Even if you do work at a progressive company with more than one career option, you may not work there forever. In the end, the life and career you have are your responsibility.

At Momentor, we’re building a site where you can find the resources and mentors you need to make sure you live the life and career that’s perfect for you and you alone.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 8th, 2008 at 7:41 am and is filed under Career Paths, Tools and Strategies for Success. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.