When an individual enters into transition, she or he wants to be treated as one. Just ask!
A search for a reference to the term “human capital” yielded, “Human capital is substitutable, but not transferable like land, labor or fixed capital.” For me, this raises the question, “where does that leave an executive who has been substituted?”
I am sure the economic theorists at the University of Chicago gave a lot of thought to what it means to be “substitutable” but an individual who has been “substituted” has another perspective. It is personal.
In June, 2013 Clements United conducted research amongst executives who have been through transition. Participation was high and 160 of the 235 sampled completed the survey, resulting in a 68% response rate.
While the research covered many topics, this issue explores how respondents view themselves. When we asked, “Which of the following terms best describes how you view yourself: as a human being or as human capital?” this group of executives responded 93% in favour of the answer “human being.”
You may be wondering whether or not there was a difference between men and women? The research showed that 97% of the women and 92% of the men saw themselves as human beings versus human capital. Of course men are a little behind!
It just makes sense that because people begin a very personal journey when they enter transition they want to partner with someone who will make time to get to know them and can provide the support, experience and guidance necessary to enable a successful transition.
The result also reinforces why the personal touch is so important for executives facing transition. It is the case that each of us is “a sample of one” and a transition truly is a unique experience for each of my clients. I have had the distinct privilege of getting to know many people very well during challenging times in their lives.
Once you cross into transition, you definitely do not want to be treated as human capital so we focus on the human being and that’s why Clements United has worked for people and will continue to do so.
Finally, I want to say “thank you” to all of the people who have supported my efforts to provide an alternative to the technology-driven, group-focused career transition services which dominate the industry. The first three years have flown past and I look forward to the next ten!