HR etc!! began out of my truck in 1991–literally! It started as an answer to my personal frustration of being in the wrong role within corporate America.

I knew I had an underutilized aptitude for teaching which would better serve my employer and that my job was not a good fit for me. Yet, a Human Resource policy forced me to stay in my role as supervisor of the Employee Benefits and Medical department.

So, in October of 1991, I quit my job. During my exit interview, my boss (VP of Human Resources) told me of his regret; that he had done a poor job of managing my creative side and how this had ultimately hurt the company – and me. All I could think was: “Why didn’t you tell me this before?” His comment simply provided more conviction for my yearning.

My Journey

Being a lifelong student of Mother Earth and an avid outdoorswoman, I preserved my 401(k) money by living out of my truck while camping with my dog Mollie. You should have seen the looks on my fellow campers’ faces when I would emerge from the campground shower house in a business suit, hose and heels on my way to meet a potential client!

This was during the height of “experiential learning” – also known as action learning and learning by doing. Being an outdoorswoman and a kinesthetic learner, I was naturally drawn to ropes challenge courses as a training medium.

My choice of aligning my true nature with my knowledge was completely logical. I was compelled to teach companies with solid Human Resource infrastructures – guiding managers and leaders in fair and consistent people-management practices. And that’s just what I did.

During these sessions I observed that people would say one thing yet do something else. This seemed unnatural! With co-facilitators, I helped managers, leaders and their teams innately understand, through their behaviors, that words aligned with actions create trust. Without this alignment, distrust manifests, creating a downward spiral of morale and performance – another basic law of human nature.

My Revelations

Over the next six years, I learned about group development and process, team formation, motivation, adult learning, training methodologies, organization development and theories, performance coaching, facilitation and, most importantly, the laws of human nature.

Most critical in all of this: I learned about my own true nature, my strengths – something I was unable to accomplish without mentors who believed in me. They helped me learn that by aligning the true nature of my strengths with the work that had to be performed, I could consistently surpass expectations, goals and benchmarks, and ultimately achieve success.

I was very pleased when the Organizational Leadership and Supervision School at Purdue University contacted me, asking that I teach an undergraduate class in Organizational Behavior. Definitely a career highlight!! Being a client, they knew the power of the experiential processes I created and facilitated … and they wanted me to make the Organizational Behavior curriculum COME ALIVE. I happily accepted for the next three semesters!

My Future

Alignment Partnership, a company of HR etc!!, is entering its 27th year of business and, like me, is evolving to reflect all I’ve learned about what it takes to help managers, teams and companies flourish. With our team of seven talented individuals consistently applying our own true natures and using our strengths in activities that leave us feeling strong and useful, our renewed mission is to help leaders and manager understand and realize the benefits alignment can bring – ease, harmony, creativity, contribution and goals met – within their own companies.

I also continue my quest to learn more of my own human nature. I am committed to not only my growth, I’m committed to helping others overcome their frustration with being unable to do activities that leave them feeling strong, so they can perform their best. When employees are flourishing, so are you and your company! I know that firsthand; after all, I am a company owner, too.