She could not be happier$-$things were going better than she could have ever imagined at Progressive. After several years in the role, however, her mood had changed significantly. She was tired of recruiting and dealing with applicants. She wanted a role with more interaction with internal employees. Maria talked to her manager and he suggested that it might be possible for her to move to the compensation department. Since she did not have experience in this area, however, she would have reduced responsibility and would have to begin her role as a Benefits Administrator. Maria took the opportunity for a fresh start.

It turned out that she was actually quite good in compensation and benefits as well. Within a few years, she was a Benefits Manager in charge of health$-$care benefits for the organization. She worked closely with the Cleveland Clinic in designing benefit packages that would best suit Progressive employees. The Cleveland Clinic was so impressed with her work that they offered Maria a short$-$term role in implementing a similar benefits package in their organization. Thus, for six months Maria remained on the payroll at Progressive, but worked full time for the Cleveland Clinic. Once the benefits program she designed had been implemented at the Clinic, Maria returned to her role as Benefits Manager at Progressive. After all of these challenges, Maria was ready for something new. She thought about making a lateral move, and applied for a position as a General HR Manager for the IT department. It would be similar pay and responsibilities to her current position, but would allow her to deal more directly with employee issues. Being an General HR Manager was great! She loved the interactions with employees and day$-$to$-$day challenges of this position. She continued in this role for several more years, until she felt that her talents could be used more effectively in other parts of the organization. After fifteen years of being with the company, Maria felt she could share her experiences with others by being a Trainer. Training, however, would require an entirely different skill set. Maria talked to the HR executives and determined it would be best to take a leave of absence from the company to return to school full$-$time and receive her Master's in Education and Training. Two years later, Maria returned to Progressive as a lead trainer. She continues to grow and build developmental experiences in this role.

a$.$ When Maria completed a series of assignments in various...

Vhen Maria completed a series of assignments in various HR areas to learn more about the background and culture of the company, she was experiencing