hike

Failure Asks You to Take a Hike

Most of you know that I’m toiling away at a side project: a software company. It’s going slowly because I’m trying to be deliberate and diligent while also having fun and not taking myself too seriously. It’s amazing and horrible at the same time. Mostly amazing. (Well, ask me how I feel in a few…

mimicry

Mimicry

My cats are all about monkey-see-monkey-do. Roxy observed how my cats liked to sit on our porch furniture. She went ahead and claimed a spot — just like the big kids. Roxy likes to poop at a particular time of day. Now Jake wants to poop at that same time. Emma uses the scratching post…

On Orlando

It’s hard to take a break from social media when there are big news stories. I wouldn’t know what to say, anyway. I’ve been thinking about this quote and how it pertains to the horrors we’ve witnessed in Orlando: The end of the world will be legal. ― Thomas Merton It’s already legal, and it…

cuban art

Cuban Art

Last November, I went to Havana with a bunch of HR professionals. We had an excursion to the National Museum of Fine Arts, which houses an impressive collection of Cuban art. Lots of good stuff in there. If you’re in Havana, check it out. I wasn’t there long enough to truly appreciate the accumulation of…

Communication Fail

A few weeks ago, I tried to connect with a woman on LinkedIn. Nothing good comes from being online, but I’m trying to meet new people. She is an accomplished leader who works for a successful venture capital firm. We have many friends in common, and her name has popped up in recent conversations. LinkedIn…

skeptical

Working in HR Makes You Skeptical

I spent the first twelve years of my career working in recruiting and HR departments. Then I spent nine years writing and speaking about HR, recruiting and technology. Working in HR makes you skeptical, and the first part of my career made a formative impact on my worldview. Whenever I hear a story about anything…