Doing anything every day is tough. Just ask your kids. How often do you nag them to brush their teeth and make their beds? And how often have you committed to a daily activity such as exercise or reading only to fail on day two? They say it takes 21 days to build a new…
A few years back, I drove to the Outer Banks of North Carolina (OBX) and attempted to beat writer’s block and generate something interesting. Writing isn’t magic, although it can feel magical. It’s intentional and takes great effort, which is why I didn’t sit around waiting for lightning to strike. In my downtime, I took…
Hi, everybody. I am going on a retreat. I will write, do yoga, and take long walks. I will talk to real people who don’t have anything to do with human resources, recruiting or consulting. I will focus on my personal mission statement. I’ll read some books. I will probably eat potato chips before going to…
Hi. My name is Laurie Ruettimann. I was once addicted to Starbucks, but that’s all over now. Before I left for Cuba, last November, a friend joked that I might die without Starbucks. I thought, hey, that’s a little extreme. Cubans have good coffee. I’ll be just fine. Turns out, I did nearly die. My…
Do you know someone with horrible breath? Do you work with someone who starts talking and causes you to reach for the gas mask? You know what I’m talking about, right? It’s the smell of decomposing food coming from the belly of a large, fat water mammal. Turns out that halitosis is a principal indicator…
I know the current trend is to decouple performance management from compensation, but I hate that trend so much. I want to stab it in the face. Ongoing communication is important. I’m not here to advocate for an annual performance review and compensation discussion with no contact in the middle. I’m just on…
There’s an enormous push in the HR market to use technology to help employees save more for rainy days and retirement. The drive towards financial wellness is awesome. You need finances first, though. In 2016, cash matters. Workers aren’t stupid. At the first sign of trouble in the economy, companies will buckle down and focus…
Failure is so shitty and tough. I fail a lot. I can speak from a very personal place on this topic. Did you try? Did you take a risk? Was it stupid? Did you make a huge mistake? Are you embarrassed? Did you waste time? Did your feelings get hurt? Was it a waste of…
I’m missing a tweet-up in Raleigh, tonight. I’m bummed. I have to work. By working, I mean that I have to go to another town and talk about some stuff. Then I get to have dinner with friends that I initially met through the internet. Man, the internet is something else! Back in the day,…
I’ve never met a public speaker who wasn’t trying to make good on a failed dream. Speakers are humble and use failure as a tool to teach others. Some of us are writers. Some of us are musicians. Most of us are artists, performers or athletes who are also trying to be parents, spouses and…
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