Take the Meeting

Earlier this year, I received an email from a CEO who is pretty great. He owns (what he describes as) an agile and nimble tech company outside of the HR space. He said, “We have big plans for the market. We want you to be a part of our story.” I am always looking to…

Apologies

My rules on apologies. It is never too late to apologize and start over. If you owe someone an apology, just do it. Just because you offer an apology doesn’t mean that it will be accepted and embraced. You should stop what you are doing and apologize right now even if you don’t mean it.…

Taking My Cat to the Vet

There is nothing more difficult than taking a cat to the vet, unless you have your shit locked down — like me — and have a cat like Emma. Taking my cat to the vet is easy. She is just perfect and adorable. (Okay, that’s a lie. My shit is far from locked down, and…

Conference Speaker Evaluations #shrm14

I enjoy speaking to HR professionals because I always feel like the audience is grateful. Even though they might not agree with me, they always seem genuinely appreciative of my time and my energy. Want to help me become a better speaker? Want to help my friends who are speaking at the annual SHRM Conference…

Is Zappos Being Fair to the American Worker?

I’m a fan of Zappos. I like the customer service model. I like their blog. I visited their headquarters near Las Vegas before most people knew the company existed. Unfortunately, I am not a fan of their new hiring strategy, which asks applicants to join a social network, called Zappos Insiders, where they will network with current employees and…

Free Will

It’s no secret that HR ladies are addicted to Diet Coke. My friend, Jennifer McClure, is no exception. She is one of those women with an emotional, passionate attachment to Diet Coke. We went to the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman, two weeks ago, and this is the only shot of our gorgeous hotel room. But she’s not addicted. “I can quit…

Jew or Not a Jew?

Years ago, I wrote for AOL. It was a simple arrangement: I covered work, career advice and boobs. (That’s AOL.) I stopped writing for them after my favorite editor found a new job. And I wasn’t sad to say goodbye to the compost toilet that is the AOL comments section. If you want to see America at…

Velcro Leadership

You might think cats are independent and aloof. Not mine. I have velcro cats. They love me. They love my husband. They always want to hang out with us. I can’t go to the bathroom without someone coming to see what the heck I’m doing. “You might be having some fun, mom. I want in.”…