Should you stay productive while the world burns? by Laurie Ruettimann Should you stay productive while the world burns? This is not a rhetorical question. It’s a practical one. People are asking it quietly at their desks, on factory floors, in hospitals, and on Zoom calls with their cameras on and off. Some days, staying…
The Heritage Foundation’s Family Report Is an Economic Risk, Not a Moral Solution by Laurie Ruettimann I’m a Jewish, middle-aged woman who is post-menopausal. I’m married, don’t have children, and have cats. I support choice, science, and democracy. I believe in a global economy, workers’ rights, and that Human Resources should create fairness and equity…
How to Run a Premortem (And Why You Should Do It Before Your Next Big Decision) by Laurie Ruettimann You’re about to launch a project. Or accept a job offer. Or restructure your team. You’ve done your homework. You feel good. Now assume it fails. That’s a premortem, a thinking exercise developed by psychologist Gary…
The Future of HR Is Smaller Than You Think by Laurie Ruettimann Most HR departments are staffed for a world that no longer exists. The transactional work (conflict management, talent management, succession planning, talent advisory, recruiting, benefits administration, compliance tracking, onboarding paperwork) is being absorbed by AI faster than anyone predicted. What remains is a…
Even LFR Needs Goals by Laurie Ruettimann I spent eighteen months giving away free career coaching and writing a cat book that didn’t get published. That’s what happens when you don’t set goals. You stay busy doing things that go nowhere. So I have goals in 2026. This is new for me. I am suspicious…
People Got COVID Checks. The Wall Street Journal Blames Them for Dying. by Laurie Ruettimann Allysia Finley has a theory: COVID stimulus checks caused overdose deaths. In a recent Wall Street Journal column, she argues that pandemic relief payments, not healthcare system failures or social collapse, drove the spike in drug deaths during COVID. The…
Five Years of Betting On You: Why Your Work Is Not Your Worth by Laurie Ruettimann Five years ago, Betting On You — the book — came out in hardcover, at a moment when the world had very little patience for career advice of any kind. It was less than a week after the January…
What a Real Book Proposal Looks Like When You’re Traditionally Published by Laurie Ruettimann I’m not writing a book called Don’t Get a Cat. I told you about that already, and I’ll link to it here again so the context is clear. Instead, I’m sharing the full book proposal I wrote for it. You can…
A Work Operating System for the New World of Work by Laurie Ruettimann The modern world of work is broken in familiar ways. Burnout gets treated as a personal failure instead of a predictable, structural outcome. Meanwhile, career advice promises clarity, passion, and resilience while ignoring how unstable, extractive, and unforgiving work has become for…
I Wrote a Book About Cats. It’s Not Getting Published. by Laurie Ruettimann I spent the past few months working on a book proposal called Don’t Get a Cat (But If You Do, Read This First). The thesis was simple: Every cat deserves to be wanted. Every cat deserves a forever home. The less drama,…
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