mushroom coffee

On Being an Adult Student

There are two types of people in this world: 1. People who like to learn new things. 2. People who don’t. I fall into the second category. It’s hard for me to learn new things. I’m not a good student, and I don’t have the attention span or the desire to sit through a lesson…

Why Have HR At All?

The field of human resources took it on the chin, this week, with the sexual harassment claims from Uber and Google and Tesla and Sterling Jewelers. I’m not sure HR practitioners knew they were being blamed, but in talking to journalists and business leaders, one question kept coming up over and over again. “Why have…

laurie ruettimann wrigley field

The Start-Up Business

I don’t understand how this start-up business works. You have an idea. You get excited about it. Some people say nice things to you, and some people don’t say nice things to you. You build something. You test your ideas. You get feedback. Some of it’s good. Some of it’s bad. There’s a group of…

stop trying so hard

Stop Trying So Hard

I started listening to the Tim Ferriss podcast while beginning my training for Hustle Up the Hancock. The show isn’t made for me. I listened to high-achieving guests describe emotional breakthroughs, and it hurts my heart. “I discovered empathy in 2016! I learned that — to get through life — you need other people! I…

mushroom coffee

HR Blogging Used to Be Good

HR blogging used to be good. No, seriously, like ’86 Lakers good. There was Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and a few other guys who’s names I don’t remember. And, just like the ’86 Lakers, the old-school HR bloggers played like a team that wanted to win. But then, just like every Hollywood sports story, people…