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,…
The Worst Career Advice Ever Given: Write Your Boss an Instruction Manual by Laurie Ruettimann The worst career advice anyone has ever given is this: write your boss an instruction manual on how you operate. This advice resurfaces every few years, usually when work culture turns sentimental. It gains traction in moments when companies claim…
Year-End Unsolicited Advice: Stop Using GIFs by Laurie Ruettimann I always end the year by writing about my accomplishments, regrets, and resolutions. The calendar makes reflection feel inevitable. This year, I’m not doing that. Sometimes habits are useful. Not this one. I’ve become stagnant and flat. So instead, I’m ending the year with one piece…
Career Coaching as a Thinking Partnership, Not Motivation by Laurie Ruettimann People ask what it’s like to do a career coaching session with me because they’re trying to understand whether career coaching, as a thinking partnership rather than a motivational exercise, is actually worth their time. They want to know what happens in the room,…
Before COVID, I did some light consulting for technology companies. The work ranged from improving customer advisory boards to helping marketing and sales communicate without mutual resentment. Sometimes it involved content, events, or being in a room with smart people who needed another brain. It was fine work. Casual. Almost social. Friends referred me to…
How I Use AI on This Blog by Laurie Ruettimann I don’t have a human editor for this blog, but I still try to edit for clarity and tone. More and more, I’m using AI tools to help. That’s why it’s important to tell you how I use this technology. Every idea, topic, sentence, and…
The 2-Hour Job Search Summary: Why Steve Dalton’s Method Still Works The best job search book I have read recently is The 2-Hour Job Search by Steve Dalton. It is a practical, repeatable job search method that helps you get interviews faster by prioritizing targeted outreach and informational conversations over endless online applications. Guess what?…
Should You Take a GLP-1 to Get a Job? by Laurie Ruettimann If you’re unemployed or stuck in a long job search, you may have found yourself asking a question you never expected to ask. Should I take a GLP-1 to get hired? People don’t ask this because they’re shallow. They ask it because job…
How I Actually Think About Building, Leading, and Sustaining Organizations By Laurie Ruettimann I’ve spent more than 30 years working in and around organizations. I’ve been an employee, a leader, a founder, an advisor, a consultant, and an entrepreneur. I’ve worked inside systems that functioned well and systems that quietly broke people while insisting everything…