Learned Helplessness in HR

There is a weird phenomenon happening in human resources departments around the globe. Far too many people in HR are suffering from learned helplessness. Learned helplessness is a psychological condition that commonly describes victims of abuse and neglect. Those poor souls give up on themselves. They see themselves as perpetual victims — even when they’re…

Marathon Monday: Running and Travel

Let me make a quick recommendation: if you’re running a marathon, try not to travel. If you’re going to travel, try to stay healthy. And if you can’t stay healthy, don’t catch a cold with a thick cough. But if you have a cold and cough, try not to catch it while you’re also recovering…

ruettimann commencement

Inspiring the Next Generation of Adults

Last month, I delivered a speech to the 2016 graduating class at Regent’s University London. They have eight colleges under the larger university, and I spoke to the American College (which I attended) and the school of fashion and design. The ceremony was at St. Marylebone Parish Church where Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Robert Browning…

growth innovation

Process Can Kill Growth and Innovation

A friend of mine recommended a book called Traction. Have you heard of it? He thought that my consulting company and my software company could benefit from implementing The EOS Model™. What is the EOS Model™? Well, it’s a framework to help founders and CEOs understand everything from people to internal processes. Very simply, it’s…

Marathon Monday: City of Oaks

Hey, guys. I’ve had to pivot my race schedule due to my lack of fitness and the heat. I’m now running the City of Oaks marathon for the second time (instead of the Chicago Marathon). What does this mean? I get four extra weeks of training. I can do my longest training run in October…

Thoughts on Leading a Lonely Life

I just finished The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone. The book chronicles the author’s experience with loneliness but also weaves in stories of art, AIDS, masculinity, feminism, sexual deviance, and the emergence of technology as a mechanism to overcome social isolation. Yeah, totally uplifting. But it was so superbly written that…

Show Up Prepared for Your Meetings

Being a small business owner is something else. I’m having a weird week, culminating in a meeting that never should have happened. Here’s the story. A company reached out to me because it thought I could offer some help with an organic marketing plan, which means free advice. I’m in a weird spot. As a…

Sexual Harassment and HR

Hold the phone. You know it’s the 90s when we’re discussing politics and sexual harassment. I received a barrage of email from disaffected readers who are aggrieved by yesterday’s article on human resources, sexual harassment, and Fox News. Aggrieved! The emails fall into one of two categories. My advice was horrible. Chicks lie. Let’s take…