By Laurie Ruettimann The fourth quarter is an exhausting time of year for most Human Resources professionals. Companies finalize their budgets. Open … Read more
How Are Your Minor Leagues Doing?
This summer, my friends and I went to NBA Summer League. What the National Basketball Association does is bring in the top rookies in this year’s NBA … Read more
How to be a Good Boss – It’s Just Not as Simple as it Sometimes Looks
Here’s a great question that I almost never hear anyone ask, much less answer: How can you be a good boss? This question popped into my mind today while … Read more
What I Learned From Rex Ryan, or Why Workplace Bragging is a Bad Idea
In my long career, I’ve noticed two things about people in the workplace who like to arrogantly brag, strut, and tout to anyone who will listen just how … Read more
Why Everything Communicates, Whether You Want it to or Not
An early lesson in my career was that everything communicates. That lesson rang loud and true recently as I listened to a good friend tell me she’d just … Read more
It’s Time for Oracle to Update Its Code of Conduct and Values
Last week, Oracle announced that it had hired Mark Hurd as one of the software giant’s presidents and a member of its Board of Directors. The move came a … Read more
Office Politics: Necessary Evil, or Are They Holding Your Company Back?
A couple of weeks ago, I read an interesting article on Fast Company called How to Minimize Politics in Your Company. In it, Ben Horowitz argues for a … Read more
HR as the Town Crier, or Why People Management Needs a Lot More Focus
In the 18th Century, a town crier was used to make public pronouncements wearing a red and gold robe, white breeches, black boots and a tricorne hat. They … Read more
HR and Change in Corporate America: Speed Up, or Get Out of the Way
I read an article the other day titled Older Internet Users Take Shine to Social Networking. By older, they mean as in over 50, according to the study. The … Read more
A Labor Day Lesson: The Importance of Adding Value to Your Job
I am always talking about “adding more value” or “working at a higher level of value.” How do you know if what you are working on is valuable? Are some … Read more
Managing Millennials: How Will They Respond Along the Way?
By Neil Howe with Reena Nadler “Every generation has its chance at greatness. Let this one take its shot.” —Newsweek (2000) “Relentless optimism and … Read more
Workplace Flexibility: If You Can’t Have it All, What’s Close Enough?
When I left Hewitt, I knew it’d be hard to find another company as flexible. During my time there I’d worked traditional hours, compressed hours, and an … Read more
Crazy Things Companies Do: Why Let HR Policies Drive Customers Away?
Karen works in the post office four blocks from my house. She’s an institution in my neighborhood. She’s friendly, informed, incredibly patient. She has a … Read more
Managing Millennials: How to Cope With a Generation of Multitaskers
By Neil Howe with Reena Nadler Millennials are the first generation in history to grow up, from their earliest childhood, immersed in interactive digital … Read more
How to Measure Your Value in HR: You Gotta Show Your Executive Team
I kind of have a couple of creeds or philosophies I live my life by: Make decisions quickly. Gives you time to adjust if the decision was wrong – if you … Read more
Hiring Damaged Goods, or Why Mark Hurd Doesn’t Deserve Another Chance
Let me be perfectly clear about this: Everyone deserves a second-chance. Sometimes, people even deserve a third or fourth chance. That’s why the notion … Read more
The Silent Call for Leadership Brings HR to the Top of the Pyramid
My daughter told me last year that she would be glad when she graduates because she is tired of the grind of studying. I politely told her that studying … Read more
Are You A Resume Snob?
Have you ever heard from a person who has consulted the web and books looking for advice on how to put together a great resume only to be more confused … Read more
When it Comes to Corporate Values, Larry Ellison is Flat Out Wrong
Oracle’s Larry Ellison is flat out wrong. On Monday, he publicly declared that HP made an epic blunder in releasing CEO Mark Hurd following an … Read more
Implementing Change: A Costly Lesson from the U.S. Mint
We all know people have a resistance to change but who would have guessed that the folks producing change (the currency that is) would encounter those … Read more