Author Archives: Paul LaLonde

“Thích Nhất Hạnh is a real poet.” – Robert Lowell I have maintained since day one of writing this blog that philosophy offers professionals a difference making outlook on life, work, love, and everything. To me, philosophy is about living one’s best life and acting on what is right. Doing HR right is an actContinue reading “Nine Quotes by Thích Nhất Hạnh That Could Change the Way You Do HR (and Life)“

“Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.” – Chinese Proverb There are those rare events that reinvigorate you, inspire you, help you remember why you do what you do. This is the point of “conferencing!” It is meant to help attendees learn new things while helping them recharge their batteries. Remember, motivationContinue reading “#HRUnite! Conference 2022: Key Take Aways from an #HRAwesome Event!”

“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” — Leo Tolstoy Note: I wrote this as a random scattering of thoughts following a tumultuous June. Mass shootings, the end of Roe v. Wade, January 6th Hearings – a United States in crisis. It was therapeutic to write… if not projectingContinue reading “Random Thoughts as the World Burns”

“Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.” – John C. Maxwell The Great Resignation is a lot of things. Some of them true, some of them REALLY true. One stat, in particular, strikes me as incredibly interesting! Last year, 53% of those who quit did so for a career change. That’s incredible to me. Over halfContinue reading “Changing Careers”

“When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new.” – Dalai Lama My parents divorced when I was seven. Raised by a single mother, my three brothers and I had a challenging life. Was it horrible? No. Not at all! But one cannot discountContinue reading “Amplifying Voices”

“Personal values are the measuring sticks by which we determine what is a successful and meaningful life.” – Mark Manson How do you know you “made it?” Depends on what you value. Personally, I value relationships. I value being of service to others. I value trying to make the world a better place. How didContinue reading “HR Social Hour Half Hour Podcast: A Story”

“You, what do you own the world? How do you own disorder? Disorder.” – System of a Down, Toxicity I first heard of Patty Hearst in high school. Her story is an interesting one, if not tragic. She was abducted and held hostage by a terrorist group in San Francisco in the 1970s. The groupContinue reading “Stockholm Syndrome, Toxicity, and Work”

The world is changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air. Much that once was is lost, for none now live who remember it. – Galadriel, The Lord of the Rings Something is indeed in the water. It is in the earth, the air.Continue reading “People Leaders, Beware the One Ring of Power”

“Marcus Aurelius is the noblest of all the men who, by sheer intelligence and force of character, have prized and achieved goodness for its own sake and not for any reward.” – Michael Grant, Historian It’s no secret that the Stoics have deeply influenced my personal and professional life. When I need wisdom, I turnContinue reading “Nine Quotes by Marcus Aurelius That Could Change the Way You Do HR (and Life)”

“The meaning of life is that it is to be lived, and it is not to be traded and conceptualized and squeezed into a pattern of systems.” — Bruce Lee Google “the meaning of life” and 1,260,000,000 results appear. It’s safe to say that this is a mystery many folks want to figure out. AsContinue reading “Agrippa’s Trilemma and the Meaning of Life”