Author Archives: Paul LaLonde

My visit to Cologne, Germany, May 2023. This is the Cologne Cathedral. The picture doesn’t do the build’s size justice. “One of the great things about travel is you find out how many good, kind people there are.” — Edith Wharton This past spring I took a trip to Germany. It was my third timeContinueContinue reading “Non-HR Conferencing”

“A girl should be two things: who and what she wants.” — Coco Chanel When I began my idea of the Street Level Influencer, I had no idea how positive people would respond to it! I’m excited that it struck a chord with people. Remember, the Street Level Influencer is a reminder that everyone has theContinueContinue reading “Street Level Influencer – Meet Molly Hewitt”

“In reality your actions can have lasting consequences.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger In 1993 my mom reluctantly allowed me to watch Terminator 2: Judgement Day. We were in Blockbuster and I wanted to rent an action movie. I didn’t really know “Ahnold,” but I remember seeing commercials on TV and wanted to see it. To this dayContinueContinue reading “The Stoicism of Arnold Schwarzenegger: What Mr. Olympia Can Teach HR”

Photo by Chris John on Pexels.com “Doing the right thing is often a highly inconvenient, time consuming, even costly, process.” – Mathew Desmond “Just that you do the right thing. Nothing else matters.” – Marcus Aurelius I took a few months off from blogging. This was time I needed to do some personal things, amongContinueContinue reading “HR, Poverty, and Advocacy”

Source Picture: Amnesty International Note: March 8, 2023 is International Women’s Day. March is International Woman’s Month. “The only women who don’t believe that sexual harassment is a real problem in this country are women who have never been in the workplace.” – Cynthia Heimel A few weeks back, I asked my friend Molly HewittContinueContinue reading “Expecting Harassment: Women and Workplace”

“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.” – Maya Angelou This post is about a great many folks who’ve inspired me to change myself for the better in many ways. A few years ago, I began exploring the concept of a “street level influencer.” You can seeContinueContinue reading “Street Level Influencers: Black Leaders Who’ve Influenced Me”

“What mental health needs is more sunlight, more candor, and more unashamed conversation.” – Glenn Close On Tuesday February 28th, my friends and colleagues Tiffany Toussaint, Claire Stroh, Erich Kurschat, and I are putting on a FREE Pop-Up Roundtable to discuss mental health in the workplace and how HR should approach this topic. I hopeContinueContinue reading “Panel Preview: Why Discuss Mental Health?”

Photo by Edward Eyer on Pexels.com “But if your work is your art, a personal reflection of who you are, the only person who can do that better than you, is a future you.” — Bill Crawford My wife and I love cooking shows. The other evening, we were watching Chef’s Table: Pizza on Netflix.ContinueContinue reading “HR Is Art”

“…a mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone. That’s why I read so much, Jon Snow.” – Tyrion Lannister Reading is a gateway to wisdom. Harry Truman was quoted as saying, “Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.” Whether you’re leading a multiunit HR team, or leading an HR departmentContinueContinue reading “Paul’s Top Five Reads in 2022”

Photo by Jacub Gomez on Pexels.com “Karma means your life is your making. Karmic accumulation can either be a Boost or Burden – that is your choice.” — Sadhguru I just finished the article “What Will HR Look Like in 2030?” I’m strategic. I want to know that I am three moves ahead. So, IContinueContinue reading “HR’s Karma: Legacy HR Must Pass”