Author Archives: Paul LaLonde

“…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 “Books to Add to Your 2024 Reading List”

“Nobody exists on purpose. Nobody belongs anywhere. Everybody’s gonna die. Come watch TV.” – Morty from Rick & Morty I have loved cartoons my entire life. I still do, which is why I love that there are adult cartoons. One of my favorites is Rick & Morty. It’s not for everyone. Really, it’s not forContinueContinue reading “Does It Matter?”

Bad company And I can’t deny Bad company Till the day I die — Bad Company by Bad Company I was listening to a recent edition of the Daily Stoic Podcast with Ryan Holliday, who was interviewing former Representative Adam Kinzinger. Regardless of your political affiliation, he is an interesting person, and he did someContinueContinue reading “Bad Company”

“All I know is that I know nothing.” – Socrates “Are you familiar with the book Nasty, Brutish, and Short,” asked Erich, my good friend, through a text message. “No,” I replied. “It’s endorsed by Ryan Holliday.” “I should buy it then,” I texted back. Erich knows me well. I really like Ryan Holliday. BeforeContinueContinue reading “How Do You Know?”

Photo by Rakicevic Nenad on Pexels.com “Associate with people who are likely to improve you.” ― Seneca In the opening passages of Mediations, Marcus Aurelius lists receipts – not of people who’ve wronged him but of people who helped make him the man he ultimately became. It’s an awesome exercise: List the people who haveContinueContinue reading “Debts & Lessons”

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”