Author Archives: Paul LaLonde

“There is no way to happiness, happiness is the way. There is no way to peace, peace is the way.” – Thich Nhat Hanh “I’m just doing my job,” I said. “Well, no one in HR has ever helped me in this way,” the employee returned. “I am sorry to hear that…” This is aContinueContinue reading “The Two Wolves: Compassionate HR”

“The world has changed. I see 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.” – J.R.R. Tolkien Do you ever wonder about how much knowledge has been forgotten? How much has been lost toContinueContinue reading “Paul’s Top 5 Reads in 2021”

Wisconsin State SHRM Conference SMILE Team members! “We all have to make decisions that affect the course of our lives.” – “Doc” Emmet Brown The last in-person conference I attended was the SHRM National Conference in Las Vegas. No, not the one that was just held this past September, but the one held in JuneContinueContinue reading “Back to the Future! A #WISHRM21 Guide to Help You Prepare for In-Person Conferences!”

Banner concept of innovation, creativity and imagination “It’s time to redefine HR. … I’m talking about our capabilities. Our impact. How we develop and support each other to evolve our field. This is about shaking free of legacy perceptions and dogma of our past and building something new.” – Lars Schmidt, from Redefining HR: TransformingContinueContinue reading “Future Ready HR! A #WISHRM21 Interview with THE Jennifer McClure!!!”

“Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” – Peter F. Drucker Leadership development. When done well, it seems to be the archeological treasure that is hard to find yet sweet to obtain! Many a great HR leader has tried developing their internal leadership programs only to encounter giant boulders, poison darts,ContinueContinue reading “Developing Managers to Lead! A #WISHRM Interview with Kristin Derwinski”

“People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar.” – Thích Nhất Hạnh Admittedly, much of my life I have been negative. It’s taken me years to undo what came natural to me – seeing the bad in things rather thanContinueContinue reading “Build Immunity to Negativity: A #WISHRM21 Interview with Tina Hallis”

“We have a responsibility to influence the people in our lives to be the best possible people they can be: ‘Therefore encourage one another and build each other up’ (1 Thess. 5: 11).” – Henry Cloud & John Townsend from How to Have That Difficult Conversation Influence. It seems to be the word of theContinueContinue reading “Use Your Influence for Good! A #WISHRM21 Interview with Michelle Yanahan”

“If you smell what the Rock is cooking…” – Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson For the first time in at least fifteen years, I LOVE professional wrestling. I mean, for the first time in years, I have a deep seeded PASSION for professional wrestling. I am not a TV person, but I cannot wait for WednesdayContinueContinue reading “HR is Professional Wrestling”

“Sometimes, even to live is an act of courage.” – Seneca I haven’t written a blog post in a while. I hope you can forgive me. I’ve been going through a lot of personal and professional obstacles lately. Not all obstacles are bad – in fact – many are signs from the Universe that pointContinueContinue reading “Paul, Where Have You Been?”

My brother Mark’s riding boots and trademark “fancy hat.” The following is a eulogy I wrote and read for my brother’s wake on July 8, 2021. I had no intent on publishing this; however, the response had been overwhelming, and many people asked me for a copy. I felt it must have been more powerfulContinueContinue reading “The Time That Is Given to Us: A Eulogy”