Focus! Maybe An Accountability Partner Would Help

Kathy Rapp Audacious Ideas, Career Advice, Change, Change Management, Coaching, Communication, Culture, Driving Productivity, Employee Coaching, Engagement and Satisfaction, HR, HR Tech, HR Technology, Innovation, Kathy Rapp, Learning, Learning and Development, Mental Health, Performance, Talent Management, Training and Development, wellness, Work Life Balance, Workplace Flexibilty 0 Comments

I am a big believer in the power of focusing. “Focus and finish” is a phrase you’ll hear me say to myself, my daughter – and perhaps occasionally to my husband. Most of us in the HR space know year-end and the fast start once January 1 rolls around = bust your a$$ while everyone else is taking time off. …

Kick-Start Your HR Creativity in 2020 with these Two Lessons

Kathy Rapp Career Paths, Change, Change Management, Coaching, Communication, Driving Productivity, Engagement and Satisfaction, HR, HR (& Life!) Advice, Innovation, Kathy Rapp, Leadership, Pop Culture, wellness, Work Life Balance

The Thin Red Line. Fight Club.  American Psyco.  These are films that solidified Jared Leto‘s success as an Oscar-winning actor. Then, as his star was rising, he basically stopped making movies. “I think it was about focus. I knew that I needed to commit everything to music at that point in my life,” said Leto. Fast Company interviewed Jared Leto and …

Call Me! The Lost Art of Picking Up The Phone.

Kathy Rapp Audacious Ideas, candidate experience, Communication, Culture, Employee Communications, employee experience, Engagement and Satisfaction, Executive Search, Generations, Kathy Rapp, Leadership, Recruiting, War for Talent

Gen X version: “Call me (call me) on the line Call me, call me any, anytime“ Millennial version: “Hey, I just met you, And this is crazy, But here’s my number, So call me, maybe!” Aside from the observation that Millennials are much coyer in their request for a call (“So call me, maybe!”) and those of us who identify …

HR Girl Power in 2019

Kathy Rapp A.I., Career Advice, Change, Change Management, Communication, Corporate America, Culture, Current Affairs, Diversity, Driving Productivity, Employee Development, Engagement and Satisfaction, Good HR, Harassment, Hiring Bias, HR, in the news, Kathy Rapp, Leadership, Learning and Development, Performance, Recruiting, Sexual Harassment, Succession Planning, Talent Management, Women, Women in the Workplace

Ariana Grande proclaimed “God is a Woman,” Keith Urban sang about “Female,” and Jesse J begged girls to feel elevated and say “I am a Queen.” Fearless Girl is on the move to the NY Stock Exchange; Sheryl Sandberg focused headlines read “Fall from Grace” for her part in Facebook’s mishaps, and a new study shows a 51% wage gap …

The 3 “Fs” of Universal Hiring

Kathy Rapp Candidate Pool, Culture, Employee Engagement, Interviewing, Kathy Rapp, Leadership, Recruiting, Selection

I’ve worked for global Fortune 500 organizations.  I’ve worked for a private holding company.  I’ve also “done” three startups. I bring some street cred to this blog as I’ve experienced birthing and burying a startup—and everything in-between. I do admit I’m drawn to startups like a moth to a flame.  This is particularly odd to me as nowhere in my …

Walk This Way: What the #GoogleWalkout Means for HR Leaders

Kathy Rapp Assessments, Change, Change Management, Communication, Corporate America, Corporate Social Responsibility, Culture, Current Affairs, Employee Communications, Employee Engagement, Employment Branding and Culture, Engagement and Satisfaction, Free Speech, Harassment, HR, in the news, Kathy Rapp, Leadership, Learning and Development, Managing People, Organizational Development, Retention, Sexual Harassment, Talent Management, The HR Profession

The irony of the Aerosmith reference in my title is not lost on me in the wake of the #GoogleWalkout over sexual harassment, gender and pay equality, and transparency in reporting. Check the lyrics if you were born in the ’90’s. What struck me as I was reading about this protest wasn’t necessarily the fact that Google paid executives to …

The Anatomy of An Amazing Pitch

Kathy Rapp Always Be Closing, Business Development, Career Advice, Coaching, Communication, Corporate America, Culture, Employee Communications, Employee Development, Graduation, HR, HR & Marketing, Influence, Interviewing, Job Seeker Advice, Kathy Rapp, Negotiation, Networking, Personal Brand, Pop Culture, Recruiting

A police chief, with a phobia for open water, battles a gigantic shark with an appetite for swimmers and boat captains, in spite of a greedy town council who demands that the beach stays open. That was the logline for Jaws – also known as the main reason I feared the ocean in the late 70’s. A logline is the …

The Ball Is In Our Court

Kathy Rapp Change, Change Management, Coaching, Communication, Corporate America, Culture, Current Affairs, Diversity, Employee Coaching, Employee Communications, Employment Branding and Culture, Good HR, HR, HR & Sports, Influence, Kathy Rapp, Leadership, Learning, Learning and Development, Managing People, Pop Culture, Sports, Talent Strategy, The HR Profession, Training and Development, Women

This isn’t a post about women vs. men. Nor is it about the color of someone’s skin or ethnic background. It’s not even really about tennis. This is a post about teaching moments, and how frequently they seem to occur (and blur) in our professional and personal lives. The U.S. Open Women’s Championship match was one of those moments. As …

It’s as Simple as Hugging a Goat

Kathy Rapp Candidate Pool, Change, Change Management, Communication, Culture, Engagement and Satisfaction, Executive Search, HR, HR (& Life!) Advice, Interviewing, Job Market, Kathy Rapp, Leadership, Recruiting, Talent Acquisition, Talent Strategy

Petting zoos are a staple at small-town rodeos. Chicks, bunnies, ducks, pigs – and of course, baby goats. I’m beginning to believe goats are the new avocados. Stay with me, here. For the last few years, avocados have been the “it” food. Smashed, sliced, spread – every way you can top toast with avocado has been featured on menus at …

3 Leadership Lessons Before You Drop-Kick Your Garmin

Kathy Rapp Career Advice, Change, Coaching, Communication, Culture, Driving Productivity, Employee Development, Engagement and Satisfaction, Good HR, HR, HR (& Life!) Advice, Influence, Kathy Rapp, Leadership, Learning and Development, Managing People, Organizational Development, Performance, Talent Management, Talent Strategy, wellness

I received a Garmin fitness tracker for Mother’s Day this year. This gift followed a Peloton bike for my wedding anniversary.  And before you think my husband is not so discreetly saying there’s more of me to love than he would like – I asked for both fitness gadgets (ok, the bike is not really a gadget given it costs …