EPISODE SUMMARY
In this episode, Laurie Ruettiman — author, speaker, and HR expert — discusses the many career and general life lessons she’s learned over the years. From personal obstacles to inspiring colleagues, Laurie shares a story for virtually any workplace woe. She also dives into the content of her recently published book about learning how to put yourself first.
GUEST AT A GLANCE
Laurie Ruettimann is a former human resources leader turned writer, entrepreneur, and speaker. CNN recognized her as one of the top five career advisers in the United States, and her work has been featured on NPR, The New Yorker, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, and Vox. She frequently delivers keynote speeches at business and management events around the world and hosts a popular podcast focused on fixing work. She lives with her husband and cats in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Laurie keynotes events all around the world and is featured on major media websites where she shares wisdom about HR, hiring trends, and technology. Her book Betting On You: How to Put Yourself First and (Finally) Take Control of Your Career was published by Henry Holt & Company in January 2021.
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A QUICK GLIMPSE INTO OUR PODCAST
🔊 Podcast: Transform Your Workplace, Sponsored by Xenium HR
🎙️ Host: Brandon Laws
📋 In his own words: “The Transform Your Workplace podcast is your go-to source for the latest workplace trends, big ideas, and time-tested methods straight from the mouths of industry experts and respected thought-leaders.”
TOP TAKEAWAY
Our careers don’t define us.
One prominent takeaway from Laurie Ruettimann’s book is that our self-worth shouldn’t be wrapped up in our careers. As important as our work is to us, we can tap into who we are by exploring what intrigues us, what challenges us, and what makes us happy. That’s why, when Laurie talks about who she is, she doesn’t just talk about her job. In fact, she says that “doors tend to shut when I talk about my job. But when I say, I’ve volunteered with Safe Haven for Cats and Paws Animal Rescue, people […] can make a connection.”
Laurie goes on to say that, over the past couple of decades, we’ve been brainwashed by people in power to believe that our work is our worth. However, she asserts that “our worth is in what we contribute to society, our relationships. If we make people happy, if we surprise and delight individuals, if we solve problems and make the world a better place, that’s our worth.”
Of course, “our job could certainly be part of that,” but it’s not the whole. “We need customer service reps. We need marketing specialists, we need vet technicians, but we need them to be so much more. They need to be good people. I think that’s, what’s been missing,” Laurie says.
PODCAST EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
Budgeting for change
“Before I left Pfizer, I made sure that I had enough money to go out and start my own business. And I may not have always run my business very well. There are all of these undiscovered costs of incorporating that nobody tells you about. These things that happen in your business, you’ve got to be prepared for it. And I just don’t think people understand that budgeting is such a trite thing to tell somebody to do, and yet it’s the critical foundation for everything. Budgeting your money, budgeting your time, budgeting your consumption of food, budgeting your energy. […] That’s the only way to get anything done in this world.”
Betting on yourself
“You don’t have to take a full-throated risk and throw your day job to the side. Years ago I worked with a man who was an accountant, and he went and got his MBA and pursued this really important career in finance. But he was miserable, and I asked him, “Why are you doing this?” And he said my dad wouldn’t pay for college if I went to art school. So he got on this finance track and pursued it and just kinda got stuck.”
“But you know what he started doing? Taking art classes at the Art Institute of Chicago. And he found himself really full of a love of sculpture. And his work is stunning. It’s beautiful. But you know what? He also has health insurance and 401(k) and all of the good things in this world because he’s got some perspective. He invested in his underdeveloped personal life and suddenly work wasn’t the thing that totally defined him. He had something else.”
The human statement
“If you can come to a conversation and say, “I’m Laurie Ruettimann. I used to have this job in human resources, but now I’m a volunteer. I’m a writer. I’m a speaker,” and define yourself in more human, universal terms, […] suddenly you’re making this human to human connection. That’s going to take you way further than this dumb, boring elevator pitch. So start with the human first. My mission in this world is to get people to stop introducing themselves by job titles.”
Predicting failure
“If you can flash forward and try to predict failure before it happens, you’re more likely to at least address components of it. And then you open up space for other ways to fail that are more interesting. […] I’m sick of failing in the same ways over and over again.”
Dialing work back
“If there are things that you’ve not been able to do in your life because you’re so busy with work, dial work back for just a couple hours a week and tackle those things. […] If you’re doing more of what you love and still getting your work done, nobody’s going to miss you for those two extra hours that you’re out of the office. Just try it. Dare them to fire you for having some work-life balance. So go out and invest in yourself just a little bit. Practice putting yourself first and see if you can carry it over.”
LEARN MORE
Laurie’s book, Betting on You: How to Put Yourself First and (Finally) Take Control of Your Career, is packed with good advice. Go get it. And if you want to learn more about Laurie or listen to her podcast, check out punkrockhr.com.