Tag Archives: authenticity

7 reasons why I wanna be Laurie Ruettimann

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Okay, I haven’t actually met Laurie but have connected with her on a few social venues, read her blogs, sat in on her webinars, and seen a few videos. No, I’m not stalking her – I just like her style.

Here are a few reasons I wanna be Laurie Ruettimann:

  1. She’s adorable, right? – Who doesn’t wanna look like that?
  2. She’s edgy – She’s always saying what we wish we could say OUT LOUD
  3. She funny and makes us laugh – but proves her point
  4. She’s articulate and sassy
  5. She has a writing style that’s “all her own”
  6. She often drops the “F-BOMB” and gets away with it
  7. She’s smart, classy and sophisticated (or that’s what I perceive)

Ever since I started writing my blogs and getting my work out there I have said to myself, “I wish I could be like them” or “I wish I could write like that.” I wish I could drop the famous F-Bomb and make it come across as genuine. Always comparing myself to someone else and thinking “I wish I could be like her.” The great thing about Laurie (or so I hear from others that have met her in person) is that she is exactly in person as she is online – genuine! That’s the point!

In reality, we all are different in our own way. We all have different experiences, different perspectives, writing styles and really just need to be ourselves. For my industry and my personality doing these things that make others who they are would only be setting myself up as a copy-cat and being very disingenuous (a hypocrite) because that’s not who I am.

When it’s all said and done it’s about being authentic!

I respect all you folks out there who take the time to write a blog (especially on a DAILY basis) because I know personally the labor of love involved, the hours invested, the opportunity to share your thoughts and opinions in such a beautiful manner.

Communication is a skill that is honed and I know that in time I too, shall “Inherit the earth” as Laurie has done :)

UPDATE: I have since met Laurie in person and she is more awesome than I had imagined. She’s a smooth alligator. (Or was that suppose to be operator?)

NOTE:

For those of you who just fell off the turnip truck and don’t know who Laurie is you can find her here:

http://laurieruettimann.com/

Embrace your weirdness

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Yesterday several of us in the HR / Recruiting space (How’d I get here? That’s for another time) attended Craig Fisher’s TNL in Aurora, IL where we discussed all kinds of issues from Jason Seiden’s profersional to a panel about influence, today’s candidates and how to stand out in the current job market. That last one reminded me of Joe Gerstandt’s “Fly your freak flag.” Embrace diversity!

As Jason and Craig were discussing “Pimping your LinkedIn Profile” I was thinking of my own profiles throughout the myriad of platforms and taking mental notes on how I could do a little improvement in that area. I’m all about being different, standing out, freak flag flying – if you will. Just ask those who attended the conference what I wore.

How boring would it be if we were all the same? (Okay, maybe if we were all like Jason or Joe that might be cool).

I’ve always been one to stand out among the crowd, not because I’m so gorgeous but because I like wearing vintage (hats, coats, and clothing). I haven’t adhered to those fabulous standards of mine the past couple of years for trying to “fit in.” In fact, this past summer in Vegas as SHRM I felt like I was wearing someone else’s skin. I took suits and frumpy outfits so I wouldn’t stand out. WHAT WAS I THINKING?

I suppose in all my madness of trying to conform and act like “HR” in my plan of attack I blended in quite nicely. But I felt uncomfortable and ready to shed my skin (so to speak). Looking back, I would do things differently – as far as being true to me in my weirdness and said “F, you – if you don’t like it.” Because, that’s always been my motto!

This is something we don’t think about when writing our online profiles, especially on Linked In. I’m guilty as charged. It’s almost as if we are back in high school – trying to fit in.  The point the fellas were trying to get across in their session was to stand out. Not only incorporating keywords that would increase your page rank but in mixing a little “something-something” about you personally and your style to get you noticed by the right people (your target client / audience). The ones that you are trying to reach, and as Jason said “who is going to write the check” not your peers.

Here’s a recap of the session over at HR Fishbowl.

What’s making you stand out in the crowd? Are you being true to yourself? Are you reaching your target audience? Who are you influencing online and offline?

Some great questions to ask yourself, indeed.

Photo Credit: Brooke Moss

The nerds around us

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Stop trying to be something that you aren’t. Just be yourself.

Photo Credit: Pictureswithfunnycaptions.com