Blogroll

Blogs I read, and why:

PunkRockHR
Like me, Laurie Ruettimann is committed to pruning those parts of corporate America that don’t work, so that something better can take root and flourish. She is competent, committed, and clear in her opinions. She also loves cats, but hey… no one’s perfect.

Sonshi
Thomas Huynh brings Sun Tzu’s The Art of War to life on this site, echoing the ancient master’s view that war strategy is actually about maintaining peace and avoiding bloodshed. Thomas stands behind his community and genuinely supports others. We should all take a page from his book in this respect.

HR Ringleader
I met Trish McFarlane in late 2009 at a conference, and we have kept in touch ever since. Trish lives by the motto “I will find a way or make one.” Which is why we now have the HRevolution unconference. She also lives by the motto “Have fun with Twitter,” and has created the hashtags to prove it.

Great Leadership by Dan
Dan McCarthy knows leadership. Read his blog and you will, too. Is this clear enough?

Three Star Leadership
Wally Bock knows leadership as well as anyone… and every week, he scours the latest and greatest for an up-to-the-minute “best of.” His ability to identify what matters is on the money.

Starr Tincup
If William Tincup were a car, he’d be a Jeep Wrangler with a Rolls Royce engine. The engines they make for jet airplanes, I mean. The man is comfortable anywhere, is tons of fun, and when it comes to his craft, he truly soars. Plus, he and his partner wrote a book with a big flaming bag of poo on the cover—and I like books with flames on the cover.

Steve Boese
Steve = HR + technology + plain English + insightfulness + passion for the subject + earnest approach + uniter of people + fun.

HR Happy Hour
Every week, Steve B invites the Powers That Be in HR onto his show to talk about the issues and take calls for an hour. Sometimes serious, sometimes irreverent, and always entertaining, HR Happy Hour is fast becoming THE HR podcast to tune into. Proof: during a recent conversation about SHRM, a quick, real-time DM to a SHRM executive brought her onto the show… and generated demonstrable follow-up action. Still wondering about the power of social media? Wonder no more: this is it. Tune in.

Inflexion Advisors
If I had a long lost twin, I’d want it to be Mark Stelzner, even if he is far better looking than I. Mark thinks the big thoughts, and knows how to pull strings to bring his vision to life. Just in 2009, Mark gave birth to JobAngels and godfathered HR Happy Hour. Impressive.

Know HR
Frank Roche and the iFractal team are rare, in that they operate a consulting company that (gasp!) does what it preaches. And this ain’t some cutesie little design shop, either—iFractal boasts long term, A-list corporate clients. You want to know why Philadelphia is important? Visit their office and find out why.

HR Bartender
Like Dan, Sharlyn Lauby (pronounced “Ms. Bartender”) oozes competence. Plus, she drives the conversation into the world of positivity, which you’ll need after getting whacked upside the head by some of the others on this list.

One Day, One Job
Graduating college and looking for a job? Willy and I collaborated on Found Your Career, a development program that turns your job search into a case study that lands you a job AND leaves you with skills you’ll need to be great at that new job. Willy works harder than just about anyone I know—he blows away the Gen Y stereotype, and that’s a good thing.

HR Minion
I have a nickname online. It’s “Punk Monkey.” And it was given to me by Shauna Moerke, a ray of light whose outlook is so positive, it makes me smile just to think of her. Shauna provides color commentary to the HR Happy Hour and organizes the HR Carnival (which is a regular amalgam of HR blog greatest hits).

Human Race Horses
If there is a substantive conversation happening online related to HR, Michael Vandervort is in the mix, unassumingly, humbly, and competently moving the conversation forward. An important and much-appreciated voice.

TalentBar
Think you’re an “idea guy/gal?” Bug off, you got nothing. At least, you got nothing on Miles Jennings and Jason Davis, the guys behind TalentBar. I love the fact that Jason’s online name is “call me slouch.” That’s irony, folks…

UpstartHR
Every so often, I get a tweet from Ben Eubanks that makes me think, “Wow, this guy gets it!” Something pithy and dead-on, like “You rock, @seiden!” Just playing. What I really get from Ben is a big, fat boost of energy. His blog is passion in written form—he knows how to convey a sense of excitement, wonder, and possibility. If you’re wondering what professional success looks like in action, read this.

Rehaul
Lance Haun brings an unmistakable and unapologetic Gen Y voice to the HR conversation… with none of the entitlement or naivete that some of his elder statesmen fear from his generation. Lance is easy to like, easy to trust, and easy to support… except when he gets going about classic Blazers vs. Bulls action. That’s the one topic he seems to be all backward about.

TalentedApps
Ever wonder what goes through the heads of people who work in big companies? Companies like… Oracle, maybe? Wonder no more, this is the blog of the people who make those huge applications your company uses to manage your every move. And guess what: they’re smart.

Fistful of Talent
Kris Dunn has compiled a fantastic roster of HR and recruiting bloggers with FOT. There’s enough great stuff on that blog to make me feel like I’m bringing up the rear at times. Using FOT to introduce yourself to relevant talent-related bloggers is about as big a no-brainer as you can get.

Marenated
An example of what you’ll find at FOT: Maren Hogan defies many categories, but there is one she will probably never break out of, and that’s a whole bunch of high-energy awesome. For some reason, Maren tends to be the first person I see at conferences. And no matter who she’s with, or what she’s doing, I get one of those hellos that makes me realize someone is genuinely glad to see me. And it’s not just me—she does this with everyone. This is her blog.

GenerationXpert
When I want to know what I’m thinking about the generations in the workplace—and why—this is where I go.

Our Time to Act
Joe Gerstandt could be the most underrated voice in HR today. He’s out in NE, somewhere near Maren. Must be something in the corn they’re growing; Joe just makes it all seem to easy…

Talent Anarchy
Joe has teamed up with Jason Lauristen to bring you Talent Anarchy. There’s nothing I need to say about this blog that isn’t in their manifesto. Take a moment and read it. Now.

Renegade HR
Chris Ferdinandi “flies” a Jolly Rogers flag over his site. That’s enough for me… the fact he has something to say is pure bonus.

The Fallacy of Teamwork
You might notice that this is the only anonymous blog on this list, and the only one not updated regularly. You might discern that I must think quite highly of the writing for me to include it. You might be right. Kudos, Mr. Winston Wolf.

Water Cooler Wisdom
Alexandra Levit writes a column for the Wall Street Journal, maybe you’ve heard of it? She got Steven Covey to write the forward of her book. She is a giant in the career space and—based on the humility in her approach—I wonder sometimes if she is the only person who doesn’t know it. Alexandra, you rock.

***These are many of the blogs that have compelled me to pick up the phone and talk to the blogger behind the words. In every case, I’m glad I did. There is some good thinking out there, and I’m glad to be part of this discussion.***