It was such a wonderful experience talking with Laurie Ruettimann about HR trends and living an authentic life. I am still amazed at the deeper honesty I heard myself articulate when someone took the time to listen and to ask the real questions. Thank you Laurie for creating such a dynamic space and conversation for us all to join. #Letsfixwork LISTEN

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This week on Let’s Fix Work, I am excited to introduce you to Rana Stanfill-Hobbs. She wears many hats, including Director of Insights at Ultimate Software (our sponsor), step-mom, musician, and consummate learner. On today’s episode, Rana and I talk about enterprise software and technology, of course.  We also talk about her journey from someone who recognizes patterns to an individual who’s living a full and authentic life at work.

One of my favorite justifications for an indulgent decision is, “I believe in AND not OR.” I have ampersands all around my home. I even have a tattoo of one. What started off as a silly way to justify the good champagne & tiramisu has morphed into a shift in my overall perception. I have conditioned my mind to see bounty. To feel options and abundance. It is not a license to gluttony. It is a rebuke of lack. There is enough for everyone. I don’t have to have a penance of sacrifice. AND does not mean YES to everything. It is rather the absence of loss.

“Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them.” - Dalai Lama

This is my favorite sidekick credo to my “Leave them better than you found them.” Because the reality is sometimes you can’t. Sometimes they aren’t able to receive. Sometimes you aren’t able to give. But I can always send a silent blessing. I can ensure I don’t make anything worse. Sometimes neutrality is a gift unto itself.

I love an expansive view. I love the horizon line of the ocean. I love to sail because it is a chance to combine with the elements and immerse into a view. Directional awareness is key when sailing. True North is something I follow. True North is a reference point, a direction, a goal, a destination, a path. It has also come to describe how I view my personal credo, “Leave them better than you found them.”

You can’t sail in a straight line. You tack. You turn to go forward. You know your destination and then you work with currents and winds to make your way ever toward it. True North for me is to leave every place, person, and moment better. It can be looking someone in the eye and saying thank you, it can be holding a door open, it can be prioritizing listening to a friend, it can be pausing to appreciate the wonder that is always all around us. True North to me is about combining your motivation of “why” with the code of conduct of “how.” It is the most distilled essence of my life’s purpose.

Leave them better than you found them. It is what I am always thinking and striving for. It’s why you are here reading this. It has evolved into something more than a sentiment, something more than a refrain. It is my personal credo. It is my true North no matter where I am. It is how I design my days and assess my successes. My hope is you leave and return to this space better every time.

I am not very comfortable with self promotion. I am an expert level deflector of compliments. I am a very extroverted introvert. But what trumps all my discomfort is making sure you are taken care of. If I am in service of something or someone else, I can do anything.

I have learned to trick myself into all sorts of situations I would normally have shunned out of insecurity by making it about someone/something else. And this space is my most recent deception. For me, it feels uncomfortable and ego driven to create a showcase around my vantage of life. I am unsure and ill equipped at the moment. I am however, motivated by my self designed directive, to leave equal/more beauty in the world than I consume. I want to leave experiences, movies, museums, music, restaurants, conversations, jobs feeling better. I don’t mean happier. I mean more aware, more resolved, more empathetic, more loving. That is what I seek out and that is what I hope to provide.

So thank you for being a part of this journey. I hope you will join the ride.