Moral Compass?

Back in the time of Christopher Columbus he used DR or Dead Reckoning and Celestial navigation to find is way to the New World. Later Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts used a compass to find their way so as not to get lost while on hikes. They are also taught the tenets of having a good moral compass by following the Laws of the Scouts which cover areas such as being honest and fair, friendly and helpful, be responsible for what they say and do, use resources wisely and leave the world a better place.

A lot of us grew up in the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, and I think right now most of us are wondering what has happened when we have people like Illinois Governor Blagojevich and Bernie Madoff operating in such a way as to cause harm to others? One could definitely say that Blagojevich wasn't trying to use resources wisely and Madoff certainly wasn't trying to leave the world a better place than he found it; other than for their own gain.

How does someone get off track and blatantly steal from people for such a long time? It's heart breaking to see just how many individuals, couples and families are ruined by Madoff's lack of a moral compass.

The moral compass light has been shown on the Recruiting Profession from time to time as well. Unfortunately all recruiters can get lumped in with a few that have tarnished our profession. So what can we as Recruiters do to gain and keep the trust of candidates and clients?

For starters let's treat everyone with respect; whether it's in person or on the phone. That means honoring their request to not contact them or not send their resume out to a client without first asking permission. How about keeping the Scouts Laws in mind as we go through our day. As recruiters we should be in the business of building relationships, not making a fast buck. (Remember Madoff?) I believe the overwhelming majority of recruiters are into building relationships with only a few dipping their toes into the dark waters.

Throughout history it has taken a few crazy people to make us think maybe now is the time to get back to the basics. Like I have always said, Ethics never go out of style.

Pictures of Prague, Vienna and Budapest Trip

Check out the pics of our trip on Flickr sorry the other link didn't work

Lauter's Lines: Our Prague, Vienna & Budapest Trip

Lauter's Lines: Our Prague, Vienna & Budapest Trip

Technology, Recruiting and the Blog Post

Today I want to talk about using technology from a recruiters perspective. You can probably tell from the majority of my posts that I am a work in progress in the blogging/tech world. I gotta tell you I am really good with LinkedIN I have actually been using it since it started in 2003/2004 time frame. I am also getting the groove of Twitter and I promise I am not obnoxious by tweeting about my own blog and self promotion; am pretty good with 140 characters or less in getting my thoughts across. And I am really good at using technology and the Internet to find the people my clients pay me to find.

I am actually good with all that stuff except I am a work in progress when it comes to the blog posts. I have been told that I over think things. Honestly when you are trying to capture your thoughts and then put them out there for everyone to see you just don't want to be judged too harshly.

So my secret is to read a variety of bloggers that discuss topics I am interested in knowing more about. It's a way for me to learn about what I don't do well...the blog post. I would like to give Props to a few bloggers and blogs that always seem to have interesting posts and thoughts.

One of the wittiest bloggers I follow is Maren Hogan not only is she a terrific writer and has interesting topics but she does it with humor and warmth.

As I have said in several posts you can't go wrong if you are following the folks at Brazen Careerist The cast of writers and the information they write about offer up some of the best advice and tips for your career; even for those of us in the Baby Boomer generation!

I also follow what I call general business folks; Donald Trump 's blog you can never go wrong if you are following successful people like Donald Trump. The guy pulls himself out of financial twists and turns and always comes out on top; let's face it who doesn't want to come out on top?

If you are trying to define yourself from a personal branding/marketing perspective you just may want to check out Dan Schawbel he offers practical tips on how to build a personal brand and market ones self. I always get some great advice when I check read his blog.

I give you these few folks so you can check them out. I am definitely following them and doing everything I can to be a sponge and learn from their brilliance. They are just a few of the shining stars out on the www, let me know who you like to follow. I just may be able to learn from them too.

Our Prague, Vienna & Budapest Trip

From November 7 - November 19 we took a trip to Prague, Vienna and Budapest. We traveled with two other couples; Tim and Linda Gartland and Tom and Helen Fraser.

We stayed in some terrific hotels and had some good; some not so good meals and learned a whole lot about how the three countries have been connected through centuries.

Take a look at the pictures and you will see various architecture and points of interest. I can assure you Rick Steves has no need to worry about me trying to take his job. Travel can be fun but it is also exhausting. We actually used one of the travel guides he recommends in his information about Prague and we had a wonderful experience. In each city we booked a guide which made the experience all the better. It is worth paying for a guide to not only show you the highlights but also the out of the way places and interesting sites you would not have found on your own.

Eastern Europe overall was very interesting and a pleasant surprise. I would highly recommend checking it out; it's very different than Western Europe but the people we encountered were extremely friendly.

I hope the pictures will inspire you to travel with your friends; get outside this big United States and see how people in other countries live and work. They like us, work, have families and want a better life. I would say we are all alike.

Nothing Can Stop Us Now

A guest column from my friend Rev. Walt Brewer; couldn't pass up passing this along.

November 7, 2008 - "Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude." - Thomas Jefferson

Some days it seems like all is right with the world, everything is falling perfectly into place and the Universe is conspiring in our favor. Then there are those other days where nothing seems to work and every which way we turn, we face obstacles and road blocks.

What is the difference? Is the world really that different one day to the next? Do we have a certain number of good days and bad days that have to balance each other? Is the Universe a friendly place or not?

The world, the Universe, Law, it’s all constant. Our approach to it, our belief about what is possible for us and what we believe will most likely happen next are the variables that we each bring to our experience of the same day, the same Life.

As Jefferson says, our attitude determines our experience, our perception of what is possible and it is the filter through which we will interpret whatever is before us.

With the right mental attitude, a heightened expectancy of good now and good continuing, we will feel more adept, ready and able to take on whatever is before us. We will expect to move through this and onto something even greater.

With the wrong mental attitude, our pessimism will discount any present good and we will assume the worst regarding our future. Sometimes we can be quite creative in our visions of doom and demise.

While we cannot control the world and everyone else sharing it with us, the good news is that our mental attitude is completely within our power. It may not always feel like it when we get that message or letter or news that shakes us down to our foundation. At those moments emotions run rampant and our mind will scurry about from one fear to the other. It seems to take on a life of its own.

Yet in the midst of that creative process of entertaining an idea, basing our attitude and our actions upon it, we are completely free to choose another, bigger, bolder, inspiring idea, invest our energy into that and build our attitude and actions upon it.

Either way, the same amount of time will pass, the process we go through is essentially the same and the world will keep offering us opportunities. The difference will be the attitude we choose to entertain, nurture and engage whatever and whoever is before us in this moment.

Realize that you are always at a moment of choice and power. When you choose to believe the best about yourself and others, you align yourself with energy and support that is irresistible. With this attitude firmly established in each one, truly nothing can stop us.

Life is truly wonderful! Share this with those you care about.
God is All There Is,
Rev. Walt Brewer
Center for Spiritual Living Greater Austin"Creating Conscious Community, Individually, Collectively, Globally”
Office Contact Info:512-892-7777

Social Networking Do You Do It?

Lately there has been a lot of noise, talk whatever you want to label it around social networking and the next relevant thing. I will try to outline some of these for you to check out.

LinkedIn is fantastic if you want to look for a job or just be connected to various groups of people. I have been using LinkedIn since it's begininning; seems to be as relevant now as ever. The way I use LinkedIn now is different than when I was first signed up. I used it exclusively to find candidates and be get reconnected to people at consulting companies I had work for. But then I started being contacted by companies for my services; have actually recieved quite a bit of work off LinkedIn.

Whether you are a passive candidate, active candidate or general networker, LinkedIn is worth your time to fill out your profile and start getting connected.

Twitter is another story; little snack bite bits of information rushing across your desk on a minute by minute basis from the people you follow and of course from the information you share for the people who follow you. I have learned quite a bit from following some of my favorite recruiting folks on Twitter. It's important for me to add to my tool belt and the people I follow (my daughter included) are quite witty and brilliant and willing to share information.

The Ning system of Social Networks is fantastic; create your own Social Network or join others that suit your fancy or interest. I am partial to the MedxCentral Ning for all things medical related and all people in the medical field.

These are only a few of my favorite things/places to go for Social Networking. I hope you are inspired to cruise the web and get involved because your friends and even your family are doing it.