Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger, Robert Kistler, an attorney at Barrett McNagny. We hope you enjoy Robert's wisdom and perspective.

With mergers and acquisitions, employee benefit plans and transition issues are often among the last things considered when negotiating the purchase agreement terms or conducting due diligence. Given the complexity of maintaining and administering plans in compliance with numerous laws (ERISA, the Internal Revenue Code, ACA, COBRA, HIPAA, FMLA, ADA, GINA [1], and some state insurance laws—that are regulated by countless government agencies) it is no surprise that buyers, and sellers, are often surprised by complicated benefit issues that arise shortly before the transaction closing date.

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger, Andrew Wiand, Executive Director of enFocus, Inc. We hope you enjoy Andrew’s wisdom and perspective.

I’m sure every leader has felt something similar: I want my staff to have autonomy and inspiration to think outside of the box, but we also need to focus on the task at hand. Freedom and responsibility are core aspects of high performance, but there is a certainly a balance required to ensure that employees are staying focused on the critical tasks to complete necessary efforts while also producing the ideas the company can capitalize on in the long term.

There are many answers to this riddle across organizations, varied by type of business, type of job, and leadership philosophy. At the same time, there are many organizational models for creating innovative ideas; from “thinktank” spaces to design thinking exercises to newly formed innovation groups that are specifically designed to dream up the next wave of products and services for the company.

June is National Safety Month. While workplace and home safety are important every day of the year, the National Safety Council (NSC) specially focuses on safety during the month of June to help educate the public. Highlighting the following four themes throughout the month, the NSC aims to reduce the leading causes of injury and death – at home and in your workplace.

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger, Nancy Owsianowski, President of RoundTable Consulting, LLC. We hope you enjoy Nancy’s wisdom and perspective.

I recently read that Warren Buffet spends 80% of his day reading and thinking. Can you imagine—80% of his day?!

According to Buffett, all of that reading and thinking is what has built his knowledge base, providing for less impulsive decision making in his business. In this world of go, go, go, most of us do not have the luxury to spend that much of our day this way. However, many high-profile CEOs also schedule thinking time into their calendars. In fact, AOL CEO Tim Armstrong makes his executives spend 10 percent of their day just thinking. Jeff Weiner, CEO of LinkedIn, schedules two hours of uninterrupted thinking time per day. While it may seem indulgent, in reality, they use that time to come up with new ideas, brainstorm ways to overcome challenges, set goals, and organize their ideas.

Today we’re sharing a blog from Central Insurance Companies. We hope you enjoy it!

Thanks to HGTV, many of us are feeling more empowered than ever when it comes to home improvement and considering purchasing fixer-uppers to convert into our dream home. The possibilities are endless. Older homes have become a target for this trend, allowing us to hold onto some of the charm and character they offer while adding modern flair. Here are some things to keep in mind if you’re considering purchasing an older home or any home you’re planning to renovate.

An estimated 10,000 workplace cardiac arrests occur in the United States each year. Even worse, many don’t know the symptoms of a cardiac arrest. As a result, only 46% of people who have “Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrests (OHCA)” receive proper CPR before medical help has responded. CPR can double, or even triple, the survival rate.  

This week is CPR & AED Awareness Week. An emergency can happen at any time and you should know what to expect when that time comes. Become more aware in the workplace with these tips from the American Heart Association. With only 50% of people in a workplace knowing where to locate an AED, many lives are at risk.

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger, Brad Duncan, Branch Manager and AVP at Centier Bank. We hope you enjoy Brad’s wisdom and perspective.

Since I was a child, I have always admired great teams. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of the 1985 Celtics, 1996 Bulls, or the 2018 Golden State Warriors? Unfortunately, I was not born to be a basketball player, but I have always strived to lead others. I believe the thing we forget is that leadership should not just be associated with a CEO, CFO, or Executive Director, it should be something you desire in every individual that touches your organization. Leadership comes in layers and each layer makes the organization better. When you add a player to a basketball team, that team gets better or worse depending on who is added or subtracted. Business is no different as each employee makes their mark on your company.

Most businesses wouldn’t think twice about investing in the safety of their employees while they are at work; however, if employees are your most valuable asset, shouldn’t you be concerned with their personal safety, risk management, and disaster preparedness?

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger, Jennifer Magley, Coach, Public Speaker, Author, and Entrepreneur. We hope you enjoy Jennifer’s wisdom and perspective.

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger, Kyle DeFur, President of trueU. We hope you enjoy Kyle’s wisdom and perspective.

One of our star leaders, we’ll call him Bob, sat across from me in my office asking some very direct questions about the degree of his job security in our company. I was president of the organization and our parent company had just recently announced our organization was being acquired by a much larger company. All the questions about the implications of this acquisition were running through Bob’s head. “I have a family to support and I need to know if my job is at risk of being eliminated”, he stated. “I trust you and I need you to be honest with me regarding my status so I can make the best decision for me and my family.”