When you think of disaster recovery and business continuity planning, do you think about the size of your business and whether or not it’s worth the time to create a comprehensive plan? Let’s answer this question with a question from none other than the great Yoda: “Judge me by my size do you?” If you recall the impetus to this question, Luke Skywalker had just failed at raising his X-Wing from the Dagobah Swamp because it was too big, or so he thought.

Students and teachers spend most of their school day in classrooms. And thanks to hardworking and creative teachers, these rooms are transformed into welcoming educational environments. They can bring life to an otherwise bland space with decorations and inspire students with innovative lesson plans.

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Karen Moscato. We hope you enjoy Karen’s wisdom and perspective.

The meetings went well. I had driven to one of our offices located 2 hours away to attend two important meetings on capacity and efficiencies. These are hot topics in today’s business world. While driving and recapping the meetings in my thoughts, I didn’t pay attention to the gas gauge for the first hour of the trip. The bright orange light got my attention indicating a potentially empty gas situation. I had better find a station quickly or I would be calling AAA for assistance!

Disaster struck. Now what? Whether a hail storm, destructive winds, or a tornado, when your life is turned upside down by severe weather, it is important to stay smart to avoid further harm.

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Damon Leichty, Partner at Barnes & Thornburg LLP. We hope you enjoy Damon’s wisdom and perspective.

“The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men gang aft agley.” —Robert Burns (1785)

Forgive me my friends, but I’m done with “leadership.” The term is passé. It’s overused. Defunct. Stale. The term has been glossed so many times it has lost real meaning. And the malaise that sometimes attends our view of “leaders” has become so pungent that we are no longer inspired. 

Give me instead a conqueror. 

A school’s primary function is to educate children. That sounds easy enough, but in practice, it requires a complexity of operations few organizations can match. Schools prepare and serve food, maintain play equipment and athletic facilities, welcome the public to sporting events and shows, provide basic mental and physical health care. And they do all this while caring for children and teenagers.

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Dr. Jerry Thacker, Superintendent for Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation. We hope you enjoy his wisdom and perspective.

All high performing organizations will have leaders who exhibit passion, have a plan, and use teamwork. These leaders have a vision, set goals and monitor them, hire talented people, and invest in developing them. The principles I will share are used in the Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation and can be adapted to any organization.

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Karen Moscato. We hope you enjoy Karen’s wisdom and perspective.

Bernie Madoff. ABC aired a two-part series on his Ponzi scheme earlier this summer. We all know the story in which he bilked people out of their money for over 30 years. But the interesting part of the movie was the depiction where Bernie gave most of his investors a second chance at pulling out their money. He was using his “reverse” psychology to increase their trust in his abilities to make them rich. Or in many cases richer. I bet they all wish they would have taken Bernie up on that second chance!

Waterskiing, wakeboarding, tubing, fishing, or a relaxing ride - summer is the perfect time to explore the water. But a sunny summer often leads to a rise in boat traffic, which can result in unpleasant outcomes for the uninsured and unprepared sailor.

A Coast Guard report states that over $42 million dollars of damage to property occurred due to recreational boating accidents in 2014, with a 2.3% increase in accidents since the prior year.

Do you have the proper insurance in place to protect you in case of an accident? Are you following safety precautions to prevent incidents and injuries? Here are 8 tips to help you sail safely this summer:

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Dr. Bruce Gobdel, retired Crowe Horwath LLC Partner. We hope you enjoy Bruce’s wisdom and perspective.

Critical Components For High Performing Organizations

In my thirty-seven years of consulting with many diverse clients, the best organizations were consistently those that were values driven. They clearly knew who they were and what they stood for. In addition, the best leaders of client organizations were visionary. They had a capacity for seeing a desired future state for the organization, along with the passion for getting the organization there.