In today’s world there is so much emphasis on doing more with less. This obviously has its perks, but it also has a significant negative impact that cannot be overlooked. Employees who are pushed to the max are at risk of being overstressed and ultimately burning out. Burnout reduces productivity and takes a toll on individual’s health.

Teaming can be powerful when done right. Diverse strengths can be leveraged. Clients can be served better. And if all goes well one plus one can actually equal three.

We began to reorganize our producers into teams several years ago. In fact, we were recently featured in Rough Notes magazine specifically for our team selling model. We went as far as formally merging their books of business and even their compensation. The teams are responsible for attracting and developing additional production talent. By most accounts internally, this has gone really well. The blend of generational talent has unlocked a lot of potential and helped fuel strong growth for our organization.

At the recent American Society of Safety Engineers’ conference there was a chilling message for businesses that employ temporary staff. David Michaels, OSHA’s Assistant Secretary of Labor, raised the issue of workplace fatalities and pointed the finger of blame. He said, “temporary workers are at greater risk of workplace injury and illness than non-temps.” A major factor is a “lack of job information and safety training for temps increasingly employed in dangerous occupations.”

This ‘lack of information and safety training’ contributed to a figure of 14 fatalities of temporary workers on their first day on the job over the past 12 months. That’s a scary figure for employers and temps alike. How does this happen?

Employers should believe that healthier employees are more productive employees. Studies prove this! Emphasizing health AND changing the culture within the workplace to support healthier lifestyles is worth the effort. Any ROI is icing on the cake.

Are today’s executives doing a good job at balancing their work and their personal lives?

Recently I connected with Bruce Gobdel and Tony Hutti to gain their perspective. After long and successful careers in management and public accounting, they are involved in mentoring leaders as part of the executive roundtable groups they facilitate.

Many employees drive company cars for their work-related duties. But what if the company car were your only car? Even as an employee of the company, it’s likely you are not listed on the company’s business auto policy.

So what happens when you borrow your neighbor’s car to run some errands on the weekend? This type of situation can leave you with serious gaps in coverage. Under a business auto policy, individuals using a borrowed auto for personal use are not covered, even if the policy covers hired or borrowed autos. The individual must be listed as an insured on the company’s business auto policy to have coverage.

It was the summer of 1999 and I was mulling over several fantastic job opportunities, thanks in large part to an assist from a great friend and mentor of mine, Jim Spuller. Jim had been in national sales leader roles throughout much of his career. With his help, I had enjoyed a very accelerated interviewing process and was zeroing in on one opportunity in Atlanta and another in Phoenix.

Any owner of an antique or collector car knows the risk involved with simply taking your car out for a drive. Whether you’re hitting the road for fun or headed to an auto show, carrying these items with you wherever you go ensures a breakdown won’t keep you down.

Digital Power Station

Preventing disease is important to leading a healthy life. Detecting disease early is a key component to disease management and recovery. As Ben Franklin said “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”.

Achieving this “pound of cure” will be easier now than ever before with the new provision

Maintaining Your Network

Having good mentors and a strong network can make or break you. But have you ever taken the time to consider whether or not you are a good mentee?

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been disappointed on a number of occasions when someone I’m trying to help never follows up to let me know how things turned out. Or, they asked for my assistance, and I willingly gave it, only to find they never took advantage of what I did for them.