Ron Johnson, the former Apple executive, was hired as CEO in 2011 by struggling retailer JC Penney to revive the organization. He embarked on an aggressive vision - something he labeled a "transformation" - that ultimately ended with his recent firing.

What happened? Danielle Sacks provides her thoughts in an online Fast Company article I read recently during some down time between flights. It got me thinking about some of my own experiences with change management.

In late 2005 I joined Gibson, in part because of its private and independent ownership structure. I had been collecting a mental notebook of ideas and strategies during my time at the national firms and was just itching to put them into practice. As one of my clients said when I told him I was going to buy in to a smaller firm, "Tim, there's nothing like owning a piece of the rock!"

Whenever we encounter a particularly shocking piece of news, we tend to assume the worst. When the videos of the West Fertilizer Co. explosion appeared on YouTube and the news of the devastation was carried across the country, it caused many people to make some wild assumptions. The fact that it occurred in the same week as the tragic events at the Boston Marathon, led many to assume some kind of connection between the two tragedies.

On Thursday the Internal Revenue Service issued Revenue Procedure 2013-25, heralding changes to health savings account contributions for individuals and families for 2014. As well as this, employee out-of-pocket expenses are also set to change. These changes are to reflect the changes in the cost of living.

With Mother's Day on Sunday, I feel compelled to devote this post to our Moms. A short blog won't do them justice, but it would be worse to miss them all together.

My three favorite Moms are my lovely wife Kimra, my mother Ruth, and my mother-in-law Marilyn. I have, of course, listed them no particular order. Obviously if you're my favorite you know who you are so really no need to spell that out here, right?

I'm not perfect and I've learned a lot from these ladies. What I've realized is that the more I handle situations the way they would, the better off I am. They make it look effortless, but for me, it's real work.

No one ever thought the implementation of Health Care Reform would be easy. Even fervent supporters of the law admit that things are going worse than expected.

Gun ownership is a hot topic at the moment, one that is never far from the headlines. With this debate comes the discussion of gun liability insurance. Many states have considered making it mandatory in the past but recent events have caused many individuals to seek protection themselves.

“I need to know whether you’re going to be part of the 20% out there that actually gets things done?”, said Don Wood as he paused and looked me directly in the eyes. It was 2007 and Don had just finished telling me his previous experiences with salespeople – specifically insurance salespeople.

I knew Don had named his company “80/20” with a nod to the Pareto Principle, but I didn’t know, until that very moment, exactly how he applied it. Turns out Don’s been in sales himself for most of his life and has definitely been on the side of “getting it done”.

The Obama administration recently released a proposed rule outlining the standards for "navigators” who will help consumers shop for health insurance in new exchanges set up by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Navigators are organizations that will provide unbiased information to consumers about health insurance, the new health exchanges, qualified health plans, and public programs including Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

History Of Success

"Well the simplest answer is that we are constantly trying to manage our role as a key contributor", answered David Findlay, President & CFO at Lake City Bank, as we discussed why his organization is so involved in the communities it serves. Findlay continued, "The only way to survive is by helping our clients and communities be successful too. We believe that we have a depth of commitment that is stronger than any of our competitors. We serve the community in every market we’re in and have committed our people and resources to our clients and communities to support their success.”

Lake City Bank was founded in 1872 in Warsaw, Indiana. It serves Indiana with 45 branches located in northern Indiana and now in Indianapolis as well. The holding company, Lakeland Financial Corporation, has over $3 billion in assets. That's over 140 years of continuous service under the same name.

This long term record of success got me thinking. Are you and your organization committed for the long haul? A few years ago a joint study by researchers at Thunderbird School of Global Management, ASU and, Penn found that when leaders balance the concerns of customers, employees, and community their employees see their organization as more visionary and participatory. Employees report being more willing to put in extra effort. The engagement drives better corporate results.

You can’t eliminate risk. It exists in every line of work. Whether you’re a banker or a construction worker, there are inherent risks that you must identify and manage. Most businesses will be concerned with financial risk. In construction however, risk management is even more vital as it is about keeping people safe. It’s not inconceivable that someone could die on the job. It is, therefore, important that you can plan for every eventuality.

Non-fatal

It isn’t just the potentially fatal injuries you need to be on the look-out for when making your construction risk management plan. Non-fatal injuries to the hands, arms, or legs can have a debilitating effect on a person for the rest of their life. Almost a quarter of construction site injuries are to the hands and fingers due to digits being cut off and hands being crushed or burned. Basic things like gloves and safety guards for machinery can help to avoid these kinds of accidents.