2 min read

Business Is A Team Sport

By Tim Leman on Apr 2, 2021, 6:30:00 AM

Who is your all-time favorite teammate? What virtues do they demonstrate that endear them to you?

It’s likely they epitomize what Pat Lencioni has labeled an Ideal Team Player (ITP):

  • They are humble – without concern for their own status.
  • They remain hungry – always pursuing growth and giving their best effort.
  • They’re smart when it comes to people and relationships – emotionally intelligent, exercising good judgment and intuition within the team.

Topics: Executive
6 min read

Indemnification Language in Construction Contracts

By Mark A. Rysberg on Mar 31, 2021, 7:45:00 AM

Indemnification is a concept whereby one party contractually agrees or is otherwise legally obligated to bear the financial risks of another party. These parties are respectively known as the indemnitor and indemnitee. The construction industry relies on indemnification clauses to manage and transfer risk. Consider some of the common indemnification provisions that may be encountered in construction contracts.

Topics: Construction Contract Review
1 min read

The Edge Podcast: Keys To Developing Great Teams

By Gibson on Mar 26, 2021, 6:30:00 AM

“Companies and leaders that are decisive in their people moves get their goals accomplished faster.” – Todd Smart

Being part of a winning team is a privilege. We all understand the frustrations of working with a team that doesn't feel the same passion for a project that we do. But, once you get a team sharing a singular vision and rowing in the same direction, the clarity is remarkable. Todd Smart believes that by using the simplification and prioritization techniques, that EOS provides, creating that winning team is easily within reach.

On this episode of The Edge Podcast we have Todd Smart, EOS Implementer and Co-Founder of Traction® Tools.

Topics: Executive
2 min read

The Edge Podcast: Season 1

By Gibson on Mar 19, 2021, 6:30:00 AM

Have you ever felt like you're on the edge of something great? You've put in the work, you've done the hard stuff most people aren't willing to do, and now you can just sense a magical run lies ahead.

In the first season of The Edge Podcast, we talk with leaders across a wide variety of industries and learn what it's like to ride that edge and own it. You'll hear what separates out those special teams, the kind, if we're lucky, we get to be a part of maybe three or four times in our life, from the more ordinary experiences.

Join host Tim Leman as we discuss leading on the edge.

Topics: Executive
4 min read

State of the Market: Cyber Risk Insurance

By Mark Wobbe on Mar 17, 2021, 9:28:45 AM

As insurance products go, cyber is in its youth. It’s a teenager, about 15 years old for argument’s sake. In its earlier years, it was widely misunderstood and easily dismissed unless your business model was truly e-commerce. However, as businesses of all types and sizes moved to the cloud and SaaS replaced in-house software on a LAN, more and more business processes were automated, and more data was accessible from anywhere.

Topics: Technology Contract Review
4 min read

How Do You Build Culture In A Hybrid Environment?

By Gibson on Mar 12, 2021, 6:30:00 AM

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Cat Edmonds of Blackink IT. We hope you enjoy Cat’s wisdom and perspective.

Approaching company culture in a hybrid environment can be overwhelming. Especially when circumstances arise without much forewarning (insert a global pandemic here) and require immediate action. As a leader, it becomes your responsibility to ensure your employees are able to work safely, productively, and collaboratively while also working remotely. And if this wasn’t enough stress, your leadership is also a key factor in encouraging and promoting your company’s culture.

There are different approaches on how to implement culture while working in a hybrid environment and we discussed these during a recent webinar. Below are our top 5 takeaway points for leadership.

Topics: Executive
2 min read

Advancing Our Just Cause

By Tim Leman on Mar 5, 2021, 6:30:00 AM

We are playing an infinite game at Gibson. The purpose of our game is different from the finite games most of us are used to playing.

Our desired “win” is not to beat some other group, but rather to keep our deepest values “in play”. It’s our values – being authentically lived out by our amazing employee-owners – that’s creating our greatest impact. From our own employees, to our clients, friends, and community members, we’re in business to help others find their edge.

Winning a new client, hitting our numbers for the quarter, or nailing our annual goals are all meaningful milestones or measures of progress. We aim to achieve those. But they are only finite scores, with defined winners (and losers). Even a multi-year plan is just that: a longer-term goal with a specific outcome, and still a defined end.

Maybe a “goal” of continuing play doesn’t sound very exciting to those on the outside. Perhaps it inadvertently signals a lack of accountability. Nothing could be further from reality.

Topics: Executive
3 min read

Effective Risk Transfer: Key Construction Terms

By Mark A. Rysberg on Mar 3, 2021, 9:06:53 AM

The term “risk transfer” means just that: a risk that one party bears is transferred to another. In reality, risk transfer in the context of a contractual transfer of risk from an insured to an insurer is better understood as a transfer of the financial costs of certain risks. For example, if a subcontractor injures a third-party or damages their property, the subcontractor’s commercial general liability policy should provide the subcontractor with defense and indemnification coverage. In other words, the financial cost of a covered risk is transferred from the insured to its insurance carrier. The ability to finance the costs of potential risks is a key tool in how most construction contracts are structured. Here is how.

Topics: Risk Management Contract Review
4 min read

The Role Of Coaching In High Performing Organizations

By Gibson on Feb 26, 2021, 6:30:00 AM

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Mark Olson, Owner of Athletic Mentors. We hope you enjoy Mark’s wisdom and perspective.

Whether we are discussing high performing 10-year old girls soccer teams, NHL Hockey teams, young startup companies, or Fortune 500 corporations, one quality all of these organizations share is the existence of an exceptional coach or team of coaches. They also have a leader at the top of the organization who fully supports and is fully engaged in the coaching process.

As a business owner of a human performance and wellbeing company, I wear many hats. Within my favorite realm as “Coach,” I am responsible for player development, team building and culture building for both my clients and my staff. These coaching responsibilities can be boiled down into three primary concepts or roles - Success Architect, Accountability Boss, and Emotional Currency Regulator – all of which are essential for any high performing organization.

Topics: Executive
3 min read

The Power Of A Team Is On The Inside

By Mark Wobbe on Feb 19, 2021, 6:30:00 AM

In his book, The Power of a Positive Team, Jon Gordon addresses how teams face or react to the world around them. Circumstances and events happening around a team are not meant to define them. The team is meant to define its circumstances. The power of the team is on the inside, and when a team knows this and lives by it, it will create amazing and positive changes on the outside.

Topics: Executive