“In my whole life, I have known no wise people - over a broad subject matter area - who didn’t read all the time. None. Zero.” – Charlie Munger, Vice Chairman, Berkshire Hathaway

When Tom Peters, author of The Excellence Dividend, speaks of reading, he’ll often label it as the “#1 deficit in CEOs.” For all the talk about how much successful CEOs do read, it may not be enough. Said Peters in a 2016 interview: “I like to think I’m a half step ahead of the pack. But about three years ago, with all the crap that’s going on, particularly with technology, I realized that I was 25 steps behind.”

Reading books is such an important tool to learn new things but also to test your understanding and beliefs. “I love them because they help us understand that we are not the brightest people in the world, and there are 80 million things to trip over when we’re making decisions,” Peters added.

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.”

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger, Adam Weber, Co-Founder and VP of Sales for Emplify. We hope you enjoy Adam’s wisdom and perspective.

Over the years, I’ve talked with hundreds of executives and people leaders about employee engagement, company culture, and leadership. Based on those conversations, it’s become clear to me that there are two very distinct types of leaders...let’s think of them as the old school executive and the modern leader.

The biggest difference between the old school executive and the modern leader is how they view their employees and their expectations for their workforce. Here are two statements to illustrate these very different mindsets:

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

If the wind was strong enough to pick up Dorothy and Toto and pull her entire house into a tornado and send them to the magical Land of Oz, there is no telling what it could do to your property. Tornado season is just around the corner, so instead of getting your magical shoes ready, follow these simple steps to minimize the wind damage to your home.

Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are the “purest manifestations of business excellence” according to business guru Tom Peters. “I love SMEs. They create the jobs and are responsible for most of the innovation in our country.”

It’s true. Small businesses, those with less than 500 employees, account for roughly half of private-sector employment. And since the Great Recession, SMEs have accounted for 67% of the net new jobs in the US.

With all the benefits of lakefront living right around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about parties, boating, and preparing your home for the season. Owning a lakefront home has more financial risks that need to be properly managed. Not only protecting the value of the home itself, but all your financial assets with the increased liability exposure.