Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Mark Weber, CEO of YMCA of Southwest Michigan and interim CEO of YMCA of Michiana. We hope you enjoy Mark’s wisdom and perspective.

To improve our communities and make them places where people are healthy, safe, and cared for, takes a lot of work. As a non-profit organization, we know we can’t do it alone. The ability to effectively partner with other individuals and organizations in our communities is essential to the building of healthy communities.

To some, Labor Day weekend signals the end of summer and the last hurrah. To others, it’s the beginning of the best time of the year. The temperature starts to drop, the leaves slowly change colors, and the aroma of burgers and beer fills the air. It’s football season!

For some, tailgating is nearly as important as the game itself. It has become an integral part of the game day ritual. But don’t get so caught up in the festivities that you forget about safety. Consider these tips to keep your tailgating safe so you can enjoy the game:

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Don Tinney, Certified EOS Implementer™. We hope you enjoy Don’s wisdom and perspective.

Some people are great at avoiding conflict in the workplace. All you need to do is keep your mouth shut or yield to the strongest voice in the room. However you may be justifying your silence, passivity or lack of engagement, I want you to consider how damaging that behavior is for both you and your team. I also hope to give you some simple, practical suggestions for becoming a healthier, engaged fighter.

Conflict in the workplace is risky. I get that. It makes us uncomfortable, tense and our emotions can flare. But what should we expect from passionate teammates who are all fighting for outcomes that matter a lot? When we work with intelligent, creative, passionate people, we’re bound to have occasions when we see things differently. Conflict in the workplace is not only unavoidable in a growing, healthy organization, but it’s also essential!

This week begins the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s “Drive Sober Or Get Pulled Over” national campaign, which continues through Labor Day. Summer is a time to take advantage of the weather, cookout, go to the beach, and enjoy time with family and friends. Unfortunately, during the summer, there is an increased number of alcohol related vehicle accidents.

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Ron Kitchens, Chief Executive Officer at Southwest Michigan First. We hope you enjoy Ron’s wisdom and perspective.

Everyone wants to improve, and everyone knows they need helpful feedback in order to get there. The problem is that giving quality feedback is a difficult talent for leaders to master—and nobody is very good at receiving feedback that may be negative.

However, giving good feedback is the key to keeping your team engaged. Luckily, these discussions do not need to be unpleasant—especially when you use them as opportunities to celebrate success and discuss what’s next.

Here is your guide to giving and receiving feedback:

The greatest risk students face is getting to and from school every day.

According to The “Relative Risks of Death in U.S. Schools” report, school transportation-related incidents are the leading cause of fatalities. This includes riding school transportation, being struck by a school bus or other school vehicle, or being killed by a non-school vehicle on school property.

I can distinctly recall a discussion from my first real job. It was with a Regional Vice President, named Jim, who was about 4 levels above my direct supervisor. This was at a Fortune 100 organization, so being fresh out of college and having a serious discussion with a leadership team member was kind of a big deal. I had recently voiced my opinion on our current processes and procedures for time service standards at a large national conference. I offered several new ideas to evolve our standards. Jim called me a few weeks later to personally thank me for speaking up. And although most of my ideas were not feasible at the time or just bad, one of my ideas he loved and was already beginning to implement.

I wanted to discuss further my “bad ideas” that Jim said were not feasible, but he was too busy and basically ended the phone call with “Keep bringing me ideas – for every 20 bad ideas, hopefully 1 will be good.” I remember getting off the phone and being discouraged, thinking “Wow, what is that supposed to mean – 1 out of 20 is a good batting average?” Little did I know, this would be my first serious discussion on being an innovative leader.

Once your child turns 18, your ability to act on their behalf changes. Their medical history is no longer available and you cannot make medical decisions for them. Even if your child lives at home or is on your health insurance, a parent has no legal authority to make health care decisions nor do they have the right to obtain medical information due to the Privacy Rule of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Mike Cahill, President of Banking Services at Ruoff Home Mortgage. We hope you enjoy Mike’s wisdom and perspective.

I recently came across a person on social media who was probably one of my worst hires ever. A very good person, just a very bad fit for the job and a poor judgment call on my part. I shared this with a friend who reminded me of a promotion I gave someone a few years back that was also ill advised. This friend has known me for a long, long time, so we reminisced about various bad hires or poor promotion decisions I made over the years.

As we all move up through management, the decisions that more times than not either make our break our success are the people decisions. Who do you hire, promote, reassign, develop, fire, etc.? After making sure you have the appropriate vision and strategy for your business, nothing is more important than the people decisions we all make.

At home, your family is exposed to the risks of robbery, fires, weather damage, and car accidents, among other things. When your young adult heads off to college, the same risks exist, even when they live on campus. It is important to understand your insurance policies to know what is covered and where there may be gaps.