Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Kristen Strom, Executive Director for the Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Joseph County. We hope you enjoy Kristen’s wisdom and perspective!

With the Boys & Girls Club recently moving through a period of transition, I’ve taken some time to reflect a bit on my leadership journey. In the short time I’ve been in the Executive Director role, my leadership acumen has been tested more times than I can count. However, each challenge or hurdle has come with a significant opportunity to learn and grow.

One of the leadership areas where I have seen personal growth is with the decision-making process.

Mark Wobbe, Principal at Gibson, shares his insight on what 2017 may bring for the property & casualty market. 

Where is today’s property & casualty (P&C) market and where is it headed in 2017?

Gibson’s Wes Mantooth, Principal and Consultant in the Employee Benefits Practice, shares his insight on what 2017 may bring for the world of health care.

The elephant in the room, no pun intended, remains the impact of the new presidential administration. Anything said to be more than speculation is just that…more speculation. As of the time this outlook went to press, there was nothing concrete about the adjustments, if any, that will be made to health care reform. However, one thing does remain constant…whether the ACA stays or whether it goes, it will continue to cause disruption among consumers, employers, and the health care industry.

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Joe Calloway, author of “Keep It Simple,” “Magnetic,” and several other game-changing business books. We hope you enjoy Joe’s wisdom and perspective.

How do you create a new wellness initiative for your organization? What should you be considering before launching the effort? What strategies should you be using to make it most effective and engaging to your workforce?

Nothing ever becomes real till it is experienced. - John Keats

Books and lectures can only get students so far. The best education for students of all ages incorporates experience outside the classroom—experience that makes what they’re learning “real.” And field trips are one of the best ways to get students out of the classroom.

Field trips also expose students to increased risk. Students must be transported and monitored in environments teachers don’t and can’t control in the same way they control their classrooms. To assure these risks don't become bad experiences, schools must be committed to risk management around field trips. Here are a few risk management strategies that can help make field trips a positive learning experience for students.

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Karen Moscato. We hope you enjoy Karen’s wisdom and perspective.

“Who are you?” said the Caterpillar. Alice replied, rather shyly, “I - I hardly know, sir, just at present - at least I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have changed several times since then.” --- Lewis Carroll Alice’s Adventures through the Looking Glass

Would you answer as Alice did?

In this world of constant change, we know who we are when we get up in the morning, but by evening we might have gone through several changes. Be it a loss of relationships, changes in home life, personal changes, work and financial changes, or many other issues. Thanks to technology, sometimes we receive multiple changes during the course of a day.

Your website and internet presence is a reflection of who you are and what you do. And it needs to be accurate. Be it potential clients, underwriters, or prospective employees – what they find on your website and the internet shapes how they view your company.

Does your risk management strategy take into consideration your online presence?

Social media is an integral part of our everyday lives. It brings significant benefits for businesses and business owners. After all, 95% of adults are most likely to follow a brand via social networking, according to Marketing Sherpa.

Along with the benefits from building an engaging social presence, come associated risks – risks of both being on social media and being absent from it altogether. It’s immensely important to know what these risks are, as well as the proper strategies to manage them.

As you reflect on the year that was and the year ahead, how big of a role is luck playing in your life? We all know people who seem luckier than others. Maybe that describes you? Or maybe you’re on the other end, with a feeling that you’re always coming up a bit short.