“Execution will be one of the key differentiators going forward. Not just execution, but the speed at which new ideas and solutions can be deployed,” said my friend Larry Linne on a recent phone call. “It will be the thing that separates the winners from the losers.”

Larry and I were talking about the state of our industry and some friends in the business who decided to sell their firms. Larry is in a unique position to offer perspective on execution as he runs an advisory firm focused on helping insurance agencies maximize their potential. Larry and his team have expertise in operations, finance, and product development. They’re innovative and strategic, and also focused on training and implementation.

The thing Larry has noticed over the years is that when strategies fail, it’s usually due to poor execution. Many companies suffer a huge gap between great ideas and actual results.

Tom Peters, author of The Excellence Dividend, devotes the entire opening chapter to execution, calling it “the all-important last 95%.” Think about that for a minute. How many presentations have you been a part that pitched a new idea or strategy and barely touched on how it would be implemented? Guilty as charged. And yet Tom says all that ideation is only the first 5%! Leaders must prioritize the “how” of execution going forward.

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger, Jim Canfield, President of CEO Tools. We hope you enjoy Jim’s wisdom and perspective.

At some point, all CEOs or managers have to ask themselves, “How do we get to the next level?”

The answer could cover a daylong workshop.

Luckily, seven simple steps or business tools, based on the book CEO Tools, provide a jump-start to finding those answers. Follow these and get what you need now to move your business forward.

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Brad Galin, Director of Human Resources for Portage Public Schools. We hope you enjoy Brad’s wisdom and perspective.

In my role as the HR Director for a public school district, I receive emails on a weekly basis with articles that detail how teachers nationwide are burning out at a higher rate than ever. The articles frequently cite the same reasons and propose solutions that often require things beyond the control of the districts.

The thing is, this trend is not just limited to teachers. A quick search for almost any profession paired with the word “burnout” in Google will yield countless articles about the historically unprecedented burnout problem in these fields. In addition to those I receive about education, common ones we see include physicians, truck drivers, and police officers.

Burnout has become less of an outlier and more of a feature in the modern American workplace.

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Barbara Khozam, internationally recognized customer service speaker and trainer. We hope you enjoy Barbara’s wisdom and perspective.

A touchpoint is every single opportunity that customers and clients have of connecting with your business. And every touchpoint has the opportunity to turn great service into a BAD experience.

Real World Story: At a restaurant, touchpoints can include the hostess, cashier, waiters, busboys, and even the chef. At an insurance company, touchpoints can include the company website, call service agents, and even claims adjusters. At a hotel, touchpoints can include reservation emails, parking and garage attendants, bellboys, reception agents, and even the facilities manager.

So, do you know ALL your customer touchpoints? More importantly, do you know how well or badly each touchpoint meets your standards of delivering exceptional service?

It’s said that most adults will spend one third of their life at work. That’s roughly 90,000 hours! Putting it in these terms provides a different context in which to view the employer-employee relationship.

Author Tom Peters says leaders need to accept responsibility for the role they play in employees’ lives. “Every leader has a moral obligation [today] to develop people so that when they leave, they are better prepared for tomorrow than when they arrived,” writes Peters.

That’s heavy. I care about our people a lot. I think about the 150+ families relying on our leaders to make good decisions with the best interest of our team at heart. Yet “moral obligation” is an even larger burden. And you know what? He’s right. We owe that to our team.

As we wrap up another year of blogging, I'd like to share some thanks. To our guest bloggers - thank you for sharing your insight and wisdom with us throughout the year! And to all of our readers - thank you for reading and sharing these blogs with others!

Here are the most popular #WhatsTheRisk blogs of 2018:

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.

Whether at home, on the street, or in the office, all people want to feel valued and respected. Psychologists generally agree that appreciation is a basic human need, just like eating properly and getting enough exercise.

So, in the workplace, regular recognition is critical. Some well-timed words of encouragement after a job well done can make a world of difference. But if overlooked, a lack of recognition is detrimental. In fact, a 2017 Office Team study revealed that 66 percent of employees think about leaving their current position when they don’t feel appreciated by their manager—and when it comes to Millennials, that number is as high as 76 percent.

Your team will respond to your recognition of their hard work because it shows that you not only value their efforts but also value them as human beings. Respect is a two-way street; a few words can go a long way towards building a great working relationship of trust. (And as an added bonus, after some pointed praise, the entire office now has the perfect model to follow as an example!)

'Cause I gotta have faith
I gotta faith
Because I gotta to have faith faith
I gotta to have faith, faith, faith
-George Michael

As we come to the end of the year, we have much to be thankful for at Gibson: an amazing team, great clients, and we get to do it all in some truly wonderful communities. I feel very blessed and grateful to be a part of our employee-owned organization.

I also feel a renewed sense of hope and anticipation for all that lies ahead in the coming year. Yet, with this optimism and excitement comes some typical (for me) angst as planning sessions kick off, initiatives are prioritized, and rocks are set. Can we measure up to past success? What threats might our clients face in their businesses? Will the saber rattling in Washington seriously destabilize our economy?

As we all know - there are many awesome benefits with today's technology (the list is long, right). On the other hand, there are also unfortunate downsides with today's technology (the list is pretty long there, as well). 

In other words, today's mixed bag of pros & cons, yin & yang, salt & sweet smorgasbord of technological breakthroughs, has us drinking from a glass simultaneously half full, and half empty. (Deep, huh!?)

One of the most evident examples of this technological “split personality syndrome” - is digital music. Moreover, the ability to download any song. At any time. Anywhere. As fantastically terrific as this is … especially when we want that one super-duper song that's gonna get us movin', groovin', or chillin' … it also has its downsides in that most songs, are part of an album; an album with other songs.

In other words, they're a team. A unit. A family (faults, and all).  

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Tim Hiller, Senior Manager, Talent Management at Stryker. We hope you enjoy Tim’s wisdom and perspective.

Leadership has been defined many different ways by many different people, but I would define it in a simple word.

Stewardship.

Leadership is ultimately stewardship. It is taking the best care possible of the people, resources, and responsibilities under our influence. It doesn’t matter if our level of responsibility is little or large…all that matters is how well we care for what we’ve been given.

So what qualities do we need to succeed as leaders who are great stewards? I believe the best steward leaders are caring, clear, and coaches.