Everyone has had a bad hair day, but how about a bad tie, bad hat or bad shoe day? More and more companies are putting together contests on the ugliest dressed. Another company sponsors an annual turkey bowl. Employees go out on the loading dock, take a frozen turkey and try to knock down as many empty wine bottles as possible. This is not evidence of companies gone nuts, but tactics used to ward off a serious business problem.

The biggest problem facing business today is how to keep and motivate workers. The other problem slapping them in the face is high turnover. Today’s mobile employees jump ship for as little as a $1.00/hr. raise…unless something keeps them. That something may equate to a fun, flexible workplace that gives them more freedom and responsibility. Wouldn’t it be great if you enjoyed going to work? What if your supervisors showed appreciation for what you did?

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One of the biggest decisions of your professional insurance carrier comes when you decide to either sell the agency you’ve worked long and hard to create, or to buy another agency that someone else has worked long and hard to create. You’ve met with the owners of the agency, you’ve looked at the book of business, you’ve agreed on a price, hopefully you’ve contacted your attorney to help you draft the buy/sell agreement, and you’re a few short days away from closing the deal when suddenly someone asks: what about the E & O coverage? Who’s doing what? Are you going to pick up the prior acts or am I? Can we just transfer the E&O policy to the new owners? What kind of losses have you had? All of these questions should be asked at the beginning of the talks regarding the sale/purchase, but unfortunately they usually aren’t discussed until the last minute and they can have a big impact on the deal.

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There is a long-standing trend in the global marketplace when it comes to the qualities of top executives. They are often rewarded for their willingness to definitively say yes or no to big financial and technological decisions. This is a quality that may have served you well in your career as well. However, when it comes to new technology, there may be more than one answer. 

Although executives, managers and boards of directors often assume that the purpose of the new technology is to replace the old, that’s not the way it works. 

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