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MARCH 2019
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Reviving the Spirit of Compromise
3 Habits to Turn to When Cooperation Seems Impossible
its root, it just means leveraging the talents of everyone to accomplish things individuals never could have in isolation. When a team works well together, especially if the members share different perspectives, their skills can be enhanced and pushed to heights unreachable by any lone individual. Whether you’re in Congress or business or volunteering in your local HOA, living a full life is about forging mutually beneficial relationships. If you focus all your energy telling others why they are wrong and why your way is right, I don’t think you will be very productive or very successful. I think I have mentioned it before, but I also think it bears repeating: Ronald Reagan famously had a plaque on his desk in the Oval Office that read, “There is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he does not mind who gets the credit.” What an interesting contrast to today’s political “leaders” who get practically nothing done and solve none of the real problems that our country faces but take credit for refusing to compromise, as if that is a laudable achievement. If we conducted business in this manner, most of us would have no customers and we would be unemployed. It seems that the older I get, the more I appreciate what a great leader Ronald Reagan was ...
First there’s habit number four: “Think win- win.” Covey believes that in order to genuinely work together, we must be sincerely interested in helping out one another. Instead of one group dominating the other, it’s essential that everyone walks away from the negotiating table better off. Then there’s habit number five: “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” Too many people these days have this one backward, and I’m including myself in that statement. I find myself getting caught up trying to convince others why I’m right and why they should see things my way. It’s much more challenging to first pause and extend your empathy to the person across the table, listening and trying to piece together the world as they see it. It’s taken me a long time to learn, but I have found that when I’m talking, I can’t listen very well; but it’s in the moments of listening that I learn the most. Not to mention that when I do get to sit down and really communicate with folks with a different perspective, I usually discover that we have more in common than we ever would’ve imagined. Finally, there’s habit number six: “synergize.” This has become a bit of a business buzzword, but at
Whatever happened to the spirit of compromise? Looking at the news lately, I think compromise has become a four letter word. Regardless of which side you’re on, I’m sure you can agree that it seems almost impossible these days for folks of differing perspectives to come together to agree on practically anything . I have faith that eventually we’ll find a way forward to formulate win-win solutions to our biggest problems, but you have to admit that right now, overcoming all the single-minded and self-righteous indignation from all sides is going to be a serious challenge. Ever since I first read Stephen R. Covey’s pioneering book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” I’ve tried to remember to put his advice into practice. I think it’s instructive to note that not one, not two, but three of Covey’s seven habits have to do directly with cooperation, which I think is another word for compromise. I’m certainly not an expert, but in my opinion, the first step to successful cooperation is to admit that you don’t have all the answers, and I definitely do not. But I do think that in dealing with one another, these habits can be incredibly helpful.
There is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he does not mind who gets the credit.” -Ronald Reagan
–Brad Johnson
President, Risk Services of AR
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Spring Has Sprung
4 FACTORS THAT MIGHT BE AFFECTING YOUR BUSINESS’S GROWTH THIS SEASON Spring is here, and watching flowers sneak up through the soil in your front yard may remind you to consider growth of a different kind — the growth of your business. Regardless of whether you soared over your revenue goals the previous quarter or you took these last few months to recover from failed marketing efforts and missed opportunities, spring provides a great opportunity for overall growth. Still, it’s hard to know where you should focus your energy. To aid your efforts, here are four factors to consider for strategic business growth. 1. Leadership Similar to nature’s processes during springtime, business growth begins far below the surface through good leadership. Your employees’ perception of you and your company’s mission is what determines their motivation to work hard. Take a step back to evaluate your leadership tactics and determine if they match your ideal business model. Often, replacing poor leaders with stronger ones makes all the difference in a company’s success. 2. Employee Training Business growth doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Just as leadership from your management team should be a major focus, your employees need a standard but solid foundation of knowledge in order to cultivate their own growth in the company. This spring, consider revamping your training programs by moving to online platforms that customize learning paths for each new employee based on previous employees’ feedback. 3. Customer Loyalty While it is important to increase brand awareness and expand your customer base, it is essential to also increase sales potential with your existing customers. Look for opportunities to grow your profits with the customers you already have through add-on sales, customer loyalty programs, and referral business. 4. Social Responsibility When you adopt policies of social responsibility, you affect your community — and therefore your customers — in a positive way. Take the month of March, for example, which is National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Awareness Month. You can get your business involved in various organizations geared toward raising awareness. Through sponsoring events and donating money, you can increase your client base while simultaneously helping others.
Meet Ryan McClafferty
In 2019, the insurance industry is constantly changing. It’s not enough for brokers to rest on their laurels, relying solely on the strength of their networking skills to keep customers in the fold. When options are more abundant than ever, it takes a results- driven, clear-cut insurance strategy to cut through the noise and make a meaningful difference in the client’s business. That’s the philosophy behind Risk Services/Insurica risk consultant Ryan McClafferty’s approach to sales. As he puts it, “I don’t want my clients to think we’re doing a good job — I want them to know it.” Over the six years that he’s been at the company, he’s dedicated himself to working closely with the clients he serves to minimize risk and maximize results. “I’m really big on providing a transparent process from start to finish,” he says. At every step, it’s about communicating effectively with his clients to optimize outcomes for the long term. In addition to a wealth of expertise in the field, Ryan brings a keen eye for detail to the table. “I think I bring objective reasoning into the situation,” he says, “Most people do business with someone they’ve known for years. I want my prospects to ask themselves, ‘What’s changed for the better in the last 20 years?’ How strategic is your broker being? What measurable results have they delivered to your company?’” “We’ve worked with some of the best companies in the state for decades,” he adds, “It’s my job to look for those new stars that we haven’t yet reached.” Outside of the office, Ryan spends most of his time with his wife and 2-year-old toddler. When he gets a chance, he likes to get out and hunt ducks and other game. We know that with his intelligence, expertise, and drive, we’re lucky to have Ryan McClafferty on our team — our clients are too! We can’t wait to see what he accomplishes next.
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3 Ridiculous Lawsuits From 2018
this advanced number “did not reflect his emotional state” — not to mention the damage it did to his prospects on Tinder. “When I’m on Tinder and it says I’m 69, I don’t get an answer,” he said. “When I’m 49, with the face I have, I will be in a luxurious position.” Hilarious as that statement may be, the court didn’t find it funny. The judges dismissed the case, saying, “Mr. Ratelband is at liberty to feel 20 years younger than his real age and to act accordingly,” but that altering legal documents was out of the question. Fired for Being French
As a business owner, you need to make sure every aspect of your company is up-to-code and properly insured. Otherwise, you might find yourself forced to shell out a hefty fee in a nasty lawsuit. Hopefully, you never find yourself on the receiving end of a suit as ridiculous as any of these, taken from the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform’s list of the top 10 most ridiculous lawsuits of 2018. No Cheese, Please
When you order a Quarter Pounder with cheese at McDonald’s, you might opt to omit the cheese. What you probably wouldn’t do is decide that you suffered injury for still having to pay full price for the burger and sue the corporation for $5 million in damages. But you’re not Cynthia Kissner and Leonard Werner of Florida who did exactly that. Luckily, the class-action complaint was
Guillaume Rey, a waiter at Milestones restaurant in Vancouver, British Columbia, had been warned repeatedly about the aggressive tone and nature of his conduct with coworkers. But when he refused to heed the warnings and change his tune, he was let go. Now he’s suing the company, arguing that he’s not rude; he’s just French! According to Rey, French culture “tends to be more direct and expressive.” True as that may be, we’re guessing his assertion that his culture makes him rude is not going to fly in court. Sudoku
dismissed by the judge “with prejudice,” meaning the suit can’t be filed again. Young at Heart
When Emile Ratelband petitioned a Dutch court to legally change his age from 69 to 49, he argued that
Have a Laugh!
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INSIDE This Issue
Brad Johnson on the Spirit of Compromise page 1
Reorganizing Your Efforts for Strategic Growth This Spring What Ryan McClafferty Wishes Prospects Would Ask page 2 3 Ridiculous Lawsuits From 2018 Sudoku page 3
Book Review: ‘The Obstacle Is the Way’ page 4
‘The Obstacle Is the Way’ Stoicism and Success in the Modern Era
TASER. “The Obstacle Is the Way” represents a distillation of Holiday’s personal philosophy for success.
Would you rather read an inspirational book favored by some of the biggest stars in the NFL, or a strategy guide found on the nightstands of some of the world’s most powerful political figures? Well, thanks to Ryan Holiday’s latest work, you don’t have to choose. “The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph”
The book gets its name from a modern rephrasing of a Marcus Aurelius quote. The philosopher turned Roman emperor once said, “What stands in the way becomes the way.” From this principle, and the foundational tenets of stoicism developed by the ancient Greeks, Holiday presents a no-nonsense approach to problem-solving that is as old as time. Packed with examples ranging fromAmerican Civil War generals to Amelia Earhart, “The Obstacle” paints a clear, compelling picture of what this ancient philosophy has to offer the leaders of the future. The book has a hardline stance: “It doesn’t matter what happens to you. It matters what you do,” which removes factors of luck and talent from the equation. To Holiday, persistence trumps everything else. Those looking for feel-good quotes or self-affirming platitudes should probably skip this book. But for those who are serious about reaching their personal or professional goals, and who are willing to put in the work, “The Obstacle” is just the kind of kick in the pants you’ve been looking for.
has been championed by leaders in almost every field, frommusicians to governors. To understand why this work is winning such high praise, you first have to understand the man who wrote it. In classic entrepreneurial fashion, Holiday dropped out of college when he was just 19 years old, choosing instead to get his education under the direct mentorship of author and strategist Robert Greene. Eventually, his focus on media manipulation and human nature would land him at the top of the American Apparel marketing team. Now the head of his own strategy firm, Brass Check, Holiday and his team have advised major brands like Google and
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