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A Tribute to the Dads Doing Their Best
A Token of Appreciation This Father’s Day
T oday, being a good father to your kids is more complicated than ever. When you mix the recent sweeping shifts in American culture with the political divisiveness that threatens to overwhelm our current social climate, it’s no wonder so many parents are struggling to find their footing. Yet, even as I see so many dads stepping up to meet the challenge head-on, it seems to me that good fathers are less recognized and less appreciated than ever. All too often, it seems that the media focuses its attention on the tyrants and the abusers, to the exclusion of all the good guys doing their jobs, taking care of their families, and doing their best to raise responsible and productive children. That’s why this month, with Father’s Day right around the corner, I’d like to give a shoutout to all the dads out there who are putting in the work
that’s not to say that it’s always been easy — far from it. There were times back in my workaholic days when I wasn’t as engaged as I should have been, and I hurried from one meeting to the next, preoccupied by growing the business and chasing success. When I realized this mistake, I redirected my focus to try to balance my family priorities with my work priorities, and that generally worked much better for us. Like many of the men out there reading this, I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve made more than my share of mistakes as a dad. But I believe the bottom line is that we as fathers have to stay engaged, give it maximum effort, and fight the culture to stay relevant for our kids. I’m not about to tell other guys what kind of dad they should be, because I’m far from a perfect father myself — that’s not the point. The point, I think, is to do your best for the people who depend on you, and I see countless other dads out there doing that every single day. I just want to wish a Happy Father’s Day to all of you out there navigating the tricky waters of fatherhood as best you can. It isn’t always easy, but as you and I both know, it’s always worth it.
regularly and engaging and taking care of their kids. Whether that means a dad being present in his nuclear family and raising his children alongside his wife, a father making it a top priority to spend regular quality time with his kids post- divorce, or an empty nester who invests some of his time with his grandchildren, it doesn’t matter. No matter the situation, there will always be challenges, but it’s my opinion that the dads who are putting in an honest effort to be there for their families deserve a little recognition and a lot of respect, especially in this day and age. As long as you’re engaged in your kids’ or grandkids’ lives in some meaningful way, I say “way to go” and “thank you.” Society needs you! I know, maybe more so than some, how difficult raising kids can be in the midst of a challenging situation. I’ve written before about how blessed I feel having not only my three biological children in my life but also my three step-daughters. But
“The point, I think, is to do your best for the people who depend on you, and I see countless other dads out there doing that every single day.”
–Brad Johnson
President, Risk Services of AR Specialized Insurance Programs for Specialized Industries. • www.insurica.com • 1
June 21 marks the official beginning of summer and the productivity slump most businesses experience. The sun’s tantalizing rays draw your eyes from computer screens or conference room meetings to the outside world. A weekend of fresh air, sunshine, and cool evenings on the back porch infiltrate your mind. Your productivity is sapped, but you’ve still got work to do. So, what can you do? Here are a few ways to combat the summer slump. Relax the Work Hours If you’re in a management position, consider tweaking the standard 9-to-5, Monday through Friday schedule a little bit. Some businesses will implement a 9/80 schedule, meaning employees work 80 hours in nine days instead of 10, so they can get every other Friday off. Some businesses will let employees work half days on Fridays during the summer, and others will let employees work remotely on certain days. Get Moving Sitting at a desk for eight continuous hours can stagnate productivity at any point during the year, but during the summer, there’s an easy way to remedy it: getting a little exercise. Since the sun is shining, why not take advantage of it while you work? Try scheduling a “walking meeting” outside, or implement exercise breaks every couple of hours. Moving around boosts productivity, and doing it outside can be a great change of scenery. Dress Down If shirts and ties are the norm at your business, you might want to consider embracing the laid-back vibe of summer by relaxing the dress code a bit. It’s a small way to ensure employees don’t feel like they’re missing out on all the perks of summertime without losing productivity. Plus, who wants to wear a suit in July? It’s tough to compete with the allure of a warm summer day, but sometimes those days can work to your advantage if you make a few simple swaps in your everyday work routine. 3 Ways to Keep Up Productivity During the Summer Defeating the Summer Slump
When you partner with Risk Services/Insurica, you gain the benefit of the combined decades of experience and talent of not only our team here in Little Rock but also of the entire Insurica network. Over the coming months, we’ll spotlight some folks who are part and parcel to the Insurica network of companies, each of them equipped with knowledge and experience invaluable to our clients’ risk management success. First up comes John Schlarb, a safety and risk consultant based out of our Oklahoma City headquarters who serves the Oklahoma, Arkansas, and north Texas territory. John is a tireless consultant for the numerous clients he serves, and he has been with us for more than 17 years. Whether you need a comprehensive risk mitigation plan, loss control consulting, guidance with OSHA or DOT compliance, workers’ compensation management, auto liability mitigation, or fleet management strategies, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone in the industry more knowledgeable than him. John often works behind the scenes, but make no mistake: Over his long career, John has helped his clients save millions upon millions of dollars by helping them reduce or eliminate their losses due to claims. Though he sometimes calls it a bit of a “thankless job,” John loves what he does. “I have the privilege of working with a diverse group of clients across a huge range of industries,” he says. “I get to spend time with their cases, dig into their corporate strategies, and help them come up with solutions that work for everybody.” Outside of the office, John spends a lot of his time cheering his daughter on as she plays softball for Southern Nazarene University and farming his 1,000 acres of wheat, milo, and sesame on the weekends. John takes pride in the impact he’s had on the bottom line for his many clients. “There have been numerous clients who came to us experiencing high losses who we were able to get down to virtually zero losses within just 12 months,” he says. Though much of this work is done behind the scenes, there’s no mistaking the immense benefit he provides to every client who comes his way. If you ever find yourself working with John, know that you’re in good hands — there aren’t many guys with more experience and expertise anywhere in the industry.
2 • www.insurica.com • Specialized Insurance Programs for Specialized Industries.
US Roads Are Getting Safer
BUT THEY’RE STILL NOT SAFE ENOUGH
But a bit of good news is that distracted driving seems to be on the decline. The NHTSA reports that distracted driving also decreased by more than 8 percent from 2016 to 2017 and a whopping 42 percent since 2008, a year after the first iPhone was released.
Our streets and highways finally seem to be getting a little safer. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported a 1.8 percent decline in fatal motor vehicle collisions from 2016 to 2017 — the first decrease since 2013. Though the full data for 2018 is not yet available, preliminary numbers show an even more promising trend for last year. However, there are a few troubling numbers in the midst of this peachy picture. The number of people killed while driving or riding in SUVs — America’s favorite type of vehicle — actually increased by 3 percent in 2017. Even more disturbing is the fact that the number of pedestrians and bicyclists killed by drivers is at a 20-year high. Also, it’s difficult to call 37,133 vehicular fatalities in 2017 exactly a “good” number. It’s obvious that we can do a lot more to keep ourselves and our fellow drivers, riders, and walkers safe on the road. Reducing distracted driving is a frequent aim for improving road safety. The NHTSA reports that 3,166 people were killed in 2017 as a result of distracted drivers, which is just under 9 percent of total fatal crashes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that each day, approximately nine people are killed and over 1,000 injured in crashes reported to involve a distracted driver. Have a Laugh!
These numbers may be improving, but we can push the envelope for safety much
further. New vehicle manufacturers like to claim that their “driver- assist” and “driverless” technologies are drastically reducing the number of collisions, and as these new technologies develop and emerge, it’s highly likely they will help. But they are not enough. To make a serious impact on the number of auto-related fatalities each year, it will require a commitment to giving undivided attention to the road from all drivers in the country. Through better drivers, we can take that fatality number down to where it should be: closer to zero.
Sudoku
Specialized Insurance Programs for Specialized Industries. • www.insurica.com • 3
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INSIDE This Issue Brad Johnson Toasts the Dads Doing Their Best page 1 3 Ways to Keep Up Productivity During the Summer Meet John Schlarb page 2 Are US Roads Finally Getting Safer? Sudoku page 3
‘Influence’ and the Psychology of Yes page 4
‘Influence’ A Roadmap to Closing Deals
Business majors and longtime entrepreneurs will be very familiar with this work. And in an age when many shiny new theories on leadership and personal development come out every year, it’s refreshing to revisit a classic that has stood the test of time. Thirty-five years after its original publication, “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion” should still be required reading for marketers, small-business owners, and anyone else looking to improve their negotiation skills.
decisions; and “Scarcity,” our tendency to assign value to things based on their rarity. While these may sound like surface level business concepts, the way Dr. Cialdini uses these principles as a launching point gives “Influence” value. With each principle, the author dives into examples of how these psychological elements can be used by you or against you in any negotiation. Take “Commitment and Consistency” for example. If you are able to get a person to agree with you on several small points, you lay the groundwork for them to agree with you in the future. Conversely, you can be more alert when people try to use this tactic on you. One of the most powerful results of reading “Influence” is that it helps you recognize behaviors you yourself were unaware of. Indeed, that’s the whole underlying thesis of Dr. Cialdini’s work: As social creatures, we all have habitual behaviors geared towards finding common ground with others. Once you are aware of these behaviors, you’ll begin to see conversations and negotiations in a whole new light.
Written by Dr. Robert Cialdini, “Influence” explores why people say yes. A professor of business and psychology, Dr. Cialdini is uniquely qualified to tackle this question, combining scientific data with practical applications. “Influence” is still a subject of praise, with marketing research groups and journals of psychology lauding the book as a “proverbial gold mine.” You don’t have to get too far into “Influence” to see why.
Dr. Cialdini lays out six “universal principles” of the human psyche. These include “Reciprocity,” our tendency to want to return perceived kindness or concessions; “Commitment and Consistency,” our tendency to cling to past
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