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Posts Tagged ‘risk management’

Extra Points: Respect Is Your Responsibility

October 9, 2017 Leave a comment

Dan Weedin Unleashed-40Harvey Weinstein. Fired by his own company’s board of directors for allegations of sexual assault on many women – his employees – with whom he had power over their careers in his hands.

Cam Newton. Lambasted over social media for his callous comments to a female beat writer for his employer, suggesting it was “funny” that she was asking football questions of football players. His embarrassed employer, the Carolina Panthers spent the next couple of days trying to put out that fire.

These are two high profile situations this past week around the topic of discrimination. While the former is certainly more heinous and likely criminal, they both speak to responsibility employers have when dealing with employees and the potential consequences. These two cases made the headlines; the vast majority of them end up hidden inside the walls of small and medium-sized business around the country. These employees damaged by discrimination, harassment and bad behavior don’t get the same press, yet deal with the consequences of it.

Here’s the deal: Discrimination and liability for actions happens to all genders, to all races, to all religions, and to all ages. What your employees say and how they behave around each other is your concern as a leader. I’ve seen situations where lawsuits came up out of the blue and employers literally had no idea because they didn’t see the signs, or even because they were the problem.

Disaster recovery is often thought of as the steps taken by an organization after a devastating fire or natural disaster. Just as deadly to your company’s brand, reputation, and bottom line is a bad culture that doesn’t recognize the rights and respect of its employees. How your company treats, respects, hires, promotes, and manages conflict with your employees is paramount to your ultimate success. For starters, it’s the right thing to do. After that, it’s going to be those companies that create growth and prosperity for themselves and their employees.


Quote of the Week:

”Go after what you really love and find a way to make that work for you, and then you’ll be a happy person.”

~ Tom Petty

I’m so glad Tom Petty took that advice and made music for the last four decades. We never met, yet his music holds a large segment of the soundtrack of my life. Thanks for running down your dream, Mr. Petty…

© 2017 Toro Consulting, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Do you need help creating an emergency crisis plan for your business or family? Call me and let’s schedule a meeting to talk. The time to act is before you need it. Email me

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Extra Points: What Legacy Are You Leaving?

October 2, 2017 Leave a comment

Dan Weedin Unleashed-40Last week, my wife and I were blessed with the addition of our granddaughter, Eleanor Grace. Needless to say, it was one of the best moments in our lives. We couldn’t stop just gazing at her. It’s surreal when your daughter becomes a mother and you gain an addition to your family.

Barb and I have two wonderful daughters that have grow into terrific young adults. As I contemplate the enormity of that simple statement, it becomes clear that one of the redeeming parts of growing older is the genetic and personal legacy you leave. We look at our family and realize our DNA and the people we are live on through our children and grandchildren.

Businesses also leave a legacy. Strong enterprises produce a healthy and content work environment for employees and their families; happy clients that are better off for having worked with them; and a community that benefits from their success. Like parents growing children into strong people and productive citizens, CEOs and company leaders have the task of growing strong company cultures and a legacy of productive enterprise. And also like parents, protecting that legacy becomes a primary objective that involves strategy, implementation, and accountability.

What kind of legacy are you leaving for your company, it’s employees, and your clients?

Quote of the Week:

”It’s easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.”

~ Frederick Douglass

© 2017 Toro Consulting, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Do you need help creating an emergency crisis plan for your business or family? Call me and let’s schedule a meeting to talk. The time to act is before you need it. Email me

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Extra Points: Be Part of Something Larger

September 25, 2017 Leave a comment

Dan Weedin Unleashed-40This is Part 4 of a four-part series this month in honor of National Preparedness Month. Thank you fore bearing with me this month to ficus on readiness and preparedness. In order to be “unleashed” both personally and professionally, you need to make sure you are able to be resilient when bad things happen as they always will. Today’s’ message is focused on the concept of being part of a something larger than just us

We all share this big planet together. Being a lone wolf is perilous; as Rudyard Kipling taught us, “For the strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack.”

In order to survive and ultimately thrive out of a calamity, we wolves need to band together and be a resource for each other. The ideas and concepts from the past three weeks need not just suffice for your family and your business. There is great opportunity to share with neighbors (of whom we’ve already discussed); your faith-based organizations; your professional and personal associations (e.g. Rotary, Lions, Kiwanis, Chambers of Commerce); your school districts and college campuses; and other groups that you consider as part of your own pack. 

You are encouraged to check out the Ready.gov website that is filled with resources for all your groups. What better way to impact and improve the lives and future conditions of others than to share, participate, and build a stronger pack?

There is also a fabulous program meant to train people to be first responders and help each other. It’s called Until Help Arrives and information can be located here – Learn more.

Final thought: In my life I’ve observed that the greatest and most heroic acts of courage and compassion by humans to other humans have been shown in times of crisis. While that will continue to be the case, let’s also work to try and prevent crisis and be prepared to accelerate recovery and reduce loss of lives. That’s the ultimate wolf pack and truly being unleashed for everyone.

Next week, we resume our regular programming. Thanks for reading!

P.S. Follow me on Facebook. This month, I will be doing a Facebook Live segment on how to pack a “go bag” in case you must evacuate your home and one that you should keep at work in case you get stuck and can’t make it home for days. I’m also posting daily tips on Twitter.

Quote of the Week:

”Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.”

~ Mark Twain

© 2017 Toro Consulting, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Do you need help creating an emergency crisis plan for your business or family? Call me and let’s schedule a meeting to talk. The time to act is before you need it. Email me

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Extra Points: Practice & Build Out Your Plans

September 18, 2017 Leave a comment

Dan Weedin Unleashed-40This is Part 3 of a four-part series this month in honor of National Preparedness Month. While this may not seem to be the sexiest of topics, you need look no further than the wreckage left by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma to understand the life and death issues faced by you, your family, and your business.

Week 3 focuses on creating and practicing your plans. This reminds of being a high school basketball coach. Each week, the coaching staff would put together a plan for the two teams we would play that week. We would then focus our practice and preparation on that plan, including very specific situations that would simulate the games. Creating a plan to survive – both in your personal life and for your business – demands the same process.

Step 1 is to actually think about, write, down, and communicate a plan. This step is for both your home and business. You should include things like first aid kit locations, emergency funds access, critical document storage, evacuation planning, and how everyone will communicate. Very few small and medium-sized businesses ever get past Step 1!
If you are a business owner, you have a responsibility to your employees and their families. If you have a family, you have a responsibility to them. Not doing so is negligent and dangerous.

Step 2 is knowing how to access community resources. This means shelters, food banks, and other resources that your local, county, and state emergency management teams have created. I know in my city, City Hall is designated as a community shelter in an emergency. They will provide heat, shelter, and food for those that have had some impact and are vulnerable. Do you know where your emergency shelters are in your city or town?

Step 3 is practicing your plan. I often tell business clients that while the fire extinguishers mounted on the walls in their business are nice, they are useless if nobody knows how to use them. You can have an evacuation plan that fails miserably if nobody knows it; a communication plan that falls on deaf ears if it hasn’t been tested; and someone become injured or die because they never practiced how to stay alive and guessed wrong. Bottom line: practice your plan to assure the safety and well being of the most important people in your life.

There is a fabulous program meant to train people to be first responders and help each other. It’s called Until Help Arrives and information can be located here – Learn more.

Next and final week, we focus on getting involved and being part of something larger. Being “safe out there” is incumbent on planning ahead.

P.S. Follow me on Facebook. This month, I will be doing a Facebook Live segment on how to pack a “go bag” in case you must evacuate your home and one that you should keep at work in case you get stuck and can’t make it home for days. I’m also posting daily tips on Twitter.

Quote of the Week:

”To be wronged is nothing unless you continue to remember it.”

~ Confucius

© 2017 Toro Consulting, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Do you need help creating an emergency crisis plan for your business or family? Call me and let’s schedule a meeting to talk. The time to act is before you need it. Email me

Categories: Extra Points, risk management Tags: , , , , , , ,

Extra Points: Helping Neighbors & Community

September 11, 2017 Leave a comment

Dan Weedin Unleashed-40This is Part 2 of a four-part series this month in honor of National Preparedness Month. While this may not seem to be the sexiest of topics, you need look no further than the wreckage left by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma to understand the life and death issues faced by you, your family, and your business.

Week 2 focuses on making a plan to help your neighbors and community. I am very fortunate to live next to incredible neighbors. We have access to each others house to help in an emergency and are really “on call” when needed. Neighborhoods look different for everybody. so let’s talk about three things you and your neighbors can do to help each other and your community.

Step 1 is to have a neighborhood meeting (adding food always helps) to find out information like: who has a generator; are there medical professionals in the group; are there any vulnerable or special need people; where are the best places to stage people; and routes of ingress and egress. It doesn’t have to be overly formal, yet these are important things to know in a crisis.

Step 2 is to create a communication link. Make sure there are secondary and tertiary plans in case connectivity and power are compromised. If there is one person that is willing to do the work of gathering contact information, that would be a huge benefit for everyone.

Step 3 is keeping current. The group should meet at least once a year – September is good – to update information and fill in any new neighbors. In the case of a disaster, we will need to count on each other becasue nobody else may come for awhile.

I just saw a tremendous presentation on a program meant to train people to be first responders and help each other. It’s called Until Help Arrives and information can be located here – Learn more.

Finally, your community is also your neighbor. As safety allows, be ready to help your larger area with skill, expertise, and often just muscle.

Next week, we focus on practicing and building out your plans. Being “safe out there” is incumbent on planning ahead.

P.S. Follow me on Facebook. This month, I will be doing a Facebook Live segment on how to pack a “go bag” in case you must evacuate your home and one that you should keep at work in case you get stuck and can’t make it home for days. I’m also posting daily tips on Twitter.

Quote of the Week:

”Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”

~ Thomas Edison

© 2017 Toro Consulting, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Do you need help creating an emergency crisis plan for your business or family? Call me and let’s schedule a meeting to talk. The time to act is before you need it. Email me

Categories: Business Strategy, Extra Points, risk management Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Extra Points: Family and Friends Plan

September 4, 2017 Leave a comment

Dan Weedin Unleashed-40This is Part 1 of a four part series this month in honor of National Preparedness Month. While this may not seem to be the sexiest of topics, you need look no further than the wreckage left by Hurricane Harvey to understand the life and death issues faced by you, your family, and your business.

Week 1 focuses on making a plan for yourself, your family, and your friends. Step 1 is to create a written emergency plan that responds to evacuation from your home; staging areas to meet; first aid and medications; food and clean water supplies; how to shut off water and electricity; emergency power and connectivity, and pets (to name just a few).

Step 2 is to assure your insurance protection is in place and accessible. Do you need earthquake or flood insurance? Note that about 80% of homeowners affected by Harvey did not have flood insurance (CNBC article). Flood insurance programs have a 30 day waiting period after you make payment…like a time deductible. With winter coming, now is the time to get it if you are in any path of rivers, lakes or other water tables. No matter what, you must know how your insurance will respond to crisis and have Internet access to a copy of your policy.

Step 3 is to plan financially for a disaster. I recommend you have at least $300 of cash in your house at all times. This is even hard for me becasue it’s easy to rob from yourself with the”promise” of putting it back! However, in an emergency, access to your bank or other funds may be delayed. Cash still works to buy food!

Step 4 is to once a year (now would be good), practice your plan. We all went through fire drills in grade school to know what to do in case of a fire, right? Why my school always chose the days it rained is curious to me, but disaster rarely sends advance notice.

Step 5 is to share with your family and friends so they know how to contact you and can build their own emergency plan and kit. Communication is essential for saving lives; make sure your most important network connection is strong.

Next week, we focus on planning to help your neighborhood and community. Being “safe out there” is incumbent on planning ahead.

P.S. Follow me on Facebook. This month, I will be doing a Facebook Live segment on how to pack a “go bag” in case you must evacuate your home and one that you should keep at work in case you get stuck and can’t make it home for days.

Quote of the Week:

”Luck is a very thin wire between survival and disaster, and not many people can keep their balance on it.”

~ Hunter S. Thompson (American Journalist)

© 2017 Toro Consulting, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Do you need help creating an emergency crisis plan for your business or family? Call me and let’s schedule a meeting to talk. The time to act is before you need it. Email me at dan@danweedin.com

 

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Lessons from Hurricane Harvey

August 30, 2017 Leave a comment

He is ready to fight for success

Rainy Days Happen To Us All
The images of Houston and the surrounding areas hit by Hurricane Harvey are heartbreaking. The devastation will have an impact on residents and businesses for decades.

All of our hearts go out to the people suffering and trying to survive this tragedy.

However before the rest of us get too comfortable in our chairs, it’s the right time to take stock of our own precarious situations. Houston is the latest in a long line of calamities, and it won’t be the last. What can we learn and most importantly implement from Hurricane Harvey?

September is National Preparedness Month and a great time to assess your current state of readiness and preparedness. How resilient are you personally and professionally?

I’m offering you risk assessment questionnaires for your current state of readiness and preparedness in your professional and personal lives. They’re short, simple, and free.

There are two forms: one for business and one for personal. After completing one or both, you can send them to me via email and I will respond within 24 hours with a brief assessment and some suggestions. If after, you’d like to schedule a chat about your situation, we can do that.

We see occurrences like what is happening in the Houston area and are shocked and saddened; however all too often we forget about them quickly and go on without making any changes that will better us. Don’t let that happen this time. Take a few minutes to understand how ready and prepared your business and family are so that when you face your own calamity, you are in a position of strength and resilience.

LINK for Business Assessment

LINK  for Personal Assessment

© 2017 Toro Consulting, Inc. All Rights Reserved

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