Greetings from West Virginia! We arrived safely and I type this from my hotel room in Weirton, WV. I'm only a couple miles away from crossing the Ohio River over to Steubenville. The plane trip was uneventful as you would want one to be.
Mindy and I will be soon heading over to start getting her settled, so this will be brief.
One quick note. Normally I fly Alaska Airlines but they don't fly into Pittsburgh. I was pleasantly surprised by US Air. It was clean, on time, and the employees had fun, made jokes, and made our trip enjoyable. Customer service is a great thing...especially after my debacle with Dell.
More to come later...
Dan
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Steubenville Journal
Well, I'm heading out today to Steubenville, OH to take my oldest daughter Mindy to college at Franciscan University. She's a freshman so this is an emotional time in our family as you might imagine. Many of you may have already gone through this process and can empathize. Others of you will be looking forward to it.
This will start my daily journal that can be seen on this blog about my trip. I realize this doesn't have anything to do directly with insurance, but as I mentioned on my blog, there will be posts about life journeys as well, so this is one of them. If you are interested, I hope you will check in and see how we are doing.
Last night, we had 11 people over for dinner - all members of the family. It was a great chance to see Mindy off and say "see you later" until Christmas break. Family is an important part of life, whether it's your personal family, your faith family, your family at work, or the family you coach. The support you gain from your family in all walks of your life is critical to your happiness. I'm sure Mindy received that last night.
We're off tonight on a red-eye to Charlotte and then on to Pittsburgh. My next blog will come tomorrow.
Cheers,
Dan
Monday, August 20, 2007
What you can learn from a dog - The Blondie Rule #1
The other day I was taking my dogs out for their last potty break before going to bed. It was a miserable evening as the rain was really coming down hard. I put on my rain coat, and started the “leashing up process”. As I was getting Charlie, my black lab ready to go, my 16-year old terrier mix mutt Blondie decided she wasn’t going to wait.
She walked through the screen in the door (Now, how did THAT get there?) and proceeded to the top of the porch step just under cover. It was at that point she decided to do her duty, turn around and come back in. I guess a 16-year old dog has more wisdom than her 42-year old human owner. She wasn’t about to get wet, while Charlie and I got drenched.
So, what can we learn from Blondie? It didn’t take much analysis to determine that going down the stairs into the rain just to get her “job” done wasn’t necessary. She made a “command” decision and solved the problem at the least expense and effort, and still got the job done.
How many times do we fall victim of “analysis paralysis”? Sometimes, we may take an inordinate amount of time to make a decision that was staring us in the face all the time. Instead of using our wisdom and acting, we waste time, energy, and money in over-analyzing. Sometimes, we lose an opportunity because of it! If you’re like me, you have been guilty of this.
I’ve learned that my old dog can teach me new tricks. This was a good example. Granted, I will continue to use the acceptable human way to go to the bathroom; Blondie’s method of decision-making was not lost on me!
Dan
P.S. Are you procrastinating on getting your insurance in order? How much money are YOU wasting? Click here to go to my Toro store to learn more about ways to save money on your insurance.
She walked through the screen in the door (Now, how did THAT get there?) and proceeded to the top of the porch step just under cover. It was at that point she decided to do her duty, turn around and come back in. I guess a 16-year old dog has more wisdom than her 42-year old human owner. She wasn’t about to get wet, while Charlie and I got drenched.
So, what can we learn from Blondie? It didn’t take much analysis to determine that going down the stairs into the rain just to get her “job” done wasn’t necessary. She made a “command” decision and solved the problem at the least expense and effort, and still got the job done.
How many times do we fall victim of “analysis paralysis”? Sometimes, we may take an inordinate amount of time to make a decision that was staring us in the face all the time. Instead of using our wisdom and acting, we waste time, energy, and money in over-analyzing. Sometimes, we lose an opportunity because of it! If you’re like me, you have been guilty of this.
I’ve learned that my old dog can teach me new tricks. This was a good example. Granted, I will continue to use the acceptable human way to go to the bathroom; Blondie’s method of decision-making was not lost on me!
Dan
P.S. Are you procrastinating on getting your insurance in order? How much money are YOU wasting? Click here to go to my Toro store to learn more about ways to save money on your insurance.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Too Close for Comfort
Do you ever have close calls? Just the other day, I was driving to the post office and suddenly grew concerned that I’d forgotten my cell phone at home. If you’re like me and use your cell phone for business all the time, a twinge of panic runs through you, right? Well, as I went to check my pocket, I looked up and realized that the cars in front of me were coming to a screeching halt. I hit the brakes hard and narrowly missed rear-ending the car in front of me. I was thinking, “Great. A risk management expert rear-ending another car because he was distracted. That doesn’t look very good!”
Even though I don’t use my cell phone while driving anymore, it still was a distraction and nearly caused an accident. How many close calls are there in your business every day? Depending on the type of business you have, it can range from very low (1 or 2) to very high (10 to 12).
It’s important to learn from our close calls if we want to avoid the disaster. For me, I need to remember that forgetting my phone is not as important as the job at hand…driving. I could always check when I pulled in and parked. How about you? What can you do in your business?
A good place to start is by making your employees aware of close calls. If you can raise their awareness about what close calls are, and how they can predict future losses, you will be in a position to avoid costly claims and injuries. The bottom line will be your bottom line! It’s time to learn from your “almost” mistakes.
Dan
P.S. Do you need help with your safety meetings? Would you like to introduce close calls to your employees? Give me a call and let’s schedule a visit for me to your business. Your employees will learn how to protect themselves from injury and you will have a safer, more efficient work environment. To learn more about my risk management consulting, click here…
Even though I don’t use my cell phone while driving anymore, it still was a distraction and nearly caused an accident. How many close calls are there in your business every day? Depending on the type of business you have, it can range from very low (1 or 2) to very high (10 to 12).
It’s important to learn from our close calls if we want to avoid the disaster. For me, I need to remember that forgetting my phone is not as important as the job at hand…driving. I could always check when I pulled in and parked. How about you? What can you do in your business?
A good place to start is by making your employees aware of close calls. If you can raise their awareness about what close calls are, and how they can predict future losses, you will be in a position to avoid costly claims and injuries. The bottom line will be your bottom line! It’s time to learn from your “almost” mistakes.
Dan
P.S. Do you need help with your safety meetings? Would you like to introduce close calls to your employees? Give me a call and let’s schedule a visit for me to your business. Your employees will learn how to protect themselves from injury and you will have a safer, more efficient work environment. To learn more about my risk management consulting, click here…
Monday, August 13, 2007
What You Can Learn from Tiger Woods
If you’ve ever watched Tiger Woods play golf, you know you’re looking at arguably the greatest golfer of all time. He unquestionably fits that title for this generation at least. Even if you’re not a golfer, you are certainly aware of his dominance in his profession. This past weekend, he picked up his 13th career major victory at the PGA Championship in Tulsa, OK; moving him ever closer to Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major wins.
So what can we learn from Tiger? No, I’m not talking about his thunderous drives or his precision putting. We can however learn something about work ethic, perseverance, and a commitment to excellence.
Tiger Woods has been called a “phenom” by many. However, his phenomenal play really comes from an endless regimen that strengthens his mind, body, and skills. The mental focus he brings to his game is really what sets him apart from his competitors. Think about this weekend. After 72 holes in temperatures that soured to over 100 degrees each day, he won a tournament by a mere 2 strokes. Two strokes over 72 holes isn’t a lot by numbers, but it’s that little “extra” that Tiger brings from the mental side that puts him over the top time and time again. His ability to focus on the task at hand, without being distracted about what happened in the past, or what will happen in the future, has made him the most dominant athlete in sports since Michael Jordan.
Do you bring that type of focus to your “game”?
I know I normally talk about insurance, but how about just plain business? Are you focused on all aspects of what is most important for your business – growth, profitability, AND survivability? If you had a major catastrophe today, is your business prepared for the worst case scenario? Here are some things you might need to focus on:
- Is my insurance adequate? When was the last time I really checked?
- Do I have an emergency disaster plan in place?
- Do my employees know what to do in the case of a disaster?
- Will my business survive a catastrophic event?
Be like Tiger Woods in your business. Prepare for the unexpected and be committed to having the best protection possible. It may just save your business someday!
Dan
P.S. Need some help figuring out the best insurance for your business? That's why I developed my 8 Cool Rules for Better Insurance Buying. You can either purchase the booklet or an e-Book directly from my Toro Store. Click here to learn more...
Thursday, August 9, 2007
I Can’t Drive 55! Are your drivers costing you money every day?
Do you remember the days when you were young and having a fast car was everything? Even if it was only a Toyota Celica! I was fortunate I never seemed to pick up any tickets when I was younger and that helped me keep my insurance rates low. And when I say fortunate, I mean LUCKY!
As a consultant, I work with a lot of companies that have a large fleet of vehicles and drivers dedicated to one main thing – driving. I wish more professional drivers knew how important their personal driving record is to their ability to be employed. I’ve seen many a driver lose their job because they had too many tickets and/or accidents. I also wish business owners realized how much drivers with poor records were costing them money.
If you’re a business owner that has a fleet of vehicles and want to save money on insurance, click here to read my article on ways to drive sown your insurance cost.
Dan
As a consultant, I work with a lot of companies that have a large fleet of vehicles and drivers dedicated to one main thing – driving. I wish more professional drivers knew how important their personal driving record is to their ability to be employed. I’ve seen many a driver lose their job because they had too many tickets and/or accidents. I also wish business owners realized how much drivers with poor records were costing them money.
If you’re a business owner that has a fleet of vehicles and want to save money on insurance, click here to read my article on ways to drive sown your insurance cost.
Dan
Monday, August 6, 2007
Will Your Personal Insurance Cover You? How Do You Know?
How often do you talk to your personal insurance agent? If you’re like most people, including me, the answer is almost never. No wonder a Gecko has become one of the leading figures in personal insurance today!
You need to be concerned about this. I have a friend who last year decided to tear down his house and build a new home on the property. His agent didn’t do him any favors by slapping an insurance policy called a Builders Risk on it. You see, his homeowners insurance didn’t accept an endorsement called Course of Construction, which would have been broader in coverage and much cheaper. The agent took the easy way out and saddled him with an expensive 12-month policy that wouldn’t automatically renew like a homeowners policy. Its best purpose is to cover spec homes, not new residential homes by the client. The agent had personal lines companies that would have loved to take the account with a Course of Construction endorsement if given the chance.
The problem arose recently when the home was not quite finished and the Builders Risk policy expired. Nobody at the agency notified my friend until the bank wanted to know why there was no longer any insurance in place. My friend was now out of insurance and faced with the possibility of another expensive annual policy (the home will be finished in a month), or even worse, an uncovered fire that destroys over a year’s worth of work. Now, because the home is well into the process, no personal lines companies want to insure it with the endorsement. I haven’t ever figured that one out yet, but that’s the way it is.
Can this scenario or one like it, happen to you? It can, so I urge you to be diligent in making sure you’re meeting at least annually with your agent. It doesn’t take much time and your cost not to could be tragic. In an era where more and more personal agents are communicating less with their clients, you need to be responsible for your own financial protection. Make your agent earn their commission.
P.S. This is one of the reasons I started my consulting practice. If you need help with an insurance challenge, contact me at dan@toroic.com to inquire on how I can help you solve it. Or, visit my web site at www.toroic.com and see what services I offer.
You need to be concerned about this. I have a friend who last year decided to tear down his house and build a new home on the property. His agent didn’t do him any favors by slapping an insurance policy called a Builders Risk on it. You see, his homeowners insurance didn’t accept an endorsement called Course of Construction, which would have been broader in coverage and much cheaper. The agent took the easy way out and saddled him with an expensive 12-month policy that wouldn’t automatically renew like a homeowners policy. Its best purpose is to cover spec homes, not new residential homes by the client. The agent had personal lines companies that would have loved to take the account with a Course of Construction endorsement if given the chance.
The problem arose recently when the home was not quite finished and the Builders Risk policy expired. Nobody at the agency notified my friend until the bank wanted to know why there was no longer any insurance in place. My friend was now out of insurance and faced with the possibility of another expensive annual policy (the home will be finished in a month), or even worse, an uncovered fire that destroys over a year’s worth of work. Now, because the home is well into the process, no personal lines companies want to insure it with the endorsement. I haven’t ever figured that one out yet, but that’s the way it is.
Can this scenario or one like it, happen to you? It can, so I urge you to be diligent in making sure you’re meeting at least annually with your agent. It doesn’t take much time and your cost not to could be tragic. In an era where more and more personal agents are communicating less with their clients, you need to be responsible for your own financial protection. Make your agent earn their commission.
P.S. This is one of the reasons I started my consulting practice. If you need help with an insurance challenge, contact me at dan@toroic.com to inquire on how I can help you solve it. Or, visit my web site at www.toroic.com and see what services I offer.
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