R&B Lloyd Sadd Fall 2014

FALL 2014LLoyd Sadd InSurance

The Freak FactorDiscovering Uniqueness by Flaunting Weakness

The Game is Different

Embracing Change in Marketing

Seven Strata of Strategy

Eliminating Distortions in your Data

RISK BUSINESS&MAGAZINE

2 RISK & BUSINESS MAGAZINETM FALL 2014

RISK & BUSINESS MAGAZINETM FALL 2014 3

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CONTRIBUTORS Andy Buyting Brian Cane Greg Crabtree John DiJulius III Malcolm Fraser Adam Fowler Damon Gersh Verne Harnish Eldon MacKeigan Jordan Rodney David Rendall Jeff Tetz

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CONTENTS16

Best Selling Author David Rendall

The Freak FactorDiscovering Uniqueness by Flaunting Weakness

www.lloydsadd.com

Welcome to the third edition of Risk & Business MagazineTM, our biannual publication, offering a range of interesting articles and insights for the business-minded professional. Our focus remains, as always, on risk, reward, and the general business practices of insurance.

As you may know, these last few months have been a busy and exciting time at Lloyd Sadd. On July 14th, we celebrated the opening of our new Edmonton office. We’ve expanded to ensure we have the resources and scope to help our clients achieve their business goals while also giving us room to grow into our own future goals.

With additional space and resources, we will continue to pursue new partnership opportunities throughout Alberta. As expert advisors on risk and risk reduction, we are hoping to foster partnerships with businesses that will create success for both parties.

Our priority has always been, and will continue to be, helping both current and prospective clients manage their risk in pursuit of growth. By managing our clients’ total cost of risk, we can reduce their costs, improve the stability of their operations, and ultimately improve their financial position.

As you read through this edition, we encourage you to think about the articles and contact us with any questions you might have. At Lloyd Sadd, we believe that the more we work together to solve the latest risk and business challenges, the greater all of our businesses will be.

T. Marshall Sadd, President & CEO

welcome to R&B

Letter from the Owner 5

What’s Going On 6

Cyber Security for Small Business 8

Crisis, or Revolution? 9Not only have the rules changed, but the entire game is different.

Embracing Change in Marketing 12

Going Under the Microscope 14The importance of conducting effective workplace investigations

Seven Strata of Strategy 20

The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy 22

Eliminating Distortions 24Why your P&L is not worth the paper it is printed on.

Pollution Liability Insurance 26Why should contractors purchase Pollution Liability Insurance?

Mold Issues in New Construction 28

The Importance of Risk Management for Startups 30

Execution 31The Biggest Challenge for Business


What’s going on at Lloyd SaddLloyd Sadd is proud to host a series of exclusive risk management conferences and events each year as a value-added service for our clients. These events help our clients improve their organizations and

bring underwriters, brokers, clients, and industry leaders together to discuss relevant insurance and risk management issues. If you’d like to learn more about Lloyd Sadd events, visit our events page on our website at lloydsadd.com.



High-profile cyber attacks and data breaches at Sony, Honda Canada and Target have raised awareness of the growing threat of cyber crime—yet surveys conducted by Symantec suggest that many small business owners are still operating under a false sense of cyber security.

Don’t Equate Small with Safe The majority of Canadian small businesses lack a formal Internet security policy for employees, and only about half have cyber security measures in place. This disconnect is largely due to the widespread, albeit mistaken, belief that small businesses are unlikely targets for cyber attacks. In reality, data thieves are simply looking for the path of least resistance. Symantec’s study found that 40 per cent of attacks are against organizations with fewer than 500 employees.

Attacks Could Destroy Your Business Large companies are devoting more

Cyber Security for Small BusinessSUBMITTED BY: LLOYD SADD INSURANCE BROKERS

resources towards data security, making small businesses increasingly attractive targets. The results can be devastating for small business owners.

According to Symantec, the average cost of a cyber attack on a small or medium-sized business is nearly $200,000. As a result, nearly 60 per cent of the small businesses victimized by a cyber attack permanently close their doors within six months. Many of these businesses put off making necessary improvements to their cyber security protocols until it was too late because they feared the costs would be prohibitive.

10 Ways to Prevent Cyber Attacks Even if you don’t currently have the resources to bring in an outside expert to test your computer systems and make security recommendations, there are simple, economical steps you can take to reduce your risk of falling victim to a costly cyber attack:

1. Train employees in cyber security principles.

2. Install, use and regularly update antivirus and antispyware software on every computer used in your business.

3. Use a firewall for your Internet connection.

4. Download and install software updates for your operating systems and applications as they become available.

5. Make backup copies of important business data and information.

6. Control physical access to your computers and network components.

7. Secure your Wi-Fi networks. If you have a Wi-Fi network for your workplace make sure it is secure and hidden.

8. Require individual user accounts for each employee.

9. Limit employee access to data and information, and limit authority to install software.

10. Regularly change passwords.

Your Emerging Technology Partner A data breach could cripple your small business, costing you thousands or millions of dollars in lost sales and/or damages. Contact Lloyd Sadd Insurance Brokers Ltd to discuss coverage options designed to protect your company against losses from cyber attacks.

Footnote: This Cyber Risks & Liabilities document is not intended to be exhaustive nor should any discussion or opinions be construed as legal advice. Readers should contact legal counsel or an insurance professional for appropriate advice. © 2012 Zywave, Inc. All rights reserved.


Crisis, or Revolution?Not only have the rules changed, but the entire game is different.

A revolution is the ability to rally a group of people around a cause, so committed to seeing it through because it will benefit

and change the world.

Are you part of the Customer service crisis, or the Customer service revolution? Strong economic times can disguise a company’s weaknesses, and too often businesses with poor fundamentals can survive and sometimes grow for the short term. However, eventually the rubber meets the road, and only the businesses built on the premise that employee and Customer loyalty are their strongest assets are the ones that thrive and emerge as market leaders for the long term. These businesses realize that Customer service training is an investment, not an expense.

The biggest influence on Customer service in fifty years Technology has always changed the way business operates. The Internet opened up an incredible dynamic and an opportunity for information, marketing, and sharing. The biggest influence, no question, is social media, on so many different levels. Social media has turned Customer service upside down. Today, more than ever before, Customers are informed and empowered, and expect personalization and quicker responses. Remember the days when the business controlled the communication, actually controlled the customer? The business would decide if you would get to talk to someone, who that someone would be, on their own timetable. Not any more, the Customer is in complete control of communication, since now the fact that your customer has instant access to social media, which means instant access to thousands of people. Companies need to make sure they have proper procedures in place to react when a Customer reaches out on social media. If

BY: JOHN DiJULIUS, PRESIDENT, THE DiJULIUS GROUP

not, then you run the risk of a potential nightmare. Social media is not just for marketing and promotions. I am actually turned off by companies that only shamelessly promote themselves. Social media is also a way to communicate with your Customers, answer their questions, and respond quickly to their complaints. Every business has to have someone managing what is being said about its brand in the social media channels. Share insights, educate your Customers, show them resources, and find ways to help others—ways that can’t come back to benefit only you.

You earn business by being generous with your knowledge and resources

without asking for anything in return.

Every business is under a microscope now Companies can no longer hide if they deliver unacceptable Customer experiences and treat people disrespectfully. They will be out of business; it’s that simple. I ask my employees, “How would you behave if CNN were on site shooting a documentary?” With smartphones, everyone now has a video camera in hand.

What used to be “word of mouth” is now “word of mouse” According to a recent report from Fleishman-Hillard, the company found that 89 percent of consumers turn to Google, Bing, or another search engine to find information on products, services, or


businesses prior to making purchases. What you do well and not so well will be broadcast to hundreds, if not thousands, of potential Customers. They expect your company to be easy to contact and quick to respond.

You are creating either brand ambassadors, or brand terrorists

doing brand assassination.

People do not expect you to be perfect, but how you handle imperfection better be. We need to be zero risk to deal with. Zero risk does not mean you will never screw up, but it does mean you will admit when you drop the ball. As a result, Customers can become more loyal because of the way you handled the problem.

The Customer rebellion All this has resulted in the Customer service crisis. Companies spend millions creating and advertising their brands, yet the Customer’s experience is what drives Customer perception.Consumers have less patience and are more outspoken than ever before.

Customers are no longer tolerating subpar service, indifference, and unempathetic businesses, and they are standing up for themselves. They won’t take it anymore, which has resulted in the Customer rebellion. For hundreds of years, the best form of advertising was word of mouth. Today, it is word of mouse. Social media represents a gigantic power shift back to the consumer. Now consumers can share their displeasure with thousands of

others just with a click of a button. It takes twenty years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. Also, the Internet and technology have made Customers more demanding, and they expect information, answers, products, responses, and resolutions sooner than ASAP.

As Sam Walton, founder of Walmart said, “There’s only one boss, the customer, and he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending money somewhere else or on something else.”

Power to the people A decade ago we saw a massive decline in face-to-face interaction due to the dramatic increase in e-commerce. However, today, social media has brought back a huge shift of people-to-people interaction.Consumers have more direct, daily contact with other consumers than has ever been possible. More contact means more sharing of information, gossiping, exchanging, engaging—in short, more word of mouth. An article titled “How Social Media Are

Content taken from the The Customer Service Revolution: Overthrow convention Business, Inspire Employees, and Change the World, (January 2015 Greenleaf Books) by John R. DiJulius III

Amplifying Customer Outrage” that was on CNN.com illustrates the power of the Customer’s voice today. In 2011, Netflix had a severe fallout. The Internet magnified the situation. Overnight, the company decided to increase its prices 60 percent. As a result, Netflix had to staff hundreds of extra Customer service reps to handle the incoming calls of irate Customers. It didn’t stop there. It also had to deal with four thousand negative posts on its blog. If that wasn’t enough, the company got eighty thousand posts on its Facebook page! These social media outlets allow Customers to voice their dissatisfaction and gain momentum like never before.

There is only one true growth: growth that occurs because Customers love doing business with you and become brand evangelists for you. Brand evangelists don’t just come back. They don’t simply recommend you—they insist that their friends do business with you. The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) reached a record high in the third quarter of 2013. Stock price and ACSI scores tend to move together for individual companies.

John R. DiJulius III is considered the authority on world-class Customer service and is the author of three books on Customer experience. He is the president of The DiJulius Group—a Customer service consulting firm that works with companies like Starbucks, Chick-fi l-A, The Ritz-Carlton, Nestle, PwC, Lexus, and many more. John is also the founder and owner of John Robert’s Spa—named one of the Top 20 Salons in America.


BY: MALCOLM FRASER, CEO, ISL

Embracing Change in Marketing

As a Digital Marketing Advisor, I spend a lot of time with senior

management teams discussing how marketing is changing and how this change is redefining what marketing success looks like today.

There are two questions that are regularly asked by organizations in these discussions:

1. How do we continue to justify the marketing budget? In an increasingly competitive environment, where budgets are constantly scrutinized, it is an ongoing challenge to understand how marketing investments are actually improving the overall results of the business. The historical approach of cause and effect measurement between marketing spend and real results is no longer relevant in the current marketing environment. Consumer behaviour is aggressively changing due to unlimited media channels and we, as marketers, are forced to keep pace and learn how to effectively leverage these digital channels.

2. Who should we trust to make my marketing effective? Many Marketing Managers are unable to confidently determine which partners have the best ability to make an impact with their audience in an already over-saturated market. There is confusion

about who has the best understanding of the perfect media mix and tactics that will reach and engage the right consumer.Digital media offers the potential to answer both of these questions.

As a highly measurable medium, digital media generates data that identifies what marketing channels and tactics are performing well and which are not.

The ability to measure the performance of these channels can also help identify which digital partners have not just good ideas, but the ability to execute and learn from their campaign results to make the next investment even more effective.

However, the promise of digital marketing presents a number of challenges. The two areas that hinder success often revolve around people and planning. We work with our clients to overcome these challenges so they can effectively integrate digital media into their overall marketing plan. We have discovered that the following focal points represent important areas for marketing professionals to consider when incorporating digital in their marketing strategy.

Managing People & Partners Many of the roles in the digital marketing profession did not exist five years ago and understanding what skills we need, when we need them and how to manage

these individuals is an ongoing challenge for all Marketing Managers. This is compounded with the involvement of a traditional marketing agency, a media buying company and a digital marketing partner who often have overlapping roles and may offer conflicting advice.Here are a few key tips on how to approach the internal skills and external partners dilemma:

1. Dedicate an internal resource to digital. The need for a named digital resource could not be stressed enough. Every organization should have at least one allocated resource to digital media. responsibilities should include content development, social media, planning and strategy, and

liaising with all partners. This role is increasingly supporting the success of the overall marketing strategy

2. Manage communications between the outsourced partners. The importance of managing all marketing partners should not be taken lightly. A dedicated resource to support and engage partners, and who can clearly identify roles and responsibilities, will be better equipped to communicate and prioritize marketing initiatives, which will lead to better results.

3. Ensure all digital partners have a strong voice at the table. All partners should be engaged at the beginning of strategic campaign planning. Many of the techniques and tactics that are evolving can be overlooked if the digital partner is struggling to be heard above the traditional marketing agency or media partner.


Commitment to being open to new and different approaches to marketing strategies is a must.

4. Encourage constant learning. The speed of evolution of digital media is increasing. It is critical that Marketing Managers make every effort for their team to continually educate themselves in this fast-paced industry, through conference, webinars and workshops.

Knowing What to Measure One of the biggest barriers for effective digital marketing is getting buy-in from senior management and in some organizations the Board of Directors. These senior leaders struggle to understand when digital investments are successful. The delivery of generic website traffic statistics is not enough to engage them in understanding the potential that digital can bring to achieving marketing goals. Analytics isn’t just a buzzword anymore but a key tool that helps define digital marketing goals and track the results of marketing efforts. The challenge with digging deeper into analytics is that it requires outlining a clear set of outcomes. “Awareness through reach” has little relevance today as Marketing Managers need to bring forward quality not quantity objectives to Senior Management. With analytics, Marketing Managers can provide real time results of marketing spend by focusing on reaching consumers who are actually interested in the product or service offering. Once everyone understands that “traffic” is meaningless there will be a great opportunity to start delivering leads, sales, or engagement statistics back to the senior leaders. They will then be able to ask more effective questions on how real goals were achieved.

In Summary It is critical that the senior team is educated on the changing face of marketing and how digital is making marketing investments more efficient.Ensure your internal team and all partners are aligned. the digital space is so vast, varied and new it requires all parties to be cooperative and focused to develop and execute the best ideas and content.

Start all marketing campaigns with defined measurable goals that will have meaning to the senior team. This will engage them to allocate more investment towards the digital marketing program.

Malcolm Fraser is the CEO of ISL, a Digital Marketing company that is helping small and medium sized businesses change the culture of marketing in their organizations. Malcolm can be reached at [email protected].

Scaling UpHow a Few Companies Make It... and Why the Rest Don’tBY: VERNE HARNISH

Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make It...and Why the Rest Don’t is the first major revision of this business classic; Mastering the Rockefeller Habits. In Scaling Up, Harnish and his team share practical tools and techniques for building an industry-dominating business.

These approaches have been honed from over three decades of advising tens of thousands of CEOs and executives and helping them navigate the increasing complexities (and weight) that come with scaling up a venture.

Epic Content Marketing BY:JOE PULIZZI

One of the world’s leading experts on content marketing, Joe Pulizzi explains how to attract prospects and customers by creating information and content they actually want to engage with.

No longer can we interrupt our customers with mediocre content and sales messages they don’t care about.

The Fundamentals

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Your business is in trouble. You have uncovered a problem (e.g. ethics

violations, harassment, discrimination, breach of conduct, etc) which may have started small, but you realize that it goes well beyond your scope of expertise. You need a resolution, but are unsure of where to start, and need an expert consultation to properly determine the root of the problem and where the solution begins. In other words, you need a workplace investigation.

Examining the Roots If you view your business like a garden, failure to conduct a proper workplace investigation is like a poison moving through your ecosystem. A problem that starts at the root and goes unabated will spread through the plants and eventually impact every single leaf. Similarly, a poisoned work environment can leave individuals feeling unwelcome or uncomfortable in the workplace, and the issues can start the same way. Minor situations can easily escalate beyond one individual or one department. A workplace investigation puts your business under the microscope. The investigation can either be conducted internally with appropriate resources

or externally by a team of skilled third-party experts such as experienced HR professionals and/or employment lawyers. Investigators will discuss the situation with you and explain how they plan on conducting their analysis. The investigation will include confidential interviews with any witnesses or parties involved, a thorough review of all pertinent documents and workplace policies, and a thorough report on the results of the investigation complete with recommendations of how to move forward.

Doing It Right It is crucial that workplace investigations are carried out properly to produce maximum benefit and minimize any future risk. A sloppy investigation is like a half-finished painting, and the picture painted of your business is wholly incomplete. Businesses have been severely penalized by courts and tribunals for failure to properly address claims of harassment, discrimination, and other forms of wrongdoing. An expert investigator will ensure that no stone goes unturned and a well-written report will help implement effective solutions.

There are common mistakes that are made during shoddy workplace investigations, including:• Waiting too long to

begin an investigation.• Failure to interview

all key witnesses and take proper accounts.

• Ignoring one or more allegations in the complaint.

• Failure to acknowledge key documents on which the case may turn.

• Punishing or singling out a complainant for coming forward and following policies.

Going Under the MicroscopeThe Importance of Conducting Effective Workplace InvestigationsBY: JORDAN RODNEY, PRESIDENT, MAXPEOPLEPERFORM

For employers, there are a few key tips to remember for conducting thorough and comprehensive investigations:• Plan the investigation extensively

before it begins to determine who should be leading the investigation, what will need to be reviewed, and what policy violations (if any) have occurred.

• Ask questions at every step. • Communicate thoroughly with all

involved parties in order to ensure there has been due process.

• Once the investigation is complete, ensure findings are objective and clearly communicated to the appropriate parties in your organization.

• Lastly, follow up on any proposed resolution! A report that goes unheeded means the investigation would not achieve its purpose.

The End Result The standards for workplace investigations are sky-high and they should be. The method in which an employer chooses to respond to a complaint or allegation is critical. To issue the right response, an employer must act on a clear and complete picture, the kind that can only be provided via a thorough workplace investigation. Good investigations are like healthy gardens – employers who properly look after their teams will see their teams blossom.

Jordan Rodney is the president of MaxPeoplePerform, a Human Resources Consulting organization and the founder of Rodney Employment Law, a boutique employment law firm. Jordan is a Human Resources professional and employment lawyer with close to 20 years of experience in his field.

The Freak Factor BY: DAVID RENDALL

Discovering Uniqueness by Flaunting Weakness

Each of us has unique characteristics. These characteristics have both positive

and negative features.


“We do not believe in ourselves until someone reveals that deep inside us something is valuable, worth listening to, worthy of our trust, sacred to our touch.” - e.e. cummings

The most common approach to self improvement is to build on strengths and fix weaknesses, usually with

special attention to fixing weaknesses. This is prevalent at work where annual appraisals are focused on overcoming our apparent limitations. Similarly, in homes and schools, parents and teachers expect children to excel in all academic subjects, athletic activities and social skills. Those who are lacking in any particular area are confronted with their flaws and given strategies for improvement.

The obvious goal of these remediation efforts is to foster success by producing well-rounded people. However, do these efforts really work and is being well-rounded a worthy or realistic goal? My experience as an individual, professor, parent and leader indicates that efforts to fix weaknesses are ineffective. Furthermore, I believe that the goal of being well-rounded is both undesirable and impossible to attain. So what is the alternative? In this article I’ll share a four-step process for getting better by embracing your weaknesses and amplifying them, instead of fixing them.

Awareness - Weaknesses are important clues to our strengths

“We are led to truth by our weaknesses as well as our strengths.” - Parker Palmer, Let Your Life Speak

Each of us has unique characteristics. These characteristics have both positive and negative features. These features, which we usually refer to as strengths and weaknesses, cannot be separated. They come in pairs. The positive and negative elements are inextricably linked.

This claim may seem outrageous and that is why I created the chart below. It lists 16 strengths and their corresponding weaknesses. Do any of these resonate with you? Have you seen these pairs in your own life or the lives of friends, co-workers or employees?

Unfortunately, instead of seeing a weakness as natural and unavoidable consequence of its corresponding strength, we see weakness as a problem to be eliminated. Our efforts to eliminate weakness are doomed to fail because any characteristic has particular advantages and disadvantages.

Acceptance - Apparent weaknesses are strengths in disguise

“Strong people always have strong weaknesses too. Where there are peaks, there are valleys.” - Peter Drucker

When I ask students and seminar participants if they should fix weaknesses, build strengths or do both, most choose to do both. However, there are a number of problems with this approach. Most importantly, since weaknesses and strengths are linked, attempting to fix a weakness can actually diminish the corresponding strength. This fact is best illustrated by the discount retail industry.

Walmart’s main strength is low prices and its weaknesses include poor quality merchandise, long lines and unhelpful employees. On the other hand, Target’s main strengths are higher quality products from well-known designers, attractive stores and helpful associates who are quick to open a new checkout lane. Unfortunately, Target’s weakness is that its prices are not as low as those at Walmart.

So, what would happen if Walmart tried to do both? What if they tried to build on their strengths and fix their weaknesses? What would happen to their low prices, their primary strength, as they added better products and extra employees at the registers? The answer is simple, their prices would climb, thus diminishing their strength.

Similarly, what if Target decided to fix their weakness by lowering prices? What would happen to the level of customer service and the great products that give them their advantage if they focused more on cost cutting? Again, the answer is straightforward, their quality and service would decrease, thus diminishing their strength.

If you don’t believe me, just look at Kmart.

Kmart provides an illustration of what happens when a company, or individual, loses focus and tries to do both. Their historical leadership in discount retail was based on the blue-light special, a symbol of low prices. However, they did not focus exclusively on this price advantage and began to lose customers to Walmart.

Kmart then began adding designer products from celebrities like Martha Stewart, but wasn’t quite ready to shed their low-price image. This allowed Target to capture higher-income customers that were design conscious. Kmart’s failure to focus ultimately led to bankruptcy. They weren’t the best at anything, so customers had no reason to shop there. Their failure illustrates the dangers of doing both, of trying to be well-rounded.

There is a compelling reason to go to Walmart, low prices. There is a compelling reason to go to Target, a better shopping experience. There is not a compelling reason to go to Kmart, so people don’t.

Strength WeaknessCreative Unorganized

Organized InflexibleDedicated StubbornFlexible Inconsistent

Enthusiastic ObnoxiousCalm Emotionless

Reflective ShyAdventurous IrresponsibleResponsible BoringPositive UnrealisticRealistic NegativeAssertive IntimidatingHumble Weak

Self-Confident ArrogantPatient Indecisive

Passionate Impatient


This is very important. If you try to be everything to everybody, you’ll end up being nothing to nobody.

Appreciation - We succeed because of our weaknesses, not in spite of them

“Every limit is a beginning as well as an ending.” - George Eliot

Dyslexia is a disability. People with dyslexia get letters and words mixed up and this leads to major problems with reading and writing. This, in turn, is a major barrier to success. Or is it?

A recent study showed that 35% of small business owners have dyslexia. This is surprising because only 10% of Americans have dyslexia, but they make up more than 33% of entrepreneurs in the US.

Another study found that people with dyslexia are far more likely to become millionaires. In fact, almost half of the millionaires in the study had dyslexia. Examples of wealthy dyslexics include Virgin founder, Richard Branson, JetBlue founder, David Neeleman, and Kinko’s founder, Paul Orfalea. The subtitle of Orfalea’s book is Lessons from a Hyperactive Dyslexic who Turned a Bright Idea into One of America’s Best Companies.

How does this happen? What explains their success?

It seems that dyslexia is a two-edged sword. The obvious weaknesses are accompanied by important strengths. When asked if his dyslexia has hindered his business success, Richard Branson said “strangely, I think my dyslexia has helped.”

Experts suggest that people with dyslexia are often better than most at being “creative and looking at the bigger picture” and this can make them better strategic thinkers. Daniel Pink, author of A Whole New Mind, believes that some of these advantages might result from a greater ability to use the right side of the brain. They don’t focus on their disability. Instead, they focus on their unique abilities.

Alignment - Don’t force yourself to fit in. Find the right fit.

“Every individual has a place to fill in the world and is important in some respect.” - Nathaniel Hawthorne

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was different. He had a major and obvious flaw. This flaw made him unpopular and led to rejection and isolation. It looked like Rudolph was destined for a life of pain and misery, but then the situation changed.

I was dyslexic, I had no understanding of schoolwork whatsoever. I certainly would

have failed IQ tests. And it was one of the reasons I left school when I was 15 years. And if I’m not interested in something, I

don’t grasp it.

Sir Richard Branson


Rudolph discovers that his nose isn’t really a weakness. In the right situation, a “foggy Christmas Eve,” Rudolph’s nose is an irreplaceable advantage. When the situation changed, the value of his unique characteristic changed as well. He didn’t succeed in spite of his weakness; he succeeded because of his weakness. Rudolph’s success was a result of a perfect fit between his unique qualities and the situation.

Do you want to succeed? Find your foggy Christmas Eve. Find the right situation, the one that offers the perfect fit between who you are and what is required. Unlike Rudolph, we don’t have to just wait for the right situation to come along, we can seek it out or even create it.

If you want greater happiness, success and fulfillment, follow these four steps.

Become aware of your unique characteristics.

Accept your weaknesses, instead of trying to fix them.

Appreciate the strengths that correspond with each of your weaknesses.

Create alignment between who you are and what you do.

David Rendall has spoken to audiences on every inhabited continent. His clients include the US Air Force, the Australian Government, AT&T, State Farm Insurance, Ralph Lauren, and BASF. Prior to becoming a professional speaker, he was a management professor, stand-up comedian and endurance athlete. He earned a doctor of management degree in organizational leadership, as well as a graduate degree in psychology, and is the author of three books:

The Four Factors of Effective Leadership

The Freak Factor

The Freak Factor for Kids

www.drendall.com

www.facebook.com/daverendall

www.twitter.com/daverendall

www.linkedin.com/in/daverendall

David Rendall at TED Talk


BY: VERNE HARNISH AND ANDY BUYTING

It’s no secret that the recession has decimated the building industry

the last few years. But for Jeff Booth’s company, BuildDirect.com, isn’t hurting. It sells building materials at a steep discount through its website, thanks to arrangements to ship directly from manufacturers. “It’s almost like an online Costco of building materials,” says Booth, president and CEO of this fast growing Canadian Company. Expecting his sales to increase by more than 20% this year, Booth has increased his staff by about 10% to 53 people.

What makes BuildDirect.com thrive in a struggling industry is its growth strategy. And our recent research involving more than 3,000 CEOs and executives from around the world confirms that strategy is their #1 focus this decade, as companies rethink their fundamental approach to changing markets.

The challenge is balancing all the complexities of strategy while

keeping it coherent and simple.

Your strategy must tell a simple story, yet touch on what we call the Seven Strata of Strategy. Booth and his partner are masters’ at all seven strata – principles that every business must master and integrate to achieve its potential in today’s uncertain global economy. Here’s a checklist that you can use at your own company.

Choose the words you want to own in your marketplace. If you don’t know how you want your customers to find you, then don’t expect them to track you down. BuildDirect.com optimizes its site to appear high in natural web searches for terms such as “laminate flooring,” “porcelain flooring” and “hardwood flooring,” which are key product areas. How? It publishes unbiased content – which

includes these keywords – to help site visitors tackle their building projects.

Offer a unique brand promise. This is the experience you are promising your customers that differentiates you from the competition. BuildDirect.com’s is simple: “Best price, best quality and product expertise,” says Booth. It’s normally a three-part promise, with one of the promises – “best price” in BuildDirect.com’s case – that is most top-of-mind. And it’s critical that you know how to measure daily whether you’re keeping your promises. Booth’s team has various KPIs (Kept Promise Indicators!) it monitors, like competitors’ pricing, to make sure it is keeping its promises.

Make it hurt to break your promise. There should be some pain in your system if you let your customers down. This keeps your team laser focused on keeping your promises. BuildDirect.com has a 30-day money back guarantee that includes paying return shipping (from $300 to $500 for a typical order), says Booth. The company offers the policy to customers who are unhappy for any reason. Nonetheless, says Booth, «Nobody uses it.» Why? The company works really hard to keep quality up and prices down.

“…Today our clients are beginning to use the Internet and search engines to look for specialty

packaging instead of waiting for a salesperson to show up.”

Create a one-PHRASE strategy. Underlying the brand promises you express is a one-PHRASE strategy that drives your business model. As you know from reading my recent column on the topic, this isn’t necessarily a selling point you make to your customers, but it supports delivering on your promises. Southwest Airlines’ “Wheels Up” one-PHRASE strategy has kept every strategic and tactical

Seven Strata of Strategy

decision, like no-advanced reservation seating, directed at keeping its planes in the air and generating profits so it can keep airfares low. We strongly suggest you keep your one-PHRASE strategy relatively secret, which is why I’m not sharing BuildDirect.com’s.

Support your one-PHRASE strategy with differentiating actions. Underlying the one-PHRASE strategy is a set of specific actions that represent HOW you execute your business differently from the competition. BuildDirect.com, for instance, requires a minimum order of a pallet of material. It carries no name-brand products and instead create its own. And it doesn’t give anybody terms, instead requiring full payment on order (cash in advance). Competitors might share one or two of these same actions, but it’s the unique combination of all three for BuildDirect.com that truly defines its differentiation.

To establish and hold into your competitive edge, you need to aim for at least a 10x underlying competitive

advantage over your rivals.

Establish your “X Factor.” To establish and hold onto your competitive edge, you need to aim for at least a 10x underlying competitive advantage over your rivals. At his previous lawn care company, Happy Lawn, founder Barrett Ersek reduced the typical sales process from three weeks to three minutes by using the latest digital technology and tax map data to estimate lawn measurements while customers were on the phone – instead of having sales people visit prospects’ homes to take manual measurements, write up quotes and then schedule appointments. It’s not surprising that industry giant ServiceMaster recently bought the company, which had $10 million in sales, from him. At Holganix, Ersek’s new company that manufactures


As a Certified Gazelles International Strategic Advisor, Andy Buyting provides strategic direction for high growth companies and their management teams as they grow their organizations to the next level. Using the Gazelles International strategies and methodology, he facilitates a structured approach to the Four Decisions™ framework; People, Strategy, Execution and Cash. Learn more at www.AndyBuyting.com

and distributes organic fertilizer, he’s identified another X-Factor. But like the one-PHRASE strategy, it’s best to keep it secret, really secret.

Measure your profit per X and BHAG. And last, there is a key metric that defines the essence of your business model and is tied to your long range goal. Jim Collins calls this metric your Profit/X and it benchmarks your Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG). In the retail building supply industry, the key metric is same-store sales growth. Most BHAGs are opening some number of stores within 10 years. At BuildDirect.com, the business model is built around focusing on profit per “building product category.” And it has a specific formula for how to maximize this. To reach Fortune 500 status by 2023, Booth figures the company needs to build out 20 specific product categories, ranging from $500 million to $2 billion in revenue. Given its mastery of these seven strata of strategy, we wouldn’t be surprised to see BuildDirect.com listed in Fortune even sooner.

And last, there is a key metric that defines the essence of your business model and is tied to

your long range goal.

Verne Harnish is founder and CEO of Gazelles, a global executive education and coaching company, Verne has spent the past 30 years educating entrepreneurial teams. He’s the author of Mastering the Rockefeller Habits which is endorsed by over 100 CEOs of mid-size companies and is published in ten languages.



Success in sales is elusive. There are many good people who appear to

have the stuff to make it in business development but unfortunately can’t seem to get past the biggest barriers – the ones between our ears. This is not exclusive to the selling profession. It can happen in any job or interest where people need a boost so they can perform what they are skilled to do.

Sports people are prime examples. A baseball player who fails 70% of the time gets to the Hall of Fame. Does that mean when they approach the plate to hit they think “this is one of the seven times I’m going to fail?” If they are thinking that, they will fail. I’m sure every time they approach the plate they’re thinking this is a home run opportunity.

Sales people have the same thoughts. If they are not confident, having second thoughts about their product, company or market, there will be that little voice

saying “I don’t have a chance.” This starts at the point of their outlook. If they are having negative self-talk it colours their outlook. We all have two choices. We can have an outlook of possibility or an outlook of limitation. Wherever we start is likely to pave the road for where we end the journey.

The result of our outlook is how we structure our belief system. If our outlook says it’s impossible or it’s a waste of time, we believe it’s true. From there our judgment takes over and we look for data and examples that back up our belief.

This mind-set drives our action or lack of action. If we have an outlook of limitation that affects our belief system and affects our judgment, we won’t take the time to change our behavior. This is a vicious circle: Outlook-Belief-Judgment-Action. It’s called a self-fulfilling prophecy and it kills good people and opportunities.

Outlooks of limitation are caused by various things. It may be a lack of self-confidence, fear of failure, procrastination or listening to negative co-workers. Let me give you an example that is very real.

The sales team isn’t hitting the monthly targets. The sales manager sits down with each salesperson to determine what they will do and how they will plan to achieve the numbers. The salesperson looks at his/her client base, checks who bought last year and comes up with a projection. When asked who he/she will approach to develop new business they suggest they will network the chamber events, the association dinner, and will ask for referrals. That’s a good approach, if it works. However, if it’s not hitting the numbers, something else needs to be considered.

The manager suggests the need to have a plan for cold-calling, picking up the

phone daily and making 5-15 calls to start the sales process. The salesperson says, “I’ve tried that, it’s a waste of time and it simply doesn’t work in this business.” So the sales manager inquires further, “How many cold calls have you made in the past month?” The answer usually reveals that there hasn’t been a significant amount of cold calling and when the calls were made they were approached negatively. Failure was inevitable. But failure wasn’t a result of the action; it was a result of their Outlook-Belief-Judgment.

BY: ELDON MACKEIGAN, SANDLER TRAINING

The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy


If you have children, you have probably encountered situations where they won’t try something because they perceive it to be unpleasant, their friends told them it wouldn’t work or they were afraid to make the effort. And all of this is normal.

Cold calling is a bad term. I like to use the term opportunity calling. Call it what you will, new prospect calling is only one of the many issues where salespeople have an outlook of limitation. What about these:

• I have to call on a purchasing agent first.

• I can’t call on a company president or a plant manager.

• I cannot close on a first call.

• I cannot shorten my sell cycle.

• My prospects will only buy if I have the lowest price.

• It’s okay if my prospects want to shop around.

• I need to educate my prospects.

• Prospects who think things over will eventually buy from me.

• It’s important that my prospects like me.

• The economy is down and my prospects don’t have much money.

• I don’t like to talk to strangers.

• It’s impolite to question people about their budgets.

• It’s impolite to question people about their decision- making authority.

• Most prospects are truthful.

• Most prospects are sincere.

• I cannot sell without literature.

• I cannot sell without demonstrating my product.

• I cannot confront a prospect when they lie to me.

• Too many questions will cause my prospect to become upset.

• We need more advertising

It’s rarely the outside forces that stop us from hitting our targets. The biggest barriers to success are very often our own self-limiting beliefs. The goal is to rewire those beliefs and work to develop positive attitudes and productive behaviours. That is the key to your success. What do you need to rewire? How will you do it? Who can help you?

©2014 Sandler Training Inc. (www.atlantic.sandler.com) is an international sales and management training/consulting firm.


It is not uncommon for every business owner to start a discussion about

their P&L statement with “well, that net income number is not correct,” then go on to list all of the things they would change but their accountant makes them do it that way.

Business owners need to take back responsibility and control of their financial reporting and follow these simple principles to make their P&L a useful document.

Distortion #1 – Owner compensation distortion You should get paid a market-based wage for what you do and a return (dividend) for what you own. Most entrepreneurs mix their ownership with their job role in the business, not realizing that it creates significant distortion in the true profitability of the business.

If you are incorporated, you may be motivated to avoid payroll taxes on wages and just take distributions. Unfortunately, the government knows about that and will eventually get around to you and give you a nasty payroll tax bill and a headache to boot.

If you have multiple shareholders working in the

business, make sure everyone is being paid for the “job” they do and not getting a paycheck based on their ownership. As an owner, you get to pick any job you want to do, but the market picks your pay. You may choose to over or under pay yourself, but all that does is create distorted net income on the P&L.

Take action: Stop thinking small and pay yourself the right salary so your P&L tells you the true economic output of your business. If you need to take distributions beyond your wage, we need to discuss why you are consuming more than you make!

Eliminating DistortionsWhy your P&L is not worth the paper it is printed onBY: GREG CRABTREE, PARTNER, CRABTREE, ROWE & BERGER, PC

Distortion #2 – Revenue is vanity!When entrepreneurs get together, I notice that they all talk about revenue but rarely about profit. I want you to stop talking about revenue internally and become a “Gross Margin” talker. My definition of Gross Margin is Revenue minus any Direct Costs that do not include labor. My reasoning for this is most direct costs are really “pass through” costs that you get paid for in advance or get terms from the vendors such that you essentially do not pay for them until you get paid.

Think of a construction contractor. They may tell you they did $20 million in revenue, but they really had $17 million in material and subcontractors so they are really a $3 million services business. The same would be true for a marketing firm. I want them to celebrate a $50,000 services contract that uses no freelancers more than a $100,000 contract that uses $80,000 of subcontractors.

It may hurt your pride a bit to talk about Gross Margin instead of Revenue, but you will start to realize that Gross Margin is the true top line of your business engine. It will make your marketing strategy simpler for what a good customer looks like and your team will understand they perform in relation to Gross Margin, not Revenue.

Take action: Teach your team to think Gross Margin. If your accounting data does not report on Gross Margin now, adjust your bookkeeping process to never report on Revenue without Gross Margin, even if you have to use a good enough estimate.

Greg Crabtree, Author of Simple Numbers, Straight Talk, Big Profits, is a partner at Crabtree, Rowe & Berger, PC, an accounting firm focused solely on the needs of entrepreneurs, helping them build the economic engine of their businesses.



BY: BRIAN CANE, VICE-PRESIDENT, ENCON GROUP INC.

Pollution Liability InsuranceWhy Should Contractors Purchase Pollution Liability Insurance?

Commercial General Liability (CGL) insurance is a mainstay

coverage to protect contractors in the event of a third party claim for bodily injury or property damage arising out of their construction operations.

While some CGL policies include limited coverage for environmental losses, it’s important to remember that contractors today face many complex legal issues, and regulatory and contractual requirements. Outlined below are the top five reasons why contractors should buy a separate pollution liability policy.

Most CGL policies contain a pollution exclusion CGL policies typically contain an exclusion referred to as the absolute pollution exclusion, which excludes

claims resulting from the escape of pollutants brought to the jobsite by the contractor, as well as losses arising from the release of pollutants on a site that has previously been used to handle, store or process waste. Some policies contain an even more restrictive exclusion called the total pollution exclusion, which excludes indemnification for any environmental contamination. A pollution liability policy provides protection against losses typically excluded from CGL policies.There is limited value in the sudden and accidental pollution coverage endorsement

Some insurers provide limited pollution coverage on the CGL policy, commonly referred to as sudden and accidental pollution coverage. In order for coverage to apply through this endorsement,

pollutants must be detected within 120 hours of the commencement of discharge and must be reported to the insurer within 120 hours of detection. Some insurers also offer options of detection and reporting within 240 hours. However, contractors should consider that many pollution losses occur over a much longer period of time, sometimes even months later. The value of a pollution liability policy is that it provides coverage for both sudden and gradual environmental damage.

Most CGL policies exclude claims involving asbestos and fungi Asbestos and fungi/mould are risks that are excluded by most CGL policies. Despite widespread health concerns that have led many countries to ban its use, Canada still imports materials


containing asbestos that are used in new buildings. Contractors performing work in many building types should be mindful of the potential for asbestos. In the cases where coverage is provided, it is typically subject to a very low sublimit. Both the asbestos and fungi/mould risks are covered by a pollution liability policy.

Excavation work poses specific risk exposures Contractors never really know what lies below the surface, and locates are often inaccurate or miss an old, or forgotten, utility. A notable Canadian case involving excavation work was the Burnaby crude oil spill where an excavator digging a sewer trench ruptured an oil pipeline. The resulting cleanup operations cost more than $15 million. For contractors with a total pollution exclusion in their CGL policy, there would be a

significant coverage gap in a case like this. A pollution liability policy provides additional protection for pollution incidents resulting from excavation work.

Fines and punitive damages against insureds can be substantial CGL policies typically only cover the insured for compensatory damages. These are damages that are due or

awarded in payment for actual injury or economic loss. Compensatory damages do not include punitive or exemplary damages, or the multiple portion of any multiplied damage award. While not all pollution liability policies cover such penalties, some may if they resulted from an insurable claim. Pollution cleanup costs are growing as our society, and legislators, demand that contaminants are cleaned up quickly and thoroughly. Accidents do happen and

having the appropriate pollution coverage is essential to help protect contractors against that risk.

To read the original full-length article, which includes claims examples, please go to http://encon.ca/English/resources/LossControlInformation/Documents/Environmental/Encon%20ELI_SNB2.E.PDF


Mold is one of those four letter words in the English language

that can invoke fear and panic. It’s ubiquitous and sneaky, it can hide behind walls, lie dormant and it can certainly cost thousands to remediate. In the last several years, weather events have lent a hand in putting this four-letter word in the forefront of people’s brains and definitely a hot topic for debate and discussion.

Molds are naturally occurring and beneficial to our outside environment, they help break down dead organic matter like leaves and dead trees. Conversely, when mold is found indoors, it can potentially invoke subtle to serious allergic reactions in otherwise healthy individuals.

When it comes to new construction, owners and managers rarely consider that mold will be an issue as part of the building process. Steel beams, concrete floors and brick facades in commercial buildings are rarely conducive to mold growth.

BY: DAMON GERSH, CEO, MAXONS RESTORATIONS INC.

Mold Issues in New Construction

However, problems often arise when structures have not been properly enclosed. Roofs or facades that are not weather tight, windows that are not correctly sealed, and other exterior openings that have not been secured allow moisture inside the building enclosure. “Older buildings that have been retrofitted also have problems when old plumbing or drain lines are abandoned, not capped off or are not rerouted properly,” says Jason Van Namee, CMP (Certified Mold Professional) with Maxons Restorations, Inc. “Moisture can permeate into interior locations and cause a mold situation.”

Contractors can reduce the opportunity for mold growth during construction by ensuring that all building materials are kept dry before installation. Properly flashing and water proofing building exteriors will reduce water intrusion and inhibit mold growth.

In the aftermath of any hurricane or heavy rain storms, building structures that are more impervious to water

damage takes on new significance. There are a number of moisture resistant materials on the market that can be used instead of older, more conventional materials, which serve as a food source for mold. Some materials are treated with anti-microbial products to reduce mold growth if they get damp, and others can absorb water without any resulting damage.

“Issues occur when moisture gets trapped behind the walls,” explains Ken Wilson, Maxons’ project manager. “Often it goes into a dormant state and it won’t become an issue unless it gets wet again. Some of the new products can take on a lot of water before there are issues.”

If mold is discovered in a building, it is important for workers to be protected and for the problem to be addressed. Sometimes an industrial hygienist (IH) will be called to conduct testing to identify which areas are impacted. “Since buildings are built more tightly now than they used to be, this can cause the air quality within a structure to be more easily impacted by contamination if it is not vented, or if the air is not circulated and properly filtered,” adds Van Namee.

A qualified restoration contractor can assist in identifying the water source, drying out the building and remediating a contamination problem.

Damon Gersh is CEO of Maxons Restorations Inc. (www.maxons.com). In his capacity as CEO, Damon is one of North America’s leading authorities in commercial building and disaster cleanups. His company successfully manage the restoration of countless properties throughout lower Manhattan including the NYC landmarks St. Paul’s Chapel & Trinity Church which were damaged by the 9/11 disaster.



BY: ADAM FOWLER, ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE, LLOYD SADD INSURANCE BROKERS

Alberta is the land of opportunity. Entrepreneurs in Alberta can

turn any idea into a profitable startup, which can then blossom into an influential business – and people are taking a record number of risks to take advantage of these opportunities.

But risk doesn’t always lead to reward. 44% of Alberta startups last only four years, and one big reason is due to poor risk management.

Startups are often fueled on dreams, but built on finite resources. As a result, entrepreneurs focus on growing their business and making money at the expense of developing risk management programs. There is minimal emphasis placed on insurance, reviewing contracts, hiring criteria, and office security, among others.

I recently met with a small business owner in Alberta who has grown his business from one truck to 15 trucks in four short years. He noted that risk management was never a focus for him during the early stages of his startup, as he was too busy trying to simply stay afloat. “I was thinking about the

The Importance of Risk Management for Startups

next job and whether my drivers would show up on time,” he says. “I tried to do everything and be everybody.”

Risk ManagementNearly every aspect of your business is susceptible to some form of risk. Risk management examines what can go wrong with your startup and how can you stop, or mitigate, potential risks. How you handle risk, which begins the moment you decide to launch your own startup, goes a long way in determining the success of your company.

Creating a Risk Management PlanRisk needs to be identified and assessed so that the proper steps can be taken to protect your company. Some risks will be worse than others, and your ability to assess risk will be constantly tested. You’ll need to continuously prioritize what risks need your immediate attention, versus what can be addressed later.

Once you have identified the need for a risk management plan, begin by following these seven steps:

1) Risk Factor: List anything that could harm your company.

2) Type: Assign the risks into categories such as “operational risk,” “people risk,” and more. Assigning by type helps determine who in your company is best suited to manage the identified risk.

3) Likelihood: Add probability labels of “high,” “medium,” and “low” to risks in each category.

4) Consequences: List the consequences that would happen if each risk came to fruition.

5) Mitigation Techniques: Explore how you can mitigate potential risks. The goal is to minimize the impact and likelihood of a risk factor occurring.

6) Mitigation Costs: Even though a tactic is available for minimizing a risk factor, it doesn’t mean you have to implement it.

7) Status: Which of the risk factors identified will need to have techniques implemented in order to minimize impact on the business? The balancing act of cost vs. risk will need to be negotiated.

Your risk management plan constantly changes with company growth. At every step of the way, and with every revision, you need to consult key business advisors, including insurance brokers and accountants. “I took my lumps along the way [when I started my business] and some of those situations could have been avoided,” noted the small business owner in Alberta. “If I were starting up today, I would do it differently and consult with more people and actually develop a plan for managing risk.”

Developing a risk management plan is important, but should not inhibit company growth. You can’t anticipate every risk, nor would it be practical to do so while trying to run a new business.

Adam Fowler is an Account Executive with Lloyd Sadd Insurance Brokers.


Economic events and changes in competitive forces have caused

many companies to completely rethink their business models and strategic plans. Many firms let their strategic planning efforts become a meaningless exercise in goal setting – getting better at doing more of the same – only to find that the assumptions under which they have been operating their businesses are no longer valid.

Many business leaders realize the need to make profound changes to their strategy process, but then become incredibly frustrated when they share their vision for the future and don’t achieve the results they desire.

Far too often the plan fails when managers go back to being busy with day-to-day operations and firefighting. Strategic action priorities specified in the plan often get put on the back burner in favor of the urgent needs of the moment.

According to Harvard Business School professor Robert Kaplan, 90% of strategies fail due to poor execution. This is because companies execute their strategies in fits and starts, and few companies are good at aligning their current activities to their long-term strategic priorities.

Balancing strategic planning and business execution is easier said than done. Being able to effectively craft, communicate, and then execute a winning strategy is a core competency that can determine who will ultimately dominate an industry category.

Our studies of highly effective companies and leaders – those who are true leaders in their industries – reveal that the disciplines of both strategy and execution are embedded into the way they operate. These disciplines are categorized into what Results calls the Results Execution Framework:

• Vision

• Strategy

• Talent

• Leadership

Within each of these categories are proven, research-based processes and techniques that separate the good companies from the great. For example, great companies are those that…:

Have explicitly defined core values, vision and purpose, and embedded those elements into everything they do from managing people to expressing their brand in the marketplace.

Defined strategy in a simple format so that all their people can understand the plan and see how their efforts contribute to moving the company towards its vision.

Implement world-class recruiting and performance management processes to ensure they are hiring the very best people available and leveraging their strengths to the fullest extent.

Are led by ambitious leaders who are forward-looking, authentic, accountable and willing to learn.

Running a business will never be challenge free but in order to achieve sustainably better results – to transform – largely depends on how effectively a company can execute under this framework. How well is your company executing?

Jeff Tetz is a Director with Results Canada Inc.

ExecutionThe Biggest Challenge for BusinessBY: JEFF TETZ, DIRECTOR, RESULTS CANADA INC.