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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Human Resources, Risk Management

  If you have been following the bullying case in Massachusetts, you know all too well that lack of awareness can kill. Lessons learned clearly show a lack of awareness kills: People Careers Credibility Confidentiality Bottom Lines Reputations Strategies And more…   Lessons learned in schools, banks, hospitals, manufacturing, government and most every other sector continue to demonstrate how lack of awareness creates gaps, poor decisions and unwanted results. There are many different types of awareness: Situational Awareness Security Awareness Privacy Awareness Risk Awareness Customer Awareness Brand Awareness And numerous others…   Does your organization’s management realize they are responsible for awareness?  Awareness must be managedRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Uncategorized

  I recently received an e-mail from a school safety organization that explained, although the services we were offering seemed very important and addressed critical needs for schools, they only provided free services to schools and therefore they were unable to “look at” our solutions since they were not free. The response got me thinking…are free solutions really free? Are free solutions solving the real problems and real challenges organizations face today? What are free solutions? The most common free solutions include training, workshops and checklists.  Free training is usually general and workshops can be free (if you don’t count lost productivity) and free checklistsRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Workplace Violence

  awareness and preparedness efforts. While we have done a considerable amount of research on this topic, there were a few items in this presentation that grabbed my attention: 1) Zero reports of violence do not equal zero violence This is a critical statement for employers to understand and address.  Over 80% of violent incidents have clear warning signs, but red flags are often not reported.  How is your organization ensuring your employees, third-parties, etc. understand their responsibility to report suspicious incidents, threats, etc.?  Have you made it easy for employees to submit an incident report?  Can they do so anonymously?  Once an employee submitsRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Education, Human Resources, Incident Reporting, Legal, Regulatory Compliance, School Safety

  I blogged a few weeks ago about the parent suing the Ottawa Catholic School Bard for $325,000, alleging the school failed to protect her child from repeated acts of bullying.  Two more lawsuits have recently made the headlines and school leaders are probably wondering, “Will we be next?” In Australia, a teenage girl was awarded $290,000 in compensation by the Education Department after years of harassment and bullying at school left her a physical and emotional wreck. The girl’s parents had pleaded with the school principal to protect their daughter, and held regular discussions with teachers and the school chaplain.  But the school failedRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Business Continuity, Risk Management

  According to a recent article at JournalStar.com, Warren Buffett used his letter to Berkshire Hathaway stockholders to bring attention to corporate responsibility and the government bailout of financial institutions. Warren Buffett wrote: “In my view, a board of directors of a huge financial institution is derelict if it does not insist that its CEO bear full responsibility for risk control.  If he’s incapable of handling that job, he should look for other employment.  And if he fails at it – with the government thereupon required to step in with funds or guarantees – the financial consequences for him and his board should be severe.”Read More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Campus Safety, Emergency Management, Incident Reporting, Legal, Workplace Violence

  Have you noticed recently how the media, safety experts and government leaders are focusing on the failure of organizations to connect-the-dots and the failure to identify red flags prior to emergency and crisis situations occurring? And have you noticed these failures have been going on for years?  Virginia Tech administrators received warnings of Cho’s mental instability prior to the tragic shooting that left 23 students dead.    The Fort Hood shooter revealed multiple red flags ignored in a failure to share critical information.  Most recently, the University of Alabama professor revealed a past full of violent tendencies, mental illness and criminal activities. Why are soRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Emergency Management, Incident Reporting, Risk Management

  Safety and security programs depend on getting the right information to the right people in the right place at the right time so individuals can make better decisions. Recently, a story involving several schools in Missouri provided multiple lessons learned involving safety. The situation started when a national alert from the FBI was sent out to law enforcement on a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The Missouri School Board Association, who operates the Missouri Alert Network, then issued an alert to schools at 11:50am saying the national alert targeted a Missouri School and as a result three schools inRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Human Resources, Incident Reporting, Information Security

  Did you see the FINRA news release last week announcing guidance for securities firms and brokers regarding the use of social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and blogs to communicate with their investors? Securities firms and brokers are now required to develop their own customized policies and procedures to ensure all personnel are complying with regulatory requirements when using social networking sites and that their online recommendations are suitable and not misleading to investors.  Firms and brokers must have a general policy prohibiting any associated person from engaging in business communications in a social media site that is not subject to the firm’sRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Business Continuity, Emergency Management, Risk Management

  Reviewing the bipartisan Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism report card reveals lessons learned have not become lessons implemented. The report card included an ‘F’ grade in Biological Risks due to the nation’s capabilities lacking to:  Coordinate and deploy rapid response to prevent biological attacks causing mass casualties   Under Government Reform, the report card included two more ‘F’ grades for: Reform congressional oversight to better address intelligence, homeland security, and crosscutting 21st century national security missions Implement education and training programs to recruit and retain the next generation of national security experts   The two ‘F’ gradesRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Emergency Management, Incident Reporting, Risk Management

  I re-read this NTSB story a couple times and it still left me scratching my head…installing cameras will prevent what? The USA Today article stated: The NTSB found that the Sept. 12, 2008, crash between commuter and freight trains that killed 25 people was caused by an engineer who sped through a stop signal as he was texting. The engineer, who died in the crash, had been warned about cell phone use on the job twice before. Accident investigators uncovered such egregious behavior by train operators in the fatal 2008 accident near Los Angeles that they suggested Thursday that all railroads monitor crews withRead More →