• ‘INFORMAL’ MEDIATION IS AN EXCEPTIONALLY EFFECTIVE MANNER OF DISPUTE RESOLUTION – a process which facilitates focus on core underlying issues, to ensure that each party listens and fully hears the other’s concerns, involving interface between economic values, finances, taxes, legal aspects, emotions and family or team dynamics. When conflict can be minimized, and parties hear the same facts and concerns directly in real-time, opportunities for negotiation & compromise on what-it-takes-to-move-forward are almost always successful.  Dennis has decades of experience in timely & effectively resolving disputes with dramatically less stress, cost or becoming enmeshed in the legal/litigation process. Sessions are conducted in neutral and relaxed settings, addressing the personal interrelationship dimensions of disagreements between business associates, executive teams or Boards, divorcing spouses, or dysfunctional family members. Call us before involving the attorneys.
  • AS WORKERS BECOME MORE DISPERSED, THE CHALLENGE OF MAINTAINING I.T. SECURITY INCREASES. The shift to a mobile workforce – up to 1.5 billion professionals working outside the boundaries of a corporate office is projected within 3 years – requiring different technology infrastructure and policies. Newest cyber-attack methods, for example, include “pharming, in which links redirect users to fraudulent sites; vishing, the collection of personal info during a call; and smishing, where users receive texts with fraudulent links… Gen X and Millennial employees grew up with mobility solutions such as broadband, Wi-Fi, laptops, social media & smartphones, expecting instant access to information from anywhere” from multiple devices including phones, laptops and wearables like smart watches & glasses – all of which may be utilized daily in the workplace under BYOD (‘Bring Your Own Device) employer policies. Employee education is a critical factor and the “best line of defense.” [DARKREADING.COM – Feb 10, 17]
  • ACTIVE, REGULAR, MODERATE EXERCISE KEEPS FAT DOWN AND REDUCES RISK OF HEART DISEASE. A brisk jog is considered among the best activities to burn calories, by using more energy than you consume, and often used as a benchmark for measuring the value of other types of activity. For a healthy 165-pound adult, 30 minutes of jogging expends around 430 calories (roughly a fifth of recommended daily intake). By comparison, swimming, cycling, martial arts and football are around that level; but tennis, hockey or basketball need around 45 minutes for the same exertion; hiking, golf or skateboarding take around an hour to reach that level of calorie burn; or, three hours of sex is equivalent. [ECONOMIST 1843 – Feb/Mar 17]
  • VITAMINS MAY STAVE OFF COGNITIVE DECLINE AND DEMENTIA IN SENIORS. In a ten-year Canadian Study of Health & Aging involving over 5,200 men and women over age 65, nearly one-third showed cognitive decline. But test groups using daily supplements of vitamins C and/or E showed a risk level of 23% less for cognitive decline without dementia, and 38% less for dementia from any cause. [ANNALS OF PHARMACOTHERAPY –Oct 4, 16 and LIFE EXTENSION – Mar 17]
  • TECHNOLOGY IS PRODUCING ON JAPANESE FARMS: (1) Lettuce farm robots now handle everything from re-planting seedlings to watering, trimming & harvesting crops, forecasting production increases at 150% immediately and up to 2500% (a half-million lettuces daily) within five years. Automated systems also now control temperature, humidity, CO2 levels, LED lighting, and water recycling/sterilization. (2) A strawberry farm robot can now pick berries at a rate of one every eight seconds. (3) A tomato farm robot can now detect ripe tomatoes on the vine, before picking and without damaging them, at a rate of about one every twenty seconds. [THE GUARDIAN.COM – Feb 2, 16]
  •  THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK: Over 70% of the world’s attorneys live in the U.S. – one for every 300 Americans, and one for every 22 residents of Washington DC – representing the vast majority of elected officials and a highly disproportionate percentage of unelected administrators in all branches of government.

          More minimum-wage-increase impact: Bank of America has around 4,600 ‘Financial Center’ branches but three recently opened are now completely automated, where ‘customers’ use ATMs and have video conferences with employees at other branches.

         TEAMWORK can be a company’s competitive advantage but is not an alternative to individual employee Assignment & Accountability. Imagine a project with four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. “The next job is important so Everybody is asked to do it; and Everybody assumes Somebody will do it, since Anybody could have done it; however, Nobody followed through; Somebody got angry about that, because it was certainly Everybody’s job, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. And ultimately Everybody blamed Somebody, when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.”