Defense By Design

I remember years ago an executive in the industry told me, "you know, at the end of the day, the only way we truly distinguish ourselves from our competitors is the 'extra value' we provide our clients that they may not." Interesting perspective.

For any or similar looking to distinguish yourself from 'your' competitors, this is an angle to consider. For years, I have worked with such businesses offering value-add educational programs for/to their clients, both personal lines and commercial lines. Even better when one of the above team up with their own synergy partners and 'their' clients to help cross-promote each other's services to each other's clients. Great approach!

Let's visit and see what we can come up with for you, your synergy partners and your collective clients.

I know someone who can help.

In about two weeks, I have a company bringing me in to provide "tenant training" as a value-add to those in their multiple buildings spread out over a large office park here in Dallas. Why?

I have often referred to buildings as "vertical HOAs" as each office suite/tenant is a "house" unto itself, bringing challenges, internal dynamics, dramas...or even potential violence. And yet management is supposed to know all that is going on, with who, where, and why. Right.

For those in and similar, I absolutely understand your challenges, but I also have an answer by helping empower those onsite to *BE* security rather than relying *on* security. You have to flip the paradigm, otherwise you'll always be chasing your proverbial tail in .

Likewise, any and even representing such commercial clients, we should probably visit as well regarding strategies to help such clients reduce their risks, thereby helping you reduce such potential claims, particularly in the area of negligence.

I know someone who can help.

For those in along with looking for a one-of-a-kind client value-add event, here you go!

This is a two-hour mother/H.S. senior daughter event, addressing various points of physical and fiscal concern parents have with their daughters heading off to college. From "ditzy roommates" that may invite trouble to male suitors seeing your daughter as his meal ticket through college, to the more obvious concerns of parties, Spring Breaks, dating, etc. this presentation helps prepare these young women to better profile both people and situations they WILL encounter while away at school.

You are welcome to partner with any of the others mentioned above, or possibly even an area who I'm sure would be happy to offer their onsite training facilities to host such an event if that is a question.

A little promotion via email and social media will carry this one along, combined with natural word-of-mouth as your clients invite THEIR friends to attend and bring that potential business to you as well.

Why just do the traditional steak dinners when you can have SIZZLE as well as steak knowing how many parents and grandparents will support you offering to help their daughters/granddaughters with something like this?

I know someone who can help.

On April 16, I will be virtually presenting to the Philadelphia Association for Financial Professionals as I have done recently for their Dallas and also Ft. Worth chapters. The topic? "Profiling Internal Breaches."

This association represents executives with the and industry, many already admitting their vulnerability related to such breaches in security and data from the inside.

There are behaviors and lifestyles that speak to such potential patterns and instances of employee compromise, but only if others are *looking for* such patterns. This is not a matter of technology, but training as we're talking human behavior.

For similar Association for Financial Professionals chapters interested in a similar presentation or other or associated professional interested in the same, let's talk.

I know someone who can help.

I love working with who are looking for something truly "unique" by way of topic/speaker for an upcoming event.

Those who have worked with me in the past at conferences and conventions (even recently) will also tell you that you get *MORE* for your money with me as I live and breathe "value-add" offerings such as extra sessions, availability in vendor/exhibitor booths after speaking and 1:1 with VIPs all at no additional fees.

So if you have a or even event coming up, let's talk. As the video below states, I'm all EARS!

While most parents and of course their daughter's high schools have "academically prepared" them for college, there is a massive gap in preparedness related to their actual, overall college "experience" that parents nor high schools today have addressed. This is where I come in.

I have a two-hour program for H.S. senior girls *AND* their mothers related to various points of safety and security while away at college. This is in NO WAY related to anything "kick/punch" related (i.e. self-defense), but rather helping empower these young ladies how to both profile people and situations more proactively as well as how to better navigate the points of physical and even fiscal vulnerabilities she will almost undoubtedly face during her 4+ year collegiate experience.

We will address everything from roommates to suitors, instances of both physical as well as fiscal exploitation, points of navigation related to on-campus and off-campus activities (including protests today).

For any or similar wishing to host one of these events, they are ticketed thus at $0 cost to host, your only "buy-in" is providing the venue and promotion. As a fundraiser, we even split the ticket proceeds 50/50 with you for hosting!

For any seeing this for the incredible PR it poses either for current family clients or future ones, let's talk about sponsoring/hosting this event.

This is two hours of education that can truly save a life -- no punching or kicking required!

For those who oversee at facilities, please take note of the video below.

It's the old Herb Kelleher (former SW Airlines CEO) approach that if you take care of your people first, they will in turn take care of your customers. If your staff have issues at home, concerns at home, fears at home, dramas at home -- they don't leave these "at" home. They come to work either mentally distracted by these and/or some of those issues can manifest in other deleterious ways at work as well (domestic violence as an example).

If you're still trying to make your *places* safer versus your people, flip the script. The priority should always be on making your *people* safer, who then can/will make your places safer *IF* properly trained and educated.

This Friday I'll be speaking at the Texas Assisted Living Association state conference outside of Austin, addressing this very dynamic speaking to *prevention.*

For those who work within these industries, we should talk as well.

I know someone who can help.

This Friday I will be opening at 7:45am with a presentation to the Texas Assisted Living Association state conference in the Austin area.

While my presentation is focused on the physical, data and reputational risks that should be considered by such management companies, the real target of the message (and true point of risk mitigation) will be the staff at these facilities themselves. They are the "frontline" of defense.

But this goes further than the obvious as if those staff are not trained or improperly trained in their own "self-management" whether on or off-the-clock related to , then internal compromises are more likely to occur. This is where administration and need to work together.

It is all about strategy, and that's something I've been teaching now for over 38 years to a myriad of professions and industries, this one now also included.

I (and TALA) know someone who can help.

Next Friday I will be the opening session at the Texas Assisted Living Association state conference, starting out at 7:45am, so early risers welcome! My session is on "Risk & Reputation Management for Communities."

Because of friends who work in and around this industry, I have been privy to a number of stories over the years that speak to my issues of physical, data and reputational risks facing such communities, staff, residents and leadership.

For communities attending TALA next week, I hope to see you at that 7:45am session. I'll be hanging around for a good bit of the day with some already setting times to visit with me while there onsite. Feel free to do the same.

For those communities outside of Texas or not attending, note from the video below I do offer online courses to help address to help make those keeping your residents safer, thus making the residents themselves safer in the process.

I and TALA know someone who can help.

As I go to Austin next week to speak at the Texas Assisted Living Association state conference, the thought reflected in the video also arises.

Not only should properties and property managers conduct regular background checks, but they should demand the same from their 3rd party vendors who frequently visit these properties as well.

Even saying the above, however, no background check can address potential *FUTURE* misbehavior. This is why education and training are so important as they help empower staff (ALL staff) to help monitor questionable behaviors on the part of coworkers and/or vendors, alerting management when such things arise -- proactively -- less the background checks fail.

And this goes for as well as obviously and .

I know someone who can help, and so does TALA.