From Bob's Cluttered Desk

I have appeared on several national “Bloggers Panels” in the last couple years with fellow blogger David Depaolo. I first met David over a decade ago as a friendly competitor, but in recent years, through our blogging activity, have come to know him better and think of him today as simply a friend. We have…

Sometimes I wonder why people even try. Years ago I was dealing with a vendor I was forced to use as part of a companywide contract. They were awful. They showed up late, did an inadequate job and weren’t friendly to me or my staff. Complaints to my superiors did not help, as the decision…

Resolutions are for pansies. Every New Year people seem to make their annual resolutions designed to improve their personal health and well being. Most of us are lucky to get just a few days out of them before their battered and broken remnants are hauled away in the first week of the New Year’s trash.…

In 2011 I wrote what was to be my holiday message send off for that particular season. Last year I chose to republish that message, partly because I was woefully behind in my scheduled Christmas gift acquisition plan, but mostly because I could not think of anything better to say than I had the year…

Life would be a lot easier if we could keep idiots out of the workplace. The hiring and selection process for any employer is one of the most critical functions they must perform. After all, as a business, we are only as good as the biggest idiot we employ, so it stands to reason that…

Underlying rumblings in the workers’ compensation industry have for years lamented a perceived reduction in both the training of and investment in claims handling professionals. To my knowledge, this feeling, or observation by many has been anecdotal and osmotic by nature, gleaned from casual and professional observations over the years. As far as I know,…

I want you to watch this very quick video, before we discuss the story of a staple and a screw. The man in the video you just saw is named Christopher Onesti. He retired from his job as a policeman for the New Jersey Transit Authority at the age of 29. State authorities ruled he…

I’ve learned a lot from a cat named Coal. Coal was surrendered to the Humane Society of Sarasota at the age of 9 by a family who could no longer afford to care for him. He had been at the shelter for several months, and adopting him out was proving difficult. In addition to being…

Recently I wrote about “Innovation Through Communication”, and how proper communication was an essential ingredient for innovation within the workers' compensation industry. Another important ingredient, which is an offshoot of effective communication, is understanding the needs that your target audiences have, and what solution would best solve those needs. I had an interesting conversation a…

What the heck – We’ve recently published articles on how to be an effective vendor at workers’ compensation conferences, and how not to be a drunken, lecherous moron at these same events. I might as well extend my wit and common sense wisdom to improving your LinkedIn profile. Now that we have prevented you from…