Risk Services Of Arkansas - November 2020

Risk Services Of Arkansas - November 2020

SPECIALIZING IN YOU Agriculture Ministries Education Environmental Hospitality

Not-For-Profit

Technology

November 2020

Health Care

Manufacturing

Staffing

Transportation

Financial

Construction

Energy

Who Proudly Served His Country REMEMBERING RALEIGH JOHNSON, 8TH AIR FORCE

In light of Veterans Day this month, I wanted to share the story of my Grandfather, Raleigh Johnson, who was a member of the Army Air Corps during WWII. However, because I’m not as familiar with the details of his story as I would like to be, my father, Dean, will share a little bit about my grandfather’s service to our nation instead.

the train anywhere was a pretty big deal for a little kid back then. After training in Lincoln, he moved to Alexandria, Louisiana, where he met the men who would make up his crew, the Eighth Air Force. They called him “Pappy,” because he was the oldest member of his crew, even though he was only 31 years old.

I was 10 years old when my father was drafted into the Army Air Corps during the final years of World War II. He was in his early 30s at the time, which was much older than the average age of other draftees, but because many other soldiers much younger than him were already fighting, I guess it was his turn.

From there, they went to England, where they were stationed for the rest of the war. My father was a ball turret gunner in a B-17 bomber, meaning he sat in a cramped plexiglass sphere mounted below the plane where he manned the plane’s dual .50-caliber guns during missions. This was regarded as a very dangerous assignment, as there was no protection from enemy fighter fire or from flak from anti-aircraft guns. He and his crew flew

While I don’t remember a lot of what was going on at the time, I remember there was kind of a turmoil after my father got drafted. At the time, he operated a truck stop in Belle Plaine, Iowa, where we lived, and he also ran a Chrysler, Dodge, and Plymouth dealership. He had to find

“For all that he went through getting drafted and fighting in World War II, he was proud to have served his country.”

over a town that had been completely leveled by bombs, with the exception of the town’s church and steeple. I also remember him saying that when they landed after a mission, each crew member received a shot of whiskey. His crew stayed together for the rest of the war, until they came home. After my father returned, he went back to his car dealership. He was a hard worker and a good businessman, and he took care of his family. He spoke little of the missions he flew over Germany, and I suspect he carried many of his experiences to his death. That said, for all that he went through getting drafted and fighting in World War II, he was proud to have served his country. In his later years, he was active in the American Legion and attended funeral services and marched in parades for veterans. Likewise, I’m proud to have had him as my father and to remember his service this Veterans Day.

a way to make sure his business stayed up and running while he was gone, as well as make sure that my mother, my brother, and I were taken care of. Then, he was off to basic training. During the late ‘30s and early ‘40s, my father owned an airplane and had some experience flying. I don’t know if that was the reason he was drafted into the Army Air Corps, but I suppose that could have had something to do with it. His first stop for basic training was Lincoln, Nebraska. I remember taking the train out to Lincoln to visit him, because taking

six missions over Germany, first in a plane they called “The Splurgin’ Virgin.” After something happened to that plane in an incident for which I do not know the details, they flew a plane called “My Lady Pete.” My father was a very private person, especially when it came to his experience in the war. However, he did share a few details. He was a very religious man, and he often recalled flying

To everyone who has served in our armed forces, thank you for your service.

Specialized Insurance Programs for Specialized Industries. • www.INSURICA.com • 1

MASTERING THE VIDEO SALES CALL With Filmmaker Expertise

As we continue to adapt to a half-digital, half-physical world, one thing is certain: This is our new normal. And in the business world, you adapt or you die. While in-person sales meetings and lunches will never be a thing of the past, mastering the video sales call to present yourself, your company, and your product is vital. After all, you want the most memorable part of your call to be the product you’re pitching — not your cluttered background or the tinny sound. To appear like a pro, try these three tips from filmmakers to make your video calls the envy of your competition. Tip No. 1: Use what you have. While moviemakers, vloggers, and podcasters have advanced equipment to make them look and sound great, you can provide a professional video call without blowing your budget. Start with lighting. Shine a lamp toward the wall facing you, and turn on a light behind you to softly illuminate your face while creating background light for depth. Good sound quality can be just as simple to achieve. Rather than rely on your computer or laptop’s microphone system, plug in your AirPods or headphones. These items have built-in microphones that better capture your voice due to their proximity to your face. Tip No. 2: Get the camera angle right. Aesthetically speaking, one of the worst angles for a camera is pointed upward at the subject being filmed. However, you’re often looking down at your laptop or monitor’s camera. Instead, stack your laptop on books or risers for meetings, or purchase a separate camera to mount at eye level or just above you. This is a much more flattering and commanding angle. Tip No. 3: Look again. In the moments leading up to a video call, remember to do two things. For starters, quickly scan the background behind you. Will your prospective clients see anything unflattering or unduly distracting? A simple background, like a plain wall or a bookshelf, is great for bringing attention to you and not what’s happening in the background. And before you join that meeting, rehearse looking into the camera as you speak, not at the screen itself. That will create eye contact for those in the meeting. You don’t have to be an Oscar-winning filmmaker to master these techniques. All it takes is a little practice to upgrade your video sales call.

When most kids first start earning some money for themselves, they either put it in a savings account or spend it on something they want. However, that’s not what 11-year-old Cartier Carey of Hampton, Virginia, decided to do with the money he made from his summer lemonade stand. Instead, he decided to use the money to give back — primarily to the single mothers in his community. Some of the biggest expenses for single mothers are diapers and wipes for their babies. Carey decided to focus on getting these crucial supplies to the mothers who needed them, after he visited his grandmother who lived in a low-income neighborhood in the city. While visiting, he saw how many women in the neighborhood were raising children on their own and decided to do something to help them. Carey started his lemonade stand early in the summer, making it apparent that his mission was to use the proceeds to buy diapers for single mothers in need. By the end of July, Carey had raised $5,000 from selling lemonade and from donations. That was enough to buy and distribute 6,500 diapers. By September, he had donated 22,000 diapers — within reach of his goal of 25,000. While Carey has done more than most 11-year-olds have to give back to their community, this actually was not even his first community initiative. During the previous summer, Carey distributed care packages for homeless people, called “Carti packs.” They included essentials like deodorant, soap, and tissues. Additionally, Carey founded his own nonprofit organization called Kids 4 Change 757. “Others can make a difference just like I’m doing right now,” Carey told ABC News. “You’re never too young.” In a world ravaged by a pandemic and an economic crisis, Cartier Carey proves that anyone can help out in big ways in their own little corner of the world.

2 • www.INSURICA.com • Specialized Insurance Programs for Specialized Industries.

Why Hurricanes Are Causing More Damage EVERY YEAR

A few months ago, Hurricane Laura — one of the strongest hurricanes in recent history and the first major hurricane of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season — ravaged the Caribbean and the U.S. Gulf Coast. It caused several billion dollars’ worth of damage, and it comes on the heels of a long list of hurricanes, including Harvey, Irma, Maria, Florence, Michael, and Dorian, which are happening more frequently. In all of the 1980s, the total cost of damage caused by hurricane disasters (of which there were six) was $38.2 billion. By comparison, in the past three years alone, the total cost of damages caused by hurricane disasters (of which there were seven) totaled $335 billion, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). All figures are adjusted for the cost of living. This drastic and blatantly obvious increase in the cost of hurricane damages begs the question: What is causing this increase in the cost of damages?

In the 1980s and 1990s, the average was just two. Scientists generally agree that the 50% increase in major hurricanes per year since then is a result of a combination of human-caused climate change and natural warming and cooling cycles that happen every 25–30 years. While they disagree on just how big a part each of those factors plays, the fact of the matter is that both cause rising temperatures in the Northern Atlantic, which in turn create the perfect conditions for hurricanes. When it comes to what is causing the costs of damages to rise, however, there’s more at play than meteorology. As Mark Bove, a meteorologist at the insurance firmMunich Re U.S. put it, people continue to build “stuff in the way” of major hurricanes. And at the same time, the values of all those properties “in the way” are going up. On top of the rising property values, federal disaster policy and flood insurance subsidies encourage people to keep building in risky areas, causing seaside communities to “rise from the ashes” without any sort of new resilience against future storms. An increase in major storm activity without an increase in building storm-resistant communities means a continual increase in costs. The storms most likely aren’t going to stop anytime soon, so instead communities will need to figure out how to withstand them.

Part of the answer is simple — hurricanes are occurring more frequently. The Atlantic currently averages around three major hurricanes per year.

Have a Laugh!

Easy way out on Pg. 4

Specialized Insurance Programs for Specialized Industries. • www.INSURICA.com • 3

1501 Mart Dr. Little Rock, AR 72202 501.666.6653

PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411

INSIDE This Issue

Remembering Raleigh Johnson This Veterans Day page 1

Filmmakers’ 3 Tips for Video Calls That Don’t Suck How One Boy Used a Lemonade Stand to Give Back to His Community page 2 Why Hurricanes Are Causing More Damage Every Year Take a Break page 3

Researcher Brené Brown Helps Leaders Find Their Vulnerability — and Succeed page 4

‘DARE TO LEAD’

With Brené Brown’s Bestselling Book

H ow many leaders do you know who will admit to their mistakes openly and honestly to their team? How many leaders have you heard ask their team for direction? How many leaders are willing to step aside so someone else can shine? Chances are if you know that leader — or if you are that leader — then you understand the future of leadership, according to author, researcher, and teacher Brené Brown, Ph.D., author of “Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts.” In this book, Brown details her seven years researching and gaining a better understanding of leadership. She interviewed business leaders at both small and large companies, asking questions that revealed what great leadership looks like. Together with

She theorizes that often, these workspaces are filled

her research team, she learned why certain workspaces thrive and grow while others, with seemingly just as powerful of ideas, wither and die. And it all boiled down to one thing, Brown says: courage. In “Dare to Lead,” Brown examines the four pillars of courageous leadership and how business leaders today can practice and perfect it. Brown teaches the four pillars through her consulting work and has seen radical changes in organizations that practice courageous leadership. Brown offers examples — from well- known CEOs and within her own business — to walk readers through real-life applications of courage and how to create stronger teams through vulnerability.

with fear, uncertainty, and scarcity. To remove these negative traits, Brown offers leaders a road map to build their courage while practicing vulnerability and creating happier work environments. Brown has spent the past two decades researching and breaking down emotional concepts into tangible goals for her readers and followers. She is the owner of The Daring Way, a consulting firm that helps businesses develop vulnerability in leadership and the workplace. She is also the host of the podcast “Unlocking Us” and has one of the most-watched videos of all time, “The Power of Vulnerability.” You can learn more about Brown’s work and find “Dare to Lead” at BreneBrown.com.

Brown exposes how business cultures that don’t practice vulnerability are ineffective as a result.

4 • www.INSURICA.com • Specialized Insurance Programs for Specialized Industries.