Reposted by Tim Richardson

Practice the Basics: Why Repetition Builds Success

If you have ever taken music lessons, you have likely spent time playing scales. Scales can feel repetitious, time-consuming, and not particularly fun. Yet scales are essential to playing music well. I have been taking jazz piano lessons off and on for seven years, and I tried to avoid scales. That choice held me back.

Musicians know that scales develop speed, accuracy, and confidence. Without them, playing at a high level is nearly impossible. In my speaking career, I have often resisted memorizing speech content or rehearsing. Tailoring material for specific audiences is not thrilling. Yet each step is necessary to deliver an effective presentation.

Leaders face a similar challenge. Most managers do not practice giving performance reviews, preparing thoughtful interview questions, or developing their coaching skills. Without practice, they miss opportunities to become more effective. Most sales professionals are extroverted and enjoy connecting with people. The details often feel less engaging. Writing scripts, practicing presentations, and recording accurate CRM notes may not feel energizing. Yet these tasks are vital for success.

Preparation and Follow-Through The best sales professionals commit to preparation and consistent follow-through. Growth requires ongoing learning and practice. My father was a classically trained pianist. I often watched him practice highly complex pieces for hours. When a section gave him trouble, he slowed it down and repeated it until he mastered it. He knew that deliberate repetition was the path to mastery. That same principle applies to leadership, sales, and personal growth. My father loved to tell the story of a young man in New York who, without knowing who he was addressing, asked famous pianist, Arthur Rubinstein for directions to Carnegie Hall. His reply was simple and profound: “Practice, practice, practice.” Maybe we all need to slow down and return to the basics. When we commit to practicing the fundamentals, we see results.

Practice can be monotonous. Practice can be time consuming. Practice can be transformational.

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Reposted from Majestic Collaborations

Our October update: #READYWHEN launch, shutdown resilience, and the 1% preparedness challenge

Majestic heads to Washington next week, continuing momentum from July’s NACo Annual Conference. While shutdown disruptions have made federal meetings dynamic, our commitment to leadership, coordination, and proactive planning remains strong.

If you’re in the DC Metropolitan area, we’d love to treat you to lunch or coffee to hear about your experiences, feedback and thoughts. Contact us to schedule a time October 6 & 8, with some limited availability on the 7th.

The research is clear: Every dollar invested in preparedness saves $13 in response and recovery costs. This is why we can’t be content to idle. Instead, we should deepen our commitment to the health of our organizations and our communities by devoting time, talent and treasure to prepare for disruptions and disasters.

That’s why Majestic challenges every arts organization, museum, and festival—no matter the size—to earmark at least 1% of their annual budget for preparedness. Imagine the impact: dedicated funds for readiness planning, staff training, and vital upgrades that move our sector from reactive to resilient. We think that upgrading policy (currently set to #SeatBeltOptional) and the right incentives from funders can inspire this elusive change. 

Earlier this year, the National Endowments for the Arts (NEA) began prioritizing projects that assist with disaster recovery to be considered for funding. Good folks will disagree about the way that funding moved through arts & cultural agencies (our count is $2 bIllion in public dollars). We are looking for places where those funds went to PLAN, PREPARE, or PREVENT the next disruption. Please let us know of case studies we might explore. All this should lead to a better plan for the future. It starts with some solutions hiding in plain sight. Read on to see what we think will help!

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Reposted from SafeHaven Security

The Silent Role Psychological Safety Plays in Retention

You've invested in hiring, onboarding, and employee perks, but your top performers are still walking out the door. Maybe it's quiet quitting. Maybe it's burnout. Or maybe it's something even more foundational: they simply don't feel safe. Psychological safety might sound like a soft concept, but in today's workplace, it's becoming one of the most powerful (and overlooked) retention tools. And here's the twist- it often starts with something very tangible: physical safety. One of our strategic partners, Kwema, joined us in writing this article about safety in retention. Kwema specializes in smart badge reel and emergency protocol devices.

Violence Prevention Conference of Mid-America
October 21-22
Bentonville, AR

This conference is designed to address preventing targeted violence and protecting people in an increasingly violent world. Attendees will be immersed in a day full of dynamic content where industry experts share best practices, research, and real-world case studies.  This program has been pre-approved for 10 business credits with HRCI and SHRM. Approved for law enforcement by AR Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training (CLEST) and OK Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training (CLEET).

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Reposted from ArtSentry

Free Webinar October 15, 1:00-2:00 pm EDT - Reinventing Museum Security

Museums today face heightened risks from publicized incidents of damage. Join us as we explore fresh approaches to safeguarding museums and cultural institutions. We are also thrilled to include guest speaker Tim Carpenter.

Guest Speaker: Tim Carpenter
Managing Director at Argus| Former Head of the world-renowned FBI Art Crime Team

Tim will share his perspective on the rise in publicized museum damage incidents in 2025 and what institutions must do to adapt.

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Reposted from NFPA

Whether you're working in schools, at community events, or online, these materials are designed to help you deliver effective, consistent campaign messaging—during Fire Prevention Week and throughout the year. Both toolkits also offer select resources in Spanish and French. Read more at 

https://www.nfpa.org/events/fire-prevention-week#toolkits

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Reposted from CISA

Cybersecurity Awareness Month

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month! For more than 20 years we have spotlighted the importance of taking daily action to reduce risks when online and using connected devices. This year, we focus on the government entities and small and medium businesses that are vital to protecting the systems and services that sustain us every day and make America a great place to live and do business: the nation’s critical infrastructure.  Much of the nation’s critical infrastructure is owned and operated by state, local, tribal, and territorial governments as well as private companies. Additionally, vendors, suppliers, and other parts of the supply chain that support or are connected to critical infrastructure play a critical cybersecurity role.  

This year’s theme is Building a Cyber Strong America, highlighting the need to strengthen the country's infrastructure against cyber threats, ensuring resilience and security.

Cyber threats don’t take time off. As the federal lead for Cybersecurity Awareness Month and the nation’s cyber defense agency, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, or CISA, urges all U.S. small and medium businesses and state, local, tribal, and territorial governments to take one action today to improve their cybersecurity. 

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Reposted from AMM

There are many ways for local museums, museum workers, and service providers to get involved:

Take part in a listening session on September 25. We're interested in hearing from locals as we kick off conference planning. AMM members in the Chicago region will receive an invitation via email later today.

Consider hosting a tour or event at your museum. We'll be inviting proposals later this year. Feel free to reach out if you already have ideas.

Help us shape the program through committee service. We would love to see individuals in a variety of roles, career stages, and museum types join our team. Let us know if you are interested.

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Reposted from ArtSentry

Creative Fundraising for Conservation and Security

When seeking funding for conservation or security upgrades, traditional grants are not the only option. Creative strategies can deliver funds faster and often with more community engagement while offering a broader demographic an opportunity to support the museum’s goals. Here are some examples of ways you can revamp your fundraising strategies.

Build on the classic “Adopt-an-Artifact” model, where individuals symbolically sponsor artifacts, to create broader opportunities for donors. Introduce a modern and digital element to your adopt an artifact programs by offering gamified and tiered participation. Gamified experiences work by increasing engagement and motivation through the purposeful application of game-like elements, such as challenges, rewards, and interactive storytelling. This approach makes interactions more fun and memorable, attracts new audiences like digital-native youth, and helps patrons connect with content on a deeper, more personal level.

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Reposted from Tim Richardson

Why Taking Pauses at Work Boosts Mental Health and Productivity

“Softie.”
That’s what you were called in middle school football if you asked for a water break. At IBM, coworkers teased each other with “Talking a half day?” when someone used flex time to leave early. One leader even told me, “Vacation is for sissies,” when I mentioned the need to recharge. These attitudes may explain why the World Health Organization recently reported that one billion people around the world suffer from some form of mental illness (WHO). Anxiety and depression are widespread, cutting across every demographic and income level. They are now the second leading cause of long-term disability and create staggering economic costs. If these statistics mirror what happens in workplaces, we have a serious problem.

The Hidden Cost of Ignoring Breaks

Many employees are working too long and too hard. Vacations go unused. Even short pauses are skipped. The result is a workforce on the edge of breakdown.

Mental health impacts from nonstop work

Work-related stress is everywhere. A recent Business Management Daily survey found that 94% of workers report stress on the job. Elevated stress increases risks of heart disease, diabetes, depression, anxiety, and more.

Economic consequences for organizations

Stress drains productivity and spikes health-care costs. Companies that fail to encourage employee well-being face higher turnover, disengagement, and long-term losses.

Stress in Today’s Workplace

Recent surveys highlight the hidden ways stress shows up at work.

What recent surveys reveal

Employees are turning to mental health days, therapy, or informal conversations with managers in hopes of managing stress. Yet the numbers show the problem is still growing.

The surprising issue of “bathroom anxiety”

One survey reported by The Indian Express revealed that nearly one in ten U.S. employees considered quitting their job due to stress linked to bathroom anxiety. More than 80% of Gen Z workers admitted to experiencing this. While it may sound surprising, it underscores how deeply stress can affect daily work life.

Why Organizations Must Encourage Pauses

Stress is not a badge of honor. It is a productivity killer. Organizations must create cultures where taking a pause is encouraged.

Short breaks that restore energy

Even a few minutes away from screens can help employees reset their focus. Leaders can normalize walking meetings, hydration breaks, or quiet reflection.

Long-term benefits for employee retention and productivity

Supporting well-being increases retention, strengthens team performance, and reduces long-term costs. Building pauses into the workplace culture is an investment in both people and results.

How Leaders Can Promote Well-Being at Work

Leaders must set the tone. Encourage team members to step away from constant busyness. Celebrate vacations rather than discouraging them. Build systems that protect time for recovery.

When employees feel supported in taking pauses, they return to work energized, engaged, and ready to perform at their best.

 Reflection for Leaders: What can you do this week to create space for meaningful pauses in your organization?

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Reposted from CISA

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) launched the Software Acquisition Guide: Supplier Response Web Tool, a no-cost, interactive resource that enhances the use of the Software Acquisition Guide for Government Enterprise Consumers: Software Assurance in the Cyber-Supply Chain Risk Management (C-SCRM) Lifecycle.

This web tool helps IT public and private sector decision makers, software acquisition professionals and suppliers to streamline and incorporate the cybersecurity into the software procurement process. It transforms the original guide into a dynamic experience—breaking it into manageable sections and prompting users with relevant questions based on their previous responses. This adaptive approach helps users focus on the most critical aspects of their acquisition needs, saving time and improving clarity.

The web tool supports secure-by-design and secure-by-default principles by:

• Streamlining navigation through the Software Acquisition Guide
• Enabling users to export and print customized summaries of their responses
• Facilitating collaboration with CISOs, CIOs, and other decision-makers
• Supporting stronger due diligence and more secure procurement outcomes

Whether evaluating a single product or managing a complex acquisition, the web tool empowers users to make more informed, risk-aware decisions reinforcing CISA’s commitment to strengthening software supply chain resilience across government and industry.

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