Reposted from Tim Richardson

Have you ever had one of the following experiences?

• Boarding a flight on a plane where your assigned seat is a middle seat and then finding your row entirely empty.
• Pulling into a downtown parking space where you notice there’s a lot of time left on the meter.
• Shuffling through that kitchen drawer and finding a forgotten gift card.
• Putting your hands in the pocket of a pair of jeans you haven’t worn in a while and finding unexpected money in your pocket.

We’ve all had positive, unexpected things happen to us before. My most recent “finding a wad of cash” made my day.

Here’s what happened.

A client who I worked with last year emailed me recently to inform me that I hadn’t cashed the check from a late year speaking engagement. Indeed, the undeposited check was in my desk drawer, placed there during a very busy season. She had no idea that her simple communication would make my day.

This experience was a reminder about how our actions and words, particularly when unexpected, can make a huge impact on others. They can turn around a negative situation into a positive one or even change the trajectory of someone’s life.

Last week, I had a conversation with a client who had attended a conference where I had presented more than 15 years ago. He told me that his organization had benefited greatly from the presentation and cited specific benefits from my training.

He told me this story:

One of my staff members was underperforming. In fact, due to his poor performance, he was about to be fired. As I was thinking about how to have that difficult conversation, I thought back to a point you made in your presentation. I thought about the skillsets he had which were not being utilized in his current position. That job wasn’t a good fit for him. Instead of firing him as he was expecting, I reassigned him to another position, one that complimented his natural talents. It didn’t take long for both of us to realize that he would excel in his new job. Eventually, he became one of the biggest superstars in our organization. It’s not uncommon for our customers to bring him coffee or doughnuts on occasion to thank him for the work he does. They love how passionately he performs his duties and the incredible energy he brings to work each day. By elevating him to a job that was a perfect fit, he has been able to create exceptional experiences for our customers.

My message from that 2010 presentation was this:

Everybody has value. Excellent leaders identify the best traits on his or her team and figure out how to use them to the greatest benefit of the individual AND the organization.

If you are a leader and you aren’t doing that, you aren’t doing your job.

Good leaders bring out the best in others. They look for unexpected opportunities to communicate encouragement, positive support, and lift up others. They regularly assess the needs of their organization and help their teams reach their full potential.

They continuously look for ways to provide “a wad of cash in your pocket” experience for those around them and they repeat those moments frequently.

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Reposted from ATALM

We are pleased to announce the Strengthening Institutional Support for Native Artists and Culture Bearers Summit taking place October 7-9, 2025, in Cherokee, North Carolina. Held concurrently with ATALM2025, this transformative three-day gathering is dedicated to strengthening institutional support for Native artists, expanding funding opportunities, showcasing model programs, and amplifying artists' voices. With support from the Ford Foundation, ATALM, is partnering with the Native Arts & Cultures Foundation and other partners to bring together Native artists, cultural leaders, funders, policymakers, and cultural institutions to develop actionable strategies that enhance sustainability, representation, and economic opportunities for Indigenous artists and culture bearers. We invite your involvement in one or more of these areas: Request an invitation to attend. Space is limited, and participation is by invitation to ensure a diverse and engaged community of artists, funders, and institutions. Request an invitation here. Request financial support.  After you receive an invitation to attend, you may request financial assistance to cover registration, lodging, or travel. Submit an application here. Propose a Session.  ATALM is seeking presentations that amplify artists' voices and their needs, showcase model programs and best practices, cover funding and institutional support for Native artists, promote economic empowerment, cultural equity, and policy advocacy, and other topics that will help develop an action plan. Submit a session proposal here. Join as a Summit Partner. Funders, arts agencies, tribes, and cultural institutions are invited to support the summit through funding, programmatic collaboration, and/or resource sharing. Apply to be a Summit Partner here. All applications are due by April 1, 2025, although we will continue to accept applications until we reach capacity. This is a critical moment to advance sustainable support for Native artists and cultural practitioners through increased institutional support. We encourage you to apply, participate, and help shape a stronger future for Indigenous arts.

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Reposted from EMR-ISAC

The National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) has announced the availability of the 2025 version of the NWCG Incident Response Pocket Guide (IRPG), PMS 461.

The NWCG IRPG is an operational job aid carried by all federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial wildland firefighters in the United States, establishing standards for wildland fire incident response. The guide provides critical information on operational engagement, risk management, fire environment, all-hazard response, and aviation management. It is a collection of guidelines, checklists, and best practices that have evolved over time within wildland fire operations.

Major updates and changes in the 2025 IRPG include the addition of nighttime fuel estimates for reference fuel moisture, considerations for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) operations, an updated section on fire weather forecast information regarding the potential for lightning, and more.

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Reposted from EMR-ISAC

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has released an alert warning of a scam involving criminal actors masquerading as the “BianLian Group.” The cyber criminals target corporate executives by sending extortion letters threatening to release victims’ sensitive information unless payment is received.

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Reposted from AAM

*New Book*- Leaning Into Value: Becoming a user-focused Museum

Are you taking a user-experience approach to your museum? In this new book, a leading researcher on museums’ community value provides guidance to museum leaders who may be struggling to navigate today’s often tumultuous, ever-changing economic, political, and educational landscape. Don’t miss this invaluable new addition to your bookshelf—your museum’s audiences will thank you!

AAM Members receive 20% off

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Reposted from AAM

The Annual Survey of Museum-Goers, conducted in partnership between Wilkening Consulting and the American Alliance of Museums, provides your museum with a cost-effective way to gain insight into your visitors and compare your institution to others in your locale, of similar type, and the museum field writ large. By participating in the Annual Survey of Museum-Goers, you will be:

• gaining insight into your visitors, including who they are, their behaviors, and their values,
• benchmarking your data against that of peers, especially around the 2025 themes below,
• tracking changes in your stakeholders over time (with multi-year participation), and much more.

Once you know exactly what makes your museum meaningful to your community, you’ll be better equipped to attract more visitors, make the case for increased funding, and keep up with our rapidly evolving environment.

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Reposted from CISA/DHS

Internet of Things (IoT) devices used within smart city/connected community networks often provide greater efficiency and cost-effectiveness for municipal infrastructure services. However, the increasing use of IoT and the collection of data make connected communities an attractive target for malicious actors as vulnerabilities within IoT devices and systems could provide malicious actors with unauthorized access into connected community ecosystems and permit lateral movement across interconnected critical infrastructure networks. Compromise of IoT devices and systems provides malicious actors with the ability to steal sensitive data and disrupt services or critical processes, resulting in significant impacts throughout connected community critical infrastructure systems. The Connected Communities Initiative IoT Device Risk and Mitigation Infographic highlights cyber-based risks to connected communities from common interconnected IoT devices and groups the devices by IoT architecture, including the perception, transport, and application layers.  Additionally, the infographic identifies mitigation recommendations to limit the risk posed by IoT devices used by a connected community. SLTT decision makers can utilize the infographic to visualize interconnected IoT risks introduced by and implement risk mitigation measures. 

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Reposted from PAR

The Performing Arts Readiness (PAR) project is offering the free emergency preparedness webinars listed below that are tailored to the needs of performing arts organizations. The better prepared an organization is, the more quickly and effectively it can respond to emergencies and crises, re-open for performances and programs, and return to normal operations. Webinars:

Fire Safety and Preparedness for Performing Arts Organizations, Tuesday, March 4, 2025, 3:00-4:30ET
Description: Fire Safety is an essential element in the day to day preparedness of any organization, especially in the unique environment of the performing arts. In addition to sound emergency management principles, the application of National Fire Protection Association Standards (NFPA) will ensure that a comprehensive protection plan is developed in cooperation with appropriate emergency response partners. This free webinar will provide fire safety considerations and introduce best practices from the fire protection industry, which offers a road map to achieve fire safety benchmarks. Participants will learn how the Life Safety Code and the Code for Protection of Cultural Resource Properties can help you protect your patrons, staff, and facility.
Instructor: Chris Soliz

Fire and Emergency Protection Plan Development, Tuesday, March 11, 2025, 3:00-4:30ET
Description: Participants in this webinar will be presented with the components of a Protection Plan and the process to follow for the development of a plan following guidelines provided by the National Fire Protection Association’s Code for Protection of Cultural Resource Properties. Grounded in a vulnerability assessment, the planning process covers fire safety, security, construction considerations, prevention, special events, and recovery strategies. At the completion of this webinar, participants will have the tools needed to begin developing is a significant step towards a resilient organization.
Instructor: Chris Soliz

Event Preparedness: Active Shooters and Hostile Activity at Your Venues, Tuesday, March 18, 2025, 2:00-3:30ET
Description: In recent years we have seen an increase in hostile attacks across all sectors, including events. These attacks have come in a variety of methods. Performing Arts and Cultural Heritage organizations must be prepared for all scenarios and need to be able to react to all emergencies. This webinar will cover the types of attacks to prepare for, as well as the training you should consider for your venues and staff. Our instructor, Emma Stuart, also presents the “Safety and Security for Performing Arts,” “Road to Recovery: Performing Arts During COVID,” and the “Pandemic Response for Performing Arts Organizations” webinars for the PAR project.
Instructor: Emma Stuart

Risk Assessment for Performing Arts Organizations, Wednesday, March 19, 2025, 2:00-3:30ET
Description: Natural disasters, local emergencies, and other disruptive events can have devastating effects on all sizes of performing arts organizations. This webinar will focus on mitigating risks at institutions, to prevent disasters from happening and to reduce the impact of unavoidable disasters. The session will clarify the need for risk assessment as a part of an organization’s disaster preparedness strategy, provide basic information on risk assessment tools and practices, and address how risk assessment can benefit performing arts organizations. The instructors will also present case studies as a part of the session, so participants can learn from actual disasters in performing arts organizations.
Instructor: Tom Clareson

Networking for Disaster Management in the Performing Arts, Thursday, March 20, 2025, 2:00-4:00ET
Description: Emergency response and preparedness for performing arts organizations can be a difficult task for individual organizations. This free 2-hour webinar will demonstrate how working with multiple organizations in a network for disaster management can be accomplished. The history of networking for improved emergency preparedness in the cultural heritage, arts, and government sectors will be examined, with an exploration of existing networks. Case studies of the Pennsylvania Cultural Resilience Network and CultureAID in New York City will be presented to help guide you on how to start your own, or join an existing, cooperative disaster network. You will learn how to use the Cultural Placekeeping Guide to direct your networking efforts.
Instructors: Tom Clareson and Amy Schwartzman

Health and Safety in the Performing Arts, Tuesday, March 25, 2025, 2:00-3:30ET
Description: Safety in the theater extends to crews, casts, and audience members as well as the venue. This includes performance and rehearsal spaces, shops, and other work spaces. It requires awareness, common sense, and perseverance to eliminate hazards and guard against carelessness. The goal of this free webinar is to ensure that a safe, healthy environment is maintained at all times. This includes the control and minimization of all known and potential hazards associated within creative, artistic, and performance development. These risks can be minimized and controlled through proper training, equipment, and use of appropriate precautions, restrictions, and established safe-work practices.
Instructor: Ellen Korpar

Community Recovery Through Arts and Culture, Thursday, April 3, 2025, 2:00-4:00ET
Description: Arts and culture—through the artists and organizations that bring them to life in communities -- have a vital role to play in recovery from disasters. Whether connecting people through music, dance, theater or other experiences; providing moments of respite, joy and humor; allowing people to tell their personal stories of the disaster through visual, verbal or other means; or even just providing a place to congregate, gather information or grab a cup of coffee, arts and culture and the organizations that produce them enable us to move from victimhood to personhood, even if only for a moment, and help us rebuild the social infrastructure of our individual and community lives.
In this webinar, we will focus on how artists and arts organizations can engage in this work. We will provide background in basic disaster management principles, share good practices, give guiding principles and brief how-tos, leave you with resources for further study, and answer any questions you may have. Rebuilding social infrastructure strengthens communities’ abilities to move forward after disasters. Learn how to be part of the process and gain a seat at the table in your community’s recovery.
Instructors: Mary Eileen Fouratt, Amy Schwartzman, Mollie Quinlan-Hayes

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Reposted from EMR-ISAC

LiDAR has been around since the 1960s and uses laser pulses to measure distance with great accuracy. The new study, led by Edinburgh’s Heriot-Watt University with scientists drawn from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, MIT, and the University of Glasgow, added something that could obtain highly detailed 3D data from up to one kilometer away.

As reported in Popular Mechanics, the creation uses an ultra-sensitive sensor called the superconducting nanowire single-photon detector (SNSPD). The system, co-developed by NASA and MIT, can trace a single photon to an accuracy of 13 picoseconds (13 trillionths of a second). It can also see through fog and smoke and could have many applications including security, monitoring and remote sensing.

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Reposted from EMR-ISAC

On Jan. 15, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released new National Behavioral Health Crisis Care Guidance (National Guidance).

The launch of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in 2022 catalyzed a rapid expansion of crisis services around the country. SAMHSA identified the need for ongoing guidance for states, tribes, territories, and other local partners to provide the needed oversight, integration, and sustainability to care for people throughout and after a crisis episode.

SAMHSA identifies three essential elements of a behavioral health crisis system: crisis call lines, mobile crisis response, and emergency and crisis stabilization services. These elements work together to improve outcomes for individuals and families while reducing reliance on emergency departments and law enforcement for the care of those with urgent or emergent behavioral health needs.

The National Guidance consists of three documents:

• 2025 National Guidelines for a Behavioral Health Coordinated System of Crisis Care.
• Model Definitions for Behavioral Health Emergency, Crisis, and Crisis-Related Services.
• Mobile Crisis Team Services: An Implementation Toolkit (draft open for public comment through March 21, 2025).

Emergency medical services (EMS), 911 telecommunications, and law enforcement have roles in a crisis care system. Communities aiming to implement or improve their behavioral crisis care systems will benefit from this guidance.

On Jan. 17, SAMHSA released a Community Opioid Overdose Reversal Medications (OORMs) Planning Toolkit. The toolkit provides guidance for community leaders, public health professionals, first responders (including EMS and law enforcement), to create effective overdose prevention and response strategies to improve local overdose reduction outcomes. 

Access the National Guidance, OORMS Toolkit and learn more about how to submit written comments on the draft Mobile Crisis Toolkit at SAMHSA.gov. Comments are due by Friday, March 21, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET.

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