Category: Oswald Letter

Dan Oswald, CEO of Simplify Compliance, writes about management, leadership, and the workplace. Occasional guest articles are written by other leaders and C-Suite executives from BLR. 

overtime

DOL’s new overtime rule comes with unintended consequences

by Dan Oswald Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) released a new rule that requires anyone who makes less than $47,476 to receive overtime pay. When a colleague suggested I consider this topic for my blog, I was reluctant. I’m not an expert on wage and hour issues. We have many people much […]

Getting over the hump: Why BLR was lucky enough to survive

From Dan: As a way to honor the individuals who have taught me critical life lessons about people and business, I’ve invited several to write guest columns to run in this space over the next few weeks. Today’s voice of experience once again is Robert L. Brady, the founder of Business and Legal Resources (BLR). […]

Dredging: the invisible—but critical—task of all managers

by Dan Oswald When I was a little boy, I had a book that was filled with pictures of heavy equipment. Like many boys, I was fascinated by the large bulldozers, cranes, and trucks. There was one piece of equipment that intrigued me because I had never seen anything like it. It was a grab […]

Rolling the dice: the day I started BLR

From Dan: As a way to honor the individuals who have taught me critical life lessons about people and business, I’ve invited several to write guest columns to run in this space over the next few weeks. Today’s voice of experience is provided by Robert L. Brady, who founded Business and Legal Resources (BLR) in […]

retention

You’re doing it wrong—the proper way to approach creative thinking

by Dan Oswald Fifty years ago, NASA asked Dr. George Land to develop a creativity assessment aimed at helping the space agency identify and hire the most creative engineers and scientists. The test proved successful for NASA, and in 1968, Land decided to use his assessment to test the creativity of 1,600 4- and 5-year-olds […]

Don’t let your mistakes define who you are

by Dan Oswald A week ago, Jordan Spieth lost the Masters golf tournament in stunning fashion. One headline on ESPN’s website read, “Jordan Spieth’s collapse at the Masters the most shocking in golf history.” That’s saying a lot since the “modern” game of golf originated in 15th century Scotland and it made its Olympic debut […]

Leadership practices that work regardless of company size

From Dan Oswald: As a way to honor the individuals who have taught me critical life lessons about people and business, I’ve invited several to write guest columns to run in this space over the next few weeks. Today’s voice of experience is provided by a mentor whose business acumen and people skills have guided […]

Don’t let fear of failure stop you from taking risks

by Dan Oswald I guess we’re all afraid of something. When we were kids, we might have been afraid of the dark or monsters under the bed. As adults, those fears often seem bigger or more real. We may have a fear of heights, the outdoors, or even failure. The problem is that fear puts […]

Give your 2016 “to do” list a good spring cleaning

by Dan Oswald Spring has sprung. The grass is green. The flowers are blooming. The trees are in full blossom. It’s that time of year again. Time for spring cleaning. Out with the old and in with the new. At least that’s my wife’s way of thinking. Last weekend, we spent a day cleaning out […]

Kids’ dwindling writing skills are no reason to LOL

by Dan Oswald Is writing becoming a lost art? The adoption of new technology has forever changed how we communicate with one another—and that includes the written word. I’m certain my kids write more with their thumbs, texting incessantly on their phones, than any other way. And I say that even though two of my […]