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Lately, it has become unsettlingly common to wake up to stories of mass shootings, regular civil disobedience, violent robberies, and our nation’s ongoing opioid epidemic. 

In Colorado, we have been shielded from some of these national issues for many years. However, as our population continues to grow by leaps and bounds, these problems are hitting home much more often. According to an article from the Denver Post, our statewide population exceeded 5.6 million people in 2017—ranking Colorado on the top 10 list of fastest growing states.

The first cellphone was developed in 1973 by Motorola Researcher, Martin Cooper. Heavy and clunky, that first device was a far cry from the sleek, versatile mobile phones of today. Since Cooper’s invention, companies have competed to produce more portable technology and offer better connectivity. And they have largely succeeded.

Whether regional or national, business leaders face the impact of globalization. In today’s world, it is not a question of if a crisis will affect an enterprise, but when. Events, such as a terror attack, data breach, pandemic or travel ban, that happen on the other side of the world can affect business resilience and valuation just as much as those down the street or on premise. 

Now that the holiday excitement has finally settled, it’s time to decide how to truly improve yourself in 2018. You may still have that flyer from your local fitness club and are strongly considering spending time in a cycling class or on the pull-up bar. To some, physical fitness and appearance are main priorities. For rising security leaders, I would like to put a different flyer in your hand—one that touts developing yourself professionally.

Employee hiring and screening are vital support functions for any company, but they may be the most important functions for a security company. If your security provider doesn’t have the right people in place, it reflects poorly on you, can leave your organization open to risk and can even impact your brand. 

Selecting a security services provider is a crucial step and there are many factors to take into consideration when building an RFP. By taking the time to strategize and establish guidelines for what potential partners must include, you can ensure that you will have all the pertinent information you need to make a well-informed decision.

Quality security providers see great value in employee engagement. Not only is it the right thing to do, but better engaged security officers provide better service. Should engagement efforts end there? Or, does the organization contracting the services play a role? 

Institutions of learning and workplaces have been featured prevalently in the news lately in increasingly alarming ways, drawing attention to the fact that traditional reactive security measures may be limited in identifying risk and preventing tragedies. In spite of considerable resources aimed at mitigating risk, tragic incidents, such as an active shooter, natural disasters or other such major emergency can hinder business continuity. They can also negatively impact reputation and brand, and cause harm to personnel and physical assets.

The constituencies of America’s colleges and universities are changing. Many institutions of higher learning are enrolling new populations of students and facing new challenges, and as a result, the entire campus needs to adapt accordingly. Disruptive forces come from every direction these days.

If you were like 41 percent of Americans, before the ball dropped in New York City to ring in 2018, you already made a few New Year’s resolutions. According to Statistic Brain, although a mere 9.2 percent of people report following through with the resolutions they make, individuals who make them are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than those who fail to make them at all. So, this year, why not make a New Year’s resolution that could literally save your life? In 2018, resolve to be safe!