Caring Causes - The Hospital for Sick Children

It’s time for Ryan Reynolds’ annual holiday video in support of SickKids Foundation. This year, Ryan has enlisted help from some familiar friends - Deadpool, Kidpool and the seriously wonderful woman, Lynda Carter. 

Deadpool and Kidpool are on a mission to eliminate sick kids - or rather, eliminate the sickness the kids are faced with by encouraging others to donate to The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). They need someone a little less…R Rated than their foul-mouthed selves. Luckily help is not far away as Lynda Carter and the now infamous Ugly Sweater make an appearance. 

Check out this year’s hilarious new video from Ryan Reynolds’ Maximum Effort HERE. 



To support this year’s campaign please visit SickKidsSweaterLove.ca. Donate before midnight on December 24th, and Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively will match all donations up to $500,000. 

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Soul Sustenance - Holidays and Faith

 With the holiday season in full swing, millions of people experience a renewed sense of spirituality and faith. Whether it's through attending church services, reflecting on the birth of Christ, or engaging in acts of kindness, the holiday season often sparks a deeper connection to God and faith-based practices. But what drives this seasonal surge in belief and religious engagement?

I had a chance to interview Sandra Smith, renowned Christian author and speaker, and author of the critically acclaimed book I Am Saved, Now Where Do I Go?

Why do holidays often trigger a renewed focus on faith and religion?
Holidays such as Christmas and Easter point to Jesus, He is the whole reason for the season.  Whether some people want to face that reality, deep down something tells them that it is true. But, you either love someone or you don't, in a relationship there is no middle ground. That is the same with God, you either love Him or you don't. He is either your main focus or pleasing your flesh is. God knows our hearts, and He knows if we are sincere; He knows lip service.

Some people go to church during the holiday season because they know its purpose. For those that it makes them truly change, they are blessed. It doesn't matter what makes them think about their faith and renewing it, what matters is they do.

Why are reflection and gratitude such a big component of spirituality?
Reflection and gratitude are such a big component of spirituality because it takes your mind off of yourself and think about our Father in heaven and how much He truly loves you and what an awesome
show of mercy, grace, forgiveness, and unconditional love it took to sacrifice Jesus for OUR sins. In that, it draws you closer to God.

How can traditions and charity strengthen a sense of spirituality?
By keeping the focus on God and why you are doing it. You do it to represent Him. If you are doing it for accolades, then you do it for the wrong reason.
We love, because He first loved us and gave Himself for us. His love is so overwhelming, He is so faithful, even when we are not that we should want to be His hands, feet, voice and heart
to those who are in need.

What happens after the holidays? How can people continue deepening their sense of spiritual renewal?
By staying close to God daily, and spending time with Him in your own personal devotion time. If you never speak to your loved ones, that relationship will suffer.
So it is with our relationship with God. It does not have to be hours, just quality time with Him. When you don't you miss out on so much. He wants to speak to you. Do you give Him time?

Tell us about  I Am Saved, Now Where Do I Go?
It is a group of bible studies on various topics. The topics are, being sure you are saved, beginning your walk in Christ, spiritual growth, spiritual warfare, and the blessings of God. Within each topic are various studies dealing with that topic. The Pastor cannot be with someone day in and day out, so this is to help people stay victorious and they walk out their faith daily.

Why did you write it?
I'm Saved did not start out as a book. I love reading the bible as as I went through 20 years of abuse and the loss of my 16-year-old son, the Bible is what helped me. God spoke to me through reading it
and it came alive to me; it pierced my heart and I began to heal. God gave me the strength and the reason to go on through the words of the Bible.

As I read, the Holy Spirit would whisper into my heart that there is a bible study in the passage I was reading, I started typing, and before I knew it I had typed several pages.

What should readers walk away with?
God provided everything we need through His word to help us in our trials. He gave us promises to stand on and bring us hope. He gave us HIS WORD to pray and believe on. His Word created the world and with His Spirit in us, it is just as powerful when we speak it and pray it in faith. I hope this book draws the reader into a closer relationship with God and with a deeper desire to read the Bible.

How can you help people who face questions about their faith?
Pray and ask God; He is a big God and He can take their doubts. The word says, "Ask and you shall receive." The only way to find answers to their doubts and their questions is to go to source and ask.
He will answer

Movie Minute - Best Christmas Films

 The Christmas film catalog keeps growing, with streaming services producing holiday offerings. But a classic is a classic, and the team at USDish compiled a list of each decade’s most iconic Christmas films by studying meta scores, ratings, and box office revenue. 

The Christmas classics from the last century are...

1930’s: Remember the Night (1939)
1940’s: It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
1950’s: White Christmas (1954)
1960’s: The Apartment (1960)
1970’s: Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas (1977)
1980’s: Gremlins (1984)
1990’s: Home Alone (1990)
2000’s: Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
2010’s: Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch (2018)
2020’s: The Holdovers (2023)

Based on the list above, they also collected data on each state’s favorite iconic Christmas film. 

For more festive findings and methodology, see our full report.

Smart Safety - Top Holiday Travel Tips to Keep Your Family Safe

The winter holidays are one of the busiest travel times of the year, with many Americans hitting the road to visit family and friends or to take an end-of-year vacation. With all the demands and distractions of the season, it can be easy to overlook safety—especially when traveling with young kids.

 

“We believe every child deserves the gift of safety this holiday season,” said Torine Creppy, president of Safe Kids Worldwide. “While you’re having fun with family and friends, we’re encouraging all parents and caregivers to be especially vigilant when they’re away from home for the holidays. No matter where you go, you can help keep kids safe from preventable injuries by following a few proven and practical tips.”

 

• Before heading off in a car, double check to make sure you’re using the right car seat or booster for your child, and that it’s properly secured. When used correctly, child safety seats can reduce the risk of death by as much as 71 percent. A special reminder: It is safest to keep kids in a booster seat until they are at least 4’9” tall. A recent Safe Kids study found that four out of five parents moved their child out of a booster seat before the child was big enough.

 

• If your child is wearing bulky winter coat, avoid the temptation to loosen the car  seat harness. You might think your child is securely harnessed when, in fact, the harness is not tight enough because there is so much air in the jacket or coat. The safest option is to adjust the car seat harness when your child is not wearing anything heavy. (This video will show you how to do the pinch test to make sure the harness is snug enough.) A special reminder: Keep your child warm by using a blanket or jacket over the harness.

 

• If you’re driving in a cold climate, be prepared. Pack extra blankets, food, and diapers, and keep your cell phone fully charged. Check that your exhaust pipe is not clogged with snow or ice to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. A special reminder: No matter what the climate, be sure to secure lose objects in your car. Store hot foods, household supplies, boxes or gifts, and anything else that could fly around in a crash in your trunk away from passengers.

 

• Keep sleep safety top of mind. Remember that babies need their own safe place to nap and spend the night. Babies are at risk of suffocation when sleeping on adult beds or sofas, both when they’re alone or when sleeping with someone else. Keep infants in a safe crib, bassinet, or pack-n-play, on a firm mattress with a fitted sheet. Be sure the sleep space is free of toys, pillows, bumpers, and blankets. A special reminder: Use a sleep sack to keep your baby warm.

 

• Store medicine, cleaning supplies, and other hazards up and away. In your own home, you likely keep medicines and laundry pods out of your child’s reach—but it can be easy to forget to do the same while on the road. Make sure any handbag, backpack, or suitcase containing medicine or other hazardous items stays out of reach of children. A special reminder: When visiting grandparents and other relatives or friends, ask in advance that they store dangerous objects out of sight and out of reach.

 

• Prioritize toy safety. Gifts of games and toys are one of the best parts of the holidays but before giving a toy to a child, take a quick moment to read instructions and warning labels to make sure it is age-appropriate and doesn’t include small parts or potential choking hazards. (Toys intended for older children may pose a risk to younger, curious siblings, so take care to keep them separate.) A special reminder: Be especially mindful of anything that uses a small lithium battery, including toys, games, remotes, key fobs and even greeting cards. Each year in the United States, more than 2,800 kids are treated in emergency rooms after swallowing button batteries so make sure to keep those objects far from children. On devices you use frequently (like a remote), place a piece of duct tape over the battery compartment to keep it securely closed.

 

• Talk about firearms before visiting someone’s home. Many Americans keep a gun in their home, so it’s critical to address the issue of gun storage when visiting family or friends. Guns always should be unloaded and secured with effective, child-resistant gun locks and stored in a locked container out of the reach and sight of children.  Ammunition should be stored separately in a similar way.  A special reminder: Use these tips to help you navigate potentially awkward conversations about guns in a home.

 

• Guard against of fire hazards. Live trees, candles, and fireplaces help make the season bright but also raise the risk of fires and burns, which are among the leading causes of preventable injury in children ages 0 to 5. Wherever you are, teach kids to stay at least three feet away from wood stoves, fireplaces, and ovens. A special reminder: In the kitchen, cook on the back burners of the stove and turn pot handles away from the edge.

 

 ###

 

ABOUT SAFE KIDS WORLDWIDE
Safe Kids Worldwide is a nonprofit organization working to reduce unintentional injuries to children ages 0-19 and build equitable and sustained systems that support injury prevention. Safe Kids works with strategic partners and an extensive network of more than 400 coalitions in the U.S. to reduce traffic injuries, drownings, sleep-related deaths, falls, burns, poisonings, and more. Since 1988, Safe Kids and its partners have contributed to a more than 60 percent reduction in the rate of fatal childhood unintentional injury in the U.S. Learn more at safekids.org.

Caring Connections - In-Laws Survey

 Sometimes the holiday season is just about surviving the stress. One big contributor - the in-laws!

A new survey finds that 1 in 4 Americans say they are often annoyed by their in-laws, and 2 in 5 Americans have skipped family events due to their in-laws' behavior. 

More key findings: 

• 1 in 10 Americans have prevented their children from visiting their in-laws. 

• 1 in 4 Americans say their in-laws have criticized their parenting.

• 1 in 5 Americans say their in-laws have criticized their relationship with their family. 

You can read the full report and dig deeper to in-law relationships here. 

Last-Minute Gifts with Trisha Hershberger

 

Money Makers - The 10 Deadly Sins of Strategic Planning: Fatal Flaws Undermining Efficacy

 Why your New Year strategic plan might already be DOA—and what to do about it

As executives gear up for the 2025 strategic planning season, the process can feel like a balancing act. Developing a strategic plan that both drives meaningful change and satisfies stakeholders is a complex task, made even more challenging by the fast-evolving landscape of marketplace needs, industry trends, and technological advancements.

However, many leaders unknowingly fall into common pitfalls that can derail their planning efforts. To avoid these, it’s crucial to approach strategic planning with intentionality, foresight, and a willingness to embrace change. Based on insights drawn from value proposition redesign practices and real-world business challenges, here are some of the most common strategic planning pitfalls to avoid.

1. Starting with Products and Services, Not Marketplace Needs

One of the most frequent missteps in strategic planning is jumping straight into product and service enhancements without first taking the time to understand the modern market’s evolving needs and challenges. This misalignment can lead to investing time and resources in offerings that don’t resonate within the marketplace.

Association leaders must resist the temptation to tweak current offerings in response to customer or client feedback that might be incomplete or outdated. Instead, focus on uncovering the deeper, underlying needs of your target market by conducting thorough research, listening to stakeholder pain points, and analyzing trends in your industry.

A valuable framework to use here is the Jobs-to-Be-Done (JTBD) approach, which focuses on understanding the motivations and desired outcomes that drive customers to engage with your company. By first identifying what your audience is truly seeking to accomplish, you can tailor your offerings to meet those specific needs and deliver greater value.

2. Incrementalism: The Trap of Small Tweaks

Incremental improvements—small, conservative changes to existing programs or services—are tempting because they feel safer and easier to implement. However, this approach often keeps Associations stuck in the status quo, unable to generate the breakthrough innovations that the marketplace craves.

For example, a common sign of incrementalism is allocating resources primarily toward existing programs, while overlooking opportunities to invest in new and innovative initiatives. While there may be pressure to avoid risk, Association executives need to think big and bold to stay relevant and provide distinctive value in a competitive landscape.

One way to avoid this trap is to ask yourself whether your current strategic plan is simply aimed at maintaining the status quo or driving transformative change. Big, bold ideas are uncomfortable because they challenge the way things have always been done. But if your Association isn’t willing to explore uncomfortable ideas, it risks losing relevancy and, ultimately, revenue.

3. Focusing on the Rear-View Mirror Instead of the Windshield

Associations that spend too much time reflecting on past successes are at risk of missing future opportunities. While celebrating past accomplishments can be beneficial for morale, it can also blind you to the changes and challenges on the horizon.

Your strategic plan must be forward-thinking. Instead of concentrating solely on what has worked before, actively look for new trends, disruptions, and future opportunities within your industry. Be willing to question current assumptions and take a proactive stance in identifying where your Association could be heading.

A key way to do this is by conducting regular environmental scans—assessments of external factors such as economic conditions, technology trends, and regulatory changes—that could affect your Association in the future. The goal is not just to adapt to these changes but to position your organization to lead them.

4. Overemphasis on Risk Avoidance

A conservative approach to strategic planning, driven by a fear of failure or desire to avoid risk, can lead to stagnation. Many Association leaders, especially in times of uncertainty, focus heavily on maintaining stability rather than pursuing opportunities for growth.

However, organizations that prioritize short-term stability over long-term innovation tend to struggle with customer retention and engagement. Bold moves are necessary to stay ahead of the curve, even if they involve some level of risk. To break free from the risk-avoidance mindset, it’s essential to build a culture where calculated risk-taking is encouraged, and failure is seen as part of the learning process.

One way to manage risk without stifling innovation is to adopt a dynamic feedback loop. By continually testing and refining new initiatives based on marketplace feedback, you can make adjustments early, minimizing risk while still pursuing meaningful change.

5. Benchmarking Only Against Similar Organizations

Benchmarking—comparing your Association’s performance to that of similar organizations—can be helpful, but it should not be the sole basis for your strategic planning. When Association executives rely too heavily on what their peers are doing, they risk blending in with the crowd rather than standing out.

The more valuable approach is to look for inspiration outside your immediate sector. Explore what leading organizations in other industries are doing to innovate and create value for their customers or stakeholders. By bringing fresh ideas and perspectives into your strategic planning process, your Association can differentiate itself and offer unique value propositions not found elsewhere in the marketplace.

6. Failing to Allocate Resources Toward Innovation

A common pitfall in strategic planning is the disproportionate allocation of resources toward maintaining existing programs, leaving little room for investment in innovation. While it’s important to sustain core functions and services, innovation must be an explicit priority to ensure future relevance.

Leaders often struggle with bias toward the familiar. Innovation, however, requires rethinking traditional resource allocation models. Consider setting aside a percentage of your budget specifically for new initiatives, even if it means trimming less impactful programs. The key is to strike a balance between sustaining what works today and building the capacity for what’s needed tomorrow.

7. Prioritizing Short-Term Gains Over Long-Term Vision

In the race to show immediate results, many Associations fall into the trap of prioritizing short-term wins at the expense of long-term strategic goals. While quick wins can boost morale and offer evidence of progress, they can also distract from the bigger picture and lead to unsustainable growth or missed opportunities for lasting impact.

As you build your strategic plan, it’s essential to maintain a clear focus on your Association’s long-term vision and objectives. This requires the discipline to make decisions that may not show immediate results but will set the foundation for future success.

8. Relying on Feedback Loops Focused Only on Current Services

Another common pitfall is over-reliance on feedback loops that center solely on evaluating current services rather than exploring potential new offerings. Feedback is essential for assessing the effectiveness of your current initiatives, but it should not limit your Association’s ability to innovate.

To avoid this trap, ensure that your feedback loops include mechanisms for identifying unmet customer needs and exploring new value creation opportunities. Encourage your existing customers to think beyond what they currently receive from the company and consider what they might need in the future. By shifting the focus of your feedback mechanisms, you can uncover valuable insights that will guide innovation and help you stay ahead of the curve.

Strategic planning is more than just an annual exercise. It’s an opportunity to take stock of where your Association is today and where it needs to go in the future. By avoiding these common pitfalls, you can ensure that your 2025 plan not only positions your Association for success but also delivers meaningful, lasting value to your customer base.

9. Functioning with ‘Strategic’ vs. ‘Stakeholder Value’ Plans

As we transition toward year-end, many organizations are realizing their strategic goals are significantly off track. This isn't a rare occurrence; in fact, it's almost expected. The natural momentum that kicks off a new year often dwindles as daily operations take precedence, leaving ambitious strategic plans largely unexecuted. Statistics suggest that most organizations fail to implement 70% of their strategic initiatives. Take this opportunity to toss out your ‘strategic’ plan...what you need is a ‘stakeholder value’ plan. Traditional strategic plans tend to be more of a generalized wish list than a targeted, actionable roadmap. They frequently lose sight of the very people they're supposed to benefit: the stakeholders.

Redefining strategic plans as "stakeholder impact plans" is crucial pivot. This shift emphasizes that the ultimate goal of any strategic initiative should be to create value for stakeholders. An effective plan needs to clearly articulate how it will deliver new value to key stakeholder groups. Of course, it’s fundamentally essential to recognize who they are. At their core, successful organizations serve at least two primary stakeholder groups: customers or clients (external stakeholders) and employees (internal stakeholders). You can even go a step further by including suppliers (another critical external group) and ownership (an additional internal group) as key stakeholders.

Stakeholders are not afterthoughts, but rather are the foundation and focus of the planning process. It’s about understanding the "jobs to be done" for these stakeholders—identifying what they rely on your organization to achieve, assessing where your organization is meeting these needs, and pinpointing where it falls short.

By prioritizing areas that will have the highest impact on stakeholders and transforming these priorities into concrete objectives with measurable results, your strategic plan transforms into a dynamic tool. It becomes more than a list of hopes; it turns into a driving force that fosters sustained action throughout the year.

This new perspective not only revitalizes the planning process but also ensures that the plan remains relevant and impactful long past the initial enthusiasm of the new year. Adopting a stakeholder value plan is not just about changing terminology—it’s about rethinking how strategic planning can fundamentally drive the success of your organization by truly serving those who matter most.

10. Focusing on Strategic ‘Priorities

One of the most dangerous things a business leader can possess is an extensive list of “strategic priorities.” Traditional strategic planning tends to overemphasize long lists of these while underemphasizing concrete plans for executing on those priorities. As a result, a shocking 60-90% of strategic plans fail to fully materialize. The problem lies not with planning itself—identifying strategic priorities is vital—but rather with the lack of clear execution protocols to activate those priorities.

Leaders often compile inventories spanning dozens of critical priorities across growth opportunities, operational improvements, customer initiatives, and more. However, having twenty “top strategic priorities” is equivalent to having none at all. Attempting to actively pursue such a wide array simultaneously stretches resources too thin. Without adequate focus, it becomes challenging to achieve critical mass on any specific initiative, causing frustration and initiative fatigue across teams.

Moreover, priorities trick leaders into complacency, fostering the false belief that merely identifying something as “important” will somehow guarantee execution. Like overly ambitious New Year’s resolutions, priorities rarely catalyze change without concerted plans for accountability and follow-through. Despite good intentions, only 8% of people fully achieve their resolutions each year. Similarly, while leaders excel at strategizing priorities, 60-90% of organizational strategic plans fail largely due to flawed or total lack of execution protocols.

Endeavor to transform priorities into quantifiable, actionable objectives centered on specific execution plans. For instance, rather than just identifying “improved customer retention” as a priority, leaders must drill down to concrete goals like “reducing customer churn by 2% within 6 months.” This clarity of purpose fuels strategic discipline. In today’s disruptive business landscape, both planning and execution are indispensable. However, leaders must resist conflating priorities with outcomes. A paradigm shift focused on execution-based strategic management is crucial for channeling priorities into real-world impact and results. Just as resolutions without concerted action plans go nowhere, strategic priorities minus execution equal zero.

As business leaders prepare for the 2025 strategic planning season, avoiding these common pitfalls and undertaking the alternate best practices will foster a more forward-thinking, adaptable blueprint that drives real impact. Strategic planning challenges abound, but with the right mindset and proactive measures, companies can turn potential obstacles into opportunities for profound growth and innovation.
~~~

Drew Yancey, PhD is Founder & CEO at Teleios Strategy, a premier strategic planning, leadership development, executive coaching and succession planning advisory firm. With a proven track record in high-performance team building and strategic execution for over 15 years, Yancey solves challenging problems at the nexus of growth, strategy, and innovation. Yancey is also the co-author of “ Leading Performance… Because It Can’t Be Managed: How to Lead the Modern Workforce,” and a frequent keynote speaker. Reach him at www.teleiostrategy.com.

Music Minute - Dylan Scott: Country Till I Die

Curb Records chart-topping recording artist Dylan Scott is not afraid to say who he is and where he comes from in his final release of the year, “Country Till I Die,” out now. Written by Taylor Phillips, Charlie Handsome, John Byron and Ben Johnson, the rowdy anthem is a blazing allegiance to the dirt and backroads that raised him and aptly shares the same name as Scott's upcoming spring headlining Country Till I Die Tour, with tickets on sale now. Scott also released the accompanying music video today, directed by Cameron Packee.   “'Country Till I Die' is such a fun, uptempo song that reflects how I grew up and who I am,” said Scott. “My kids are the biggest fans of this song, and it's been a perfect addition to my live show. Looking forward to seeing who else is Country Till They Die out on the road this spring.”   Scott treated fans with additional standalone track releases throughout the year including “You'd Think I Was A Cowboy” with the music video starring his wife Blair and “I Owe You One,” which Scott performed live on NBC's TODAY in October. Watch the performance here. For tickets to Scott's Country Till I Die Tour and more information, please visit dylanscottcountry.com.

Country Till I Die Tour Dates: April 3, 2025 in Boston, Mass. at MGM Music Hall at Fenway *^ April 4, 2025 in Wallingford, Conn. at Toyota Oakdale Theatre *^ April 5, 2025 in New York, N.Y. at Terminal 5 *^ April 10, 2025 in Cincinnati, Ohio at Andrew J Brady Music Center *^ April 11, 2025 in Youngstown, Ohio at Covelli Center *^ April 12, 2025 in Toronto, Ont. at History *^ April 24, 2025 in Clovis, Calif. at Clovis Rodeo Grounds April 25, 2025 in Indio, Calif. at Stagecoach April 26, 2025 in Henderson, Nev. at Green Valley Ranch Backyard Amphitheater May 1, 2025 in Boise, Idaho at Revolution Concert House *^ May 2, 2025 in Salt Lake City, Utah at The Union *^ May 3, 2025 in Denver, Colo. at Mission Ballroom *^ May 9, 2025 in Omaha, Neb. at Steelhouse *^ May 10, 2025 in Milwaukee, Wis. at The Rave - Eagles Ballroom Club Stage *^ May 15, 2025 in Estero, Fla. at Hertz Arena +^ May 16, 2025 in Orlando, Fla. at Hard Rock Live - Orlando +^  May 17, 2025 in St. Augustine, Fla. at St. Augustine Amphitheatre +^    George Birge* Dasha+ Graham Barham^

ABOUT DYLAN SCOTT: Curb Records recording artist Dylan Scott is a triple threat — a powerful vocalist with a deep, unmistakable drawl, an old-soul songwriter with a young spirit and a family man with a tender heart. The ACM-nominated, multi-Platinum singer has notched four No. 1 singles at radio (“My Girl,” “Nobody,” “New Truck,” and “Can't Have Mine”), as well as Top 5 hit “Hooked.” Following his first career nomination for Best New Country Artist at the all-genre iHeartRadio Music Awards and a coveted spot among Country Radio Seminar's New Faces of Country Music, his Platinum-certified ode to his wife, “Nobody,” earned him a 2021 CMT Music Award for Breakthrough Video of the Year. Scott earned a 2023 and 2024 ACM nomination in the category, New Male Artist of the Year. Alongside Jason Crabb, Scott won his first GMA Dove Award in 2023 for the song, “Good Morning Mercy.” With career streams surpassing 4 billion, the Louisiana native has provided tour support for Garth Brooks, Luke Bryan and Chris Young, among others, cementing him as an in-demand live act. Livin' My Best Life (Still), the deluxe edition of the latest album from Scott, features five new tracks including “Boys Back Home” with Dylan Marlowe and “This Town's Been Too Good To Us” - both of which are currently at Country radio - and viral TikTok ballad, RIAA-Certified Platinum No. 1 radio single, “Can't Have Mine (Find You A Girl).”