John Register at Accelerent Breakfast — Hurdle Adversity: Embrace Your New Normal Mindset

Many people deal with adversity, but not very many have created a “new normal” that has had a global impact. John Register has!

By the mid-1990s, John had already lived an amazing life:

• He is a four-time All-American graduate of University of Arkansas.
• He served six years in the U.S. Army—including in operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
• He also served in active-duty with the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program—winning nine gold medals in the Armed Services Competition and two World Military Championships.

But then...one day…he dislocated his left leg in a misstep over a hurdle while training for the 1996 Olympic Games. Seven days later, his left leg had to be amputated. He had hyperextended his knee and severed the popliteal artery.

One misstep. One very bad week.

But that did not stop John from continuing to be a world-class athlete.  He started swimming to aid in his recovery, made the U.S. Paralympic Team in 1996, and later won a silver medal in the long jump—as he set an American record—and sprinted to fifth in the 100 meters and 200 meters at the U.S. Paralympic Games in Sydney, Australia.

As the keynote speaker at Friday’s Accelerent Breakfast Event, business leaders from around the valley gathered to connect on business development ideas and to be inspired by John Register’s speech.

While most of us have not dealt with the challenges that John has, we have all been dealing with the pandemic, national issues and world events, and all of these have shifted our environments. We are no longer dealing with “normal,” which was the everyday, typical occurrence of thought or action.

We all are developing our own “new normal,” which is not a destination but a plateau by which we grow: higher and stronger.

The process works this way:

• It begins with a point of reckoning – when you realize that the “normal” you knew is gone.
• Transformation is next, when you need to rebuild something with new information. Create a new base. Redefine the vision of what might be possible.
• You begin to see that “hurdles” can hold us back from our vision and our dreams. Those hurdles can be what other people tell us we cannot do, or what society dictates to us.
• You need to attack the hurdles. A coach can teach you, but you are the one who has to jump the hurdles.
• Once you have attacked and have made it over the hurdles, you get to your “new normal mindset.”
• Coaching is important, because you need to build with the things that you don’t even know yet. But keep going and bring the oxygen, which is your new mindset.

A couple of other important insights from John:

• Have the resolve to accept that you’re never going back, and you’re in a new place. That resolve provides freedom and liberation.
• When truth outweighs fear, we commit to a courageous life. Think of one insightful action that you can commit to before 10 am tomorrow morning. Then hold yourself accountable. Create your new normal.

For more information on John Register and his amazing journey and accomplishments, go to: https://johnregister.com/.

Chris Hogan: Employee benefits are setting a ‘new normal,’ too      

In introductory remarks at the event, Chris Hogan, Executive Vice President and Principal of Benefit Commerce Group (BCG), used John Register’s theme of a “new normal mindset” to discuss what he sees every day in the employee benefits arena.

Just as that one misstep changed everything in John’s life, the pandemic and exceptional economic conditions have impacted everything in business.

We already have seen a tremendous shift in employee benefits: what employees want and what employers are offering.

“In this unprecedented environment and with such fierce competition for talent, the employee benefits you offer have become some of your most important tools in your efforts to attract and retain talent,” Chris said.

“Employees are seeking flexibility in their working conditions, but they’re also asking for their health plans to be simplified, so they can find the right care, the best care, at a reasonable price, without hitting roadblocks and confusion at every step,” Chris added. “At the same time, employers are wanting to control or reduce their costs. Somewhat surprisingly, we have found – and studies have proven – that receiving care from top doctors actually costs less than care from average or less experienced doctors.”

At Benefit Commerce Group, we’ve studied and vetted solutions that work for any situation that our clients present.

“The first step is always, always knowing how your benefits compare to other employers,” Chris said. “You are competing with other employers for workers, and you need to know where your benefits put you ahead of the competition and where your benefits need to be stronger.”

By participating in the 9th Annual Arizona Employee Benefits Benchmarking Survey, conducted by Benefit Commerce Group, employers can learn just how their benefits compare—to other Arizona employers and nationwide.

This Benchmarking Survey will have 350-400 employer participants across the state this year. Unlike most benefits benchmarking surveys that HR managers can look to which are based on large national employers, this survey is the largest, most comprehensive for mid-size employers—50 employees up to 5,000.

The survey and individual results reports are provided at no cost to Arizona employers. And those who complete the survey by April 29th can earn an Amazon gift card incentive.

The results of the survey will be announced at our June 2nd Benchmarking Results Breakfast Event at the Arizona Biltmore.

For more information on the Benchmarking Survey, go to the Benchmarking page of our website: https://benefitcommerce.aleragroup.com/az-benchmarking-survey/