Yeah, I know that life is hard and running a business can be quite difficult.
You try to pay attention and learn from your mistakes, but the challenges can be relentless. In the back of your mind, you probably think that one day things will be easier because you will have seen it all.
Laugh Out Loud.
Well, guess what? It never gets “easier.” You know why?
Because bad things that “aren’t supposed to happen” happen every day.
The most imitated marching band in America
In November of 2011, Florida A&M University’s marching band killed one of their own during a brutal hazing process. This hazing ritual has been around so long it has a name: “Crossing Bus C.”
Anyway, someone was killed during this hazing and the resulting homicide ruling means that somebody should go to jail. Thirteen people have been charged in connection with the death of Robert Champion, the band’s drum major. Eleven are facing felony hazing charges and two others are charged with misdemeanor hazing. This episode gives new meaning to the term bullying.
This tragedy has Lord of the Rings overtones. Champion was the band’s leader. At 26 years of age, he must have been one of the band’s eldest members, too.
Authorities say Champion, 26, was so badly beaten during the short trip up the aisle of the bus that he died within an hour of the attack.
The band, known as “the Marching 100,” incorporates dance moves into traditional marching formations and has been a source of pride for the school. It has played in inaugural parades for Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama and appeared in several Super Bowls.
The band’s website bills the Marching 100 as “The Most Imitated Marching Band in America.”
Band director Julian White, who had been with the prestigious band for 40 years, has been pressured to step down. His attorney, Chuck Hobbs, said last week that White had tried to root out hazing for the past 22 years.
But that wasn’t supposed to happen
While it’s true that bad things will always happen, a good system can keep bad news to a minimum.
The best way to mitigate bad news is to put a good system in place.
The Florida A&M marching band is now looking at ways to remove hazing from their culture. This will require a no-tolerance rule, more awareness on the part of the band director and staff, better communication between all participants, and an early warning system that will expose anything that even smells like bullying.
The one system all businesses need
Bad things will happen to your business. There’s one thing you can be sure of: one day your data will be lost.
The best–and only way–to ensure this doesn’t happen is to put a data backup system in place that protects data.
Use a company like SourcePath to get this done and you’ll be working with the best. SourcePath is a terrific one-stop shop for all your IT needs. I use them for hardware and software, 24×7 technical support, and of course, data backup. They are the best IT vendor I’ve ever had.
You can put similar systems in place at your company for selling, accounting, and public relations.
This is the best way to get ready for bad news– and trust me, bad news is coming.
Tags: bullying, data backup, Florida A&M, hazing, marching band, michael Angelo Caruso, sourcepath
