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What does it mean to be a leader? And can anyone be a leader? These are questions I’ve been asked a lot in school, interviews and workshops but until now I didn’t really have a definite answer. Leadership is a complex trait and it’s far more than “guiding a group of people.”

The past few years have seen sweeping changes for the medical industry as a result of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), which put in place comprehensive insurance and medical reforms. Now, as the insurance mandates go into effect, bringing millions of newly insured people into the marketplace, hospitals and clinics are faced with how to meet the need for additional staff while transitioning to a revised model of care.

President Barack Obama’s promise to increase the minimum wage for federal contract workers became official when signed an executive order earlier this week. The increase from $7.25 to $10.10 per hour will become effective Jan. 1, 2015.

According to a recent survey by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), “One out of four employees reported they have been or recently are involved in a workplace romance, and 43 percent of HR professionals reported current incidences of workplace romance at their organizations.” With those statistics, office couples don’t seem to be “breaking up” anytime soon, so to avoid risk, HR managers may want to prepare now for more issues related to managing Cupid’s impact.

Every day when I pick my kids up from school, I ask the age-old mom question: “What did you learn today?” Of course, they roll their eyes, but it doesn’t matter. The best way to make sure that you retain interesting and valuable information is to talk it over with someone. That’s the theory behind so many industry conferences.The theory is the same post-conference: I always try to find the high note and the Social Recruiting Strategy Conference had many. Ready to get schooled in recruiting?

Change is coming again for employers subject to the Affordable Care Act’s employer mandate as the Obama administration announced two major modifications on Feb. 10, including: further delaying portions of the mandate for certain employers, and adjusting the percentage of employees who must be covered by employers beginning in 2015.

The great Michael Jordan said it best, “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” Employers nationwide spend countless hours and dollars to ensure their organization has the best chance of not only succeeding, but becoming champions of their industry.

ObamaCare will boost health coverage to the more than 48 million Americans currently without, opening the floodgates to medical facilities. With a shortage of doctors, where will all these people go? And so the problem ensues.

No one said forecasting talent and your budget was easy. It’s extremely difficult to try to see into the future and anticipate what your organizational budget and staffing needs will be in the coming year. It is, however, a necessary evil of planning for the future of your human resources department. Not only is it imperative to plan for spending but also it gives you a sense of what your department’s priorities are, what challenges you may face and what your staffing needs will be. In order to do so successfully, there are several strategies you can utilize along the way.

No longer is computer security exclusively the responsibility of the IT department. At every level in your company, executives, managers and employees should take responsibility to protect your data and, by extension, your reputation. Take these five precautions to help avoid a security break.

Being the best in a NFL is a tough feat, because a lot of “greats” exist in the league. Players work their entire careers trying to be faster, stronger and better-equipped than their competition. When entire teams play with the same inherent motivation, winners are made and championships are secured.

If you are an employer with federal government contracts, prepare to pay your employees a higher minimum wage on new contracts soon. President Barack Obama announced in a Jan. 28 White House fact sheet that he intends to issue an executive order in coming weeks requiring employers to pay contract workers at least $10.10 an hour, so price your future bids accordingly and anticipate additional guidance to ensure compliance.