Editor's Note - Sept/Oct 2014 - Forefront Magazine

As the summer sun begins to fade and the air becomes cool and crisp, the family vacations have all been had, and it’s back-to-school time for many. If you have children who are starting a new school year—or perhaps you yourself will be obtaining some advanced credits this fall—you may have noticed that, much like the first day on a new job, the first day of school can rattle the nerves and have new students feeling excited and anxious all week long, or at least until that first big homework assignment is due.

Interestingly enough, school and work share a lot of similarities that stretch far beyond the first day. In fact, much of what we learned as young students has carried with us over the years; many of us continue to put this knowledge to use as professionals.

There’s a saying by Robert Fulghum that states, “All I really need to know, I learned in kindergarten.” And to a large extent, this is true. After all, it was in kindergarten that we learned to play nicely and fairly with each other, respect others, work together as a team, and to live a well-balanced life. In today’s fast-paced, 24-7 world packed full of conference calls, town hall meetings, strategic analyses and deadlines, all before picking up the kids from practice at 6 pm, it is easy to lose sight of some of these simple words of wisdom we learned so long ago.

In an effort to remind you of these valuable lessons, Forefront is introducing in this issue a new Fall Series based entirely on childhood lessons that we can take with us into our professional careers. To start us off, Mark Rampolla, Founder and CEO of ZICO Pure Premium Coconut Water, shares a valuable equation he has learned from his own children: Discipline x Time = Accomplishment.

The September/October issue also includes valuable lessons and insights from a range of thought leaders, including Mike Szafranski, IT Director – Business Solutions @ Illinois Tool Works (ITW), who shares what he looks for when hiring new, young talent. Szafranski takes Warren Buffet’s approach and looks at a potential hire’s integrity, intelligence and energy, because he believes these traits weigh just as heavily as a GPA, if not more.

We also spoke with KSL Resorts’ VP of Human Resources Ed Eynon, who explains what to look for in strong resumes and interviews that will translate to productive employees once on the job. And similar to students who still manage to make the honor role while juggling dozens of extracurricular activities, Kristin Reichert, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Zimbra, discusses how she not only successfully manages being a wife and mother to four young children, but also effectively manages multiple departments within the organization.

This issue of Forefront also happens to be our lucky 13^th issue, which marks our two-year anniversary! We thank you, our readers, for your continual support and readership, and we are thrilled to continue to deliver you valuable information and insights that we hope will inspire growth and success in all of your leadership and business ventures.