Tag: managing personnel

Managers often forget that they too are employees – even when they are the owner. One of the biggest frustrations of workers is that they don’t understand what their boss is really responsible for. And from the results we see from some managers, they don’t seem to know either. › Continue reading…

I just read today’s headline about the jump in jobless claims and immediately started to contrast that story with all the good news I am hearing on the street from AV folks. For the past month I have heard almost exclusively about better than expected revenue and revenue forecasts. › Continue reading…

Which things can we fix and which are here to stay?

By Tom Stimson CTS

Shrinking margins, unfair competition, price shopping customers, disloyal suppliers, greedy bankers, and a general lack of appreciation for the value of your services…does this about sum it up? Ten or fifteen years ago the industry starting mumbling about AV becoming a commodity. At that time 40-50% equipment margins and an exclusive lock on professional gear made AV dealers quite happy and the AV Industry very attractive to investors. Value-added services like design, programming, and project management were considered overhead costs and what little revenue they represented was just gravy on an already profitable transaction. › Continue reading…

I was thinking the other day about companies that I admire and enjoy working with the most. What do they have in common? At first I thought it was that they are friendly and open, but that knocked a couple of favorites out of the running. I also know some very nice companies that are not that fun to work with. They are stuck in a pattern that cannot be broken without extreme intervention. When you are in a role like mine that is designed to help people, and they won’t let themselves be helped – it’s frustrating. Still, it doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy being with them. › Continue reading…

The Dow Jones index is hovering around 9900, October has been a busy month, and the pipeline for 2010 has new activity. It’s time to celebrate because the economy is coming back…right? As much as I want to be excited about the spurt in business so many of us are seeing, I want to caution against resuming “business as usual”. When we get busy we start to miss the people, suppliers, and perks we still had before the Recession. The natural tendency is to reward the team for their sacrifice by hiring up, suspending those furlough days, and reinstating full salaries. I don’t think it is time yet to do this – for most of us. › Continue reading…

I am not an expert on Web 2.0, social networking, blogging or any of the other time-sucking web-based tools on my computer desktop. I am however becoming an avid user. I am not a fan of the time-sucking part, so I have devoted some (Time) energy into learning how to use these tools so they do NOT take so much effort. The key is to not hunt for things to read, but wait for them to come to you. Or search for specific topics when you need them. › Continue reading…

It’s OK that you don’t like meetings. Not many of us do. However, if the meeting gives you something you need, then – provided the time investment was reasonable for the gain – you might leave glad that you attended. This is more easily accomplished in tactical or project meetings. You talk about progress, assign new tasks, and schedule the next meeting. What about the strategy meeting? › Continue reading…

The number of adults going back to school traditionally increases in an economic downturns. Laid-of workers will apply their severance to re-education. Sometimes they change careers, but often they get the training their former employers neglected – which probably made that worker expendable in the first place. › Continue reading…

I am often asked to help companies figure stuff out: Why they struggle with growing sales, how to reduce costs, or which employee to promote are typical discussion points.

“They” won’t let me. Ok, who is “they”? Whoever setup this system. Aah, that “they”. › Continue reading…