We are so far down the road of technology we often forget how expensive, hard and bug-laden custom software projects used to be. We could hire a developer, and without truly being accurate on our requirements, they would code and miss the mark repeatedly. Regardless, their billable time reflected our errors in thinking and clarity.Continue reading “Integrations”
Tag Archives: efficiency
Do You Have Thousands of Emails in Your Inbox?
I wrote the book, ZeroInbox, a few years ago to help business clients with a fundamental bottleneck in their workflow, their inbox. I have trained executives, teams and workshop attendees on this methodology to increase speed, clarity and consistency in managing the relentless flow of email in business. I think a lot of people simply giveContinue reading “Do You Have Thousands of Emails in Your Inbox?”
Don’t Hold the Hot Potato
We remember the game as kids. The hot potato moved around the group and your job was to touch it and pass it. You were part of the game of movement. You lose if you hold on too long. When you are dealing with information, you are holding the hot potato. The next person needsContinue reading “Don’t Hold the Hot Potato”
Manage Oneself
That one can truly manage other people is by no means adequately proven. But one can always manage oneself. Indeed, executives who do not manage themselves for effectiveness cannot possibly expect to manage their associates and subordinates. Management is largely by example. Executives who do not know how to make themselves effective in their ownContinue reading “Manage Oneself”
Eliminate Meaningless Work
We can laugh at the paper shuffling reference as a bygone era, however, you would not be hard-pressed to see manual processes still being run today. Regardless of the efficiencies, cost-savings and better customer experience of digitization, old habits can die hard, especially in businesses. Never mind if your livelihood depends on such inefficiencies. InnovatingContinue reading “Eliminate Meaningless Work”
The More You Know, The Less You Need
“The more you know, the less you need.” ~ Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, Let My People Go Surfing Knowledge is always accessible and allows you to need less indeed. Compare how pros approach their work versus amateurs. Pros, people that know what they are doing, have the following characteristics: Relaxed Focused Simplified Efficient Amateurs throwContinue reading “The More You Know, The Less You Need”
I Like the Boring Business
When it comes to business building, I like boring. I like creating outputs from inputs. I like throughput. Drama, inconsistencies, high stress and heroics are fantastic for movie plots. But they don’t contribute positively to profit and loss in a business. Boring helps cash flow. Cash flow makes customers, vendors, employees, and owners happy. IContinue reading “I Like the Boring Business”
The Goal of Your System
If you are sitting comfortably, there’s not much incentive to improve your systems. However, disruptors such as technology, competition and atrophy (i.e., Groupon), may force your hand to get your systems more efficient. I’ve been sharing out various books around the area of business growth and efficiency lately. A classic I would recommend if youContinue reading “The Goal of Your System”
We Are the Factory
In my past life as an engineer, I used to visit manufacturing facilities, tool shops and fabrication outfits for project work. These are places where efficiency, speed and output are the focal point. Human beings acted like machines in their work pushing dozens or thousands of parts and assemblies through every day. In the industrialContinue reading “We Are the Factory”
Is Automation Sinking You?
There’s an article on LinkedIn Pulse, Recruitment industry will die in 2018 which has been quite the conversation piece and stirred the passions. It’s foreboding news for recruiters that have a vested interest in perpetuating their jobs. The author compares what is happening in talent recruitment to the role of travel agents before the internet. Automation hasContinue reading “Is Automation Sinking You?”
