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  • You Are Only as Good as Your Worst Employee
    By Debra Thompson - Monday June 18, 2012
    “You are only as good as your worst employee.” I heard this from one of the attendees during a recent seminar. I thought it was so appropriate. There are many shops out there that will never be as good as what the owner desires, because they continue to put up with underachievers or bad-attitude employees. Even though finding a replacement for this type of individual is a top concern for owners throughout the nation right now, these employees must be addressed. • The first recommendation is to “Coach Your Underachievers.” • The second recommendation is to “Get Rid of Them.” Underachievers come in every shape, size, educational background and ethnic group. The only thing they have in common is that they are not living...

  • Is Your Employee Ready to be a Manager?
    By Debra Thompson - Friday May 25, 2012
    When a managerial position opens up, it is usually an opportunity to move a top performer into the position. No one would argue that promoting from within sends a strong message to the rest of the company about investing in people and cultivating management talent. Unfortunately, when it comes to actual qualifications, current job performance is given greater weight than the competencies required for a managerial position—most notably, management traits and/or experience. The fact that individual job performance and management are two entirely different sets of competencies too often gets ignored. Before you know it, you have someone in the position that doesn't know the first thing about managing a group of people. Dr. Laurence...

  • Why Talk About Hiring Now?
    By Debra Thompson - Monday February 13, 2012
    By Debra Thompson It is pretty clear that hiring activities have not picked up much. Business recovery is happening, but slowly, so business owners are not feeling a need to add staff at this point. So why talk about hiring now? Obviously, this may not be the time to add staff to your organization, but it is the perfect time to evaluate your current staff and upgrade where necessary. As mentioned above, doing business today and in tomorrow’s marketplace is different on so many levels. There is a general consensus that as the recovery strengthens, the structural changes that have taken place will be much more noticeable. When this happens, there will be an urgency to have a brighter and more technically competent staff to gain the...

  • Customer Service! Customer Service! Customer Service!
    By Debra Thompson - Tuesday February 7, 2012
    By Debra Thompson It's the latest watchword. That's all we hear about today. There are tons of books out there, articles being written in every magazine we pick up and seminars going on everywhere discussing the importance of good customer service. But many of the owners I am consulting with today still don't get it. They hear it, they talk about it, but they don't really know what to do about it. My observation is that they know they must address it, but if they do, then they personally will have to do something. They personally will have to become very involved in customer relations. This is the frightening challenge that many owners cannot face. Many owners tell me that they know they should have more contact with their customers...

  • Your Ego or Your Customer? What's More Important?
    - Monday January 30, 2012
    By Debra Thompson I can't even begin to tell you the number of times that I have been asked to do consulting for an owner and the first thing they say is, "I want you to be honest with me and tell me exactly what you think is going on around here." In many cases, my findings are that the owner is the source of the problems. He doesn't know what is going on or has installed controls that hamper employee performance or has not replaced antiquated methods and techniques. When it comes time for me to give my report and I begin by saying, "The main cog or obstacle that I find in this organization is YOU", they become defensive and start with the excuses to justify every condition that I bring to their attention. Let me tell you, these...

  • Customer Service: It Will Make or Break Your Business
    By Debra Thompson - Monday January 23, 2012
    By Debra Thompson In an age of competitive fever and instant communication, customers have learned to expect the world. Remarkably, the great new customer service providers are giving them that and more. Although good statistics are hard to come by, studies show that customers are demanding better service in general. Roland Rust, a marketing professor at the University of Maryland and co-author of last year's "Dividing Customer Equity", says that companies increasingly see the link between great customer service and "retention, loyalty, and increased sales." However, as we move into the era of "tier Zero," the latest buzzword, which refers to a customer service system that's so proactive that it anticipates a customer's every need...

  • Are You Ready to Grow?
    By Debra Thompson - Friday July 22, 2011
    By Debra Thompson The world is in a state of flux and business owners are very concerned about getting back on track and seeing their business levels return to growth and profitability. It is difficult to say what is going to happen with the economy right now, but I do know one thing for sure. This is the opportune time to position your business for the future. The business owners who realize this are the ones that will definitely have a competitive advantage in the very near future. What every business owner should be focusing on right now is their infrastructure. If you don't have a strong infrastructure in place, you will not be able to grab the golden ring when the opportunity presents itself. To evaluate your infrastructure...

  • Is Your Employee Ready to be a Manager?
    - Thursday July 14, 2011
    When a managerial position opens up, it is usually an opportunity to move a top performer into the position. No one would argue that promoting from within sends a strong message to the rest of the company about investing in people and cultivating management talent. Unfortunately, when it comes to actual qualifications, current job performance is given greater weight than the competencies required for a managerial position – most notably, management traits and/or experience. The fact that individual job performance and management are two entirely different sets of competencies too often gets ignored. Before you know it, you have someone in the position that doesn’t know the first thing about managing a group of people. Dr...

  • You Are Only as Good as Your Worst Employee
    - Thursday July 7, 2011
    I heard this from one of the attendees during my seminar at the Mid-Winter Conference. I thought it was so appropriate. There are many shops out there that will never be as good as what the owner desires, because they continue to put up with underachievers or bad-attitude employees. Even though finding a replacement for this type of individual is a top concern for owners throughout the nation right now, these employees must be addressed. The first recommendation is to “Coach Your Underachievers.†The second recommendation is to “Get Rid of Them.†Underachievers come in every shape, size, educational background and ethnic group. The only thing they have in common is that they are not living up to the potential that...

  • You Can’t Make This Stuff Up
    - Monday June 20, 2011
    In our last staff meeting, I told my staff, “no more eating at your stations.†This was particularly intended for my production team. I’ve got employees standing at their presses, printing and pounding down a super-sized burrito at the same time. Not only is quality in jeopardy because they are using both hands eating this thing, but there’s also a chance that the end product will have a little salsa on the side. Anyway, the very next day after issuing this edict, one of my operators grabs his lunch and his iPod and heads to the front office. He proceeds to find an account manager’s desk (who happens to be out on his lunch break), plops himself down, pulls up YouTube on the computer, plugs in his headset...

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