Tag Archives: employees

Employees and Bosses: What’s in a Pronoun?

Credit for this post goes to Van Palmer, the owner of Palmer Technology Solutions. I’ll paraphrase and elaborate, of course. but that’s the power of the pen. In a recent peer board meeting we were discussing our relationships with employees. … Continue reading

Posted in Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Management | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

One Response to Employees and Bosses: What’s in a Pronoun?

  1. David Basri says:

    Don’t forget that BOSS spelled backwards is Double SOB.

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“Congratulations — You are the Low Bidder!”

The sentence that titles this post could be defined as the epitome of mixed emotions for a business owner. You won the business, but only because you are willing to work for less than everyone else. Perhaps you deliberately cut … Continue reading

Posted in Entrepreneurship, Marketing and Sales | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

One Response to “Congratulations — You are the Low Bidder!”

  1. John Hyman says:

    Price is seldom an issue when service, quality, and consistency are provided. But perspective and experience is huge. The airline industry has been taking advantage of their customers for years because we have little choice and have to travel.

    On a Delta flight from Dallas to Seattle a few years ago, a packed Boeing 757, the woman sitting in the middle seat next to me raised her hand, to get the attention of the flight attendant doing her cabin pre-flight check. “Where is the olive oil” she asked loud enough for the majority of the other passengers to overhear. When the flight attendant approached our aisle, with a puzzled look, the woman commented “are sardines always packed in olive oil?” The cabin erupted with laughter and agreement.

    Leaders with a vision like Herb Kelleher are very unique. And you are spot on in your observations about how well they deliver on their promise.

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Not Just Workers…Qualified Workers

A few weeks ago I attended one of Trinity University’s Policy Maker breakfasts. Although living in a large city has its drawbacks, it is great for access to events such as these. It takes substantial ticket sales to justify top-rank speakers, … Continue reading

Posted in Exit Planning, Management | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

2 Responses to Not Just Workers…Qualified Workers

  1. Ray Walker says:

    Just the same in the UK. Worthless degrees lack of preparation for work, no motivation to work, the millenia of Chinese domination is upon us.

  2. Martin Frey says:

    I find the information you shared today accurate and frightening from a sociological and economic standpoint. This is clearly seen in the current news where college students seem to have no idea of reality beyond the campus. I see myself as very blessed that my adult children are the opposite of their generation in this regard. They are 28 and 30 years old and earn between $120K and $250K per year and save and invest most of it. When I grow up I want to be more like my children.

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The Quest for Recurring Revenue

Recurring revenue is the current Holy Grail of business. Barriers to Entry, a traditional way of assessing your differentiation against competition, have been replaced by Barriers to Exit, how to make it at least inconvenient or at most excruciatingly painful for … Continue reading

Posted in Entrepreneurship, Marketing and Sales | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

One Response to The Quest for Recurring Revenue

  1. I am striving to achieve different recurring revenue streams over time, so I will check out the book, The Automatic Customer by John Warrillow.

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Police Deadly Force and Management

The outcry over the use of deadly force by police officers has dominated headlines. Ferguson Missouri, New York City, Virginia, Texas, Florida. Although incidents involving unarmed black men have dominated the headlines, the total number of deaths by law enforcement … Continue reading

Posted in Leadership, Management | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

5 Responses to Police Deadly Force and Management

  1. Kyle Whale says:

    So what are some examples of “nightsticks”?

    • John F. Dini says:

      Sorry, I guess even the term is antiquated. A piece of hickory, cured and hardened, round (about 1.5 to 1.75 inches in diameter) and about 30 inches long. Longer than a Billy club, harder than a truncheon. Grooved handle for a good grip, with a strong leather thong for wrapping around your wrist. Formerly standard issue for every police officer in the country. Later “improved” with a second handle that came out 90 degrees from the side about 1/4 of the way up, but my dad never cared for those.

      • Russ Ronnebaum says:

        I don’t want to put words in Kyle’s mouth but I think he might have been referring to a “nightstick” in the context of what examples of a “corrective action” to mete out to an employee instead of the big threat of “deadly force” that results in termination.

        • John F. Dini says:

          Oh. Duh! Thanks Russ. A structured system of progressive discipline gives supervisors the ability to assign penalties without being accused of arbitrariness. Docked pay, deferred raises, forfeiting PTO (which in most states is only controlled by company policy), exclusion from an incentive pool and suspension are all options, but the supervisor needs to understand what is available and when it is appropriate.

  2. Chris White says:

    Perhaps some commercial examples might illustrate the point?
    1. Most serious examples short of termination might include probationary status, docking pay, demotion.
    2. Less serious examples might include a letter in the personnel file, attendance at a seminar on the topic causing the problem, loss of privileges such as parking space, etc.
    3. Least serious might just be a verbal reprimand without the “or else” attached to it.

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