Business
-
Is Slow to Hire, Fast to Fire Still Important in a Slow Job Market?
- August 4, 2021
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Business, Management
No Comments
Slow to hire, fast to fire as a management philosophy still matters, even now, in today’s labor market. The job talent pool is pretty shallow these days, with worker shortages in manufacturing, and there’s a concern that if you hold out for the best possible talent, those candidates may be gone by the time you’re
-
How Can You Solve a Worker Shortage Right Now?
- July 28, 2021
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Business, Management, Manufacturing
There are worker shortages right now in all kinds of industries, from the restaurant industry to office workers to manufacturing. There are a variety of causes, like the fact that we’re paying people more not to work than what they were being paid to work. Or that some people don’t want to return to the
-
Why Do We Need More Women in Manufacturing?
- April 7, 2021
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Business
People have a tendency to stereotype and it has always aggravated me when they do. There’s been a long-time myth that manufacturing is only for men, and that women are incapable of doing the kind of hard work involved in a factory. You only have to know the story of how 6 million American women
-
Working Remotely Can Stifle Professional Development
- January 13, 2021
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Business, Management, Productivity
I’ve said over the past few years that I’ve never been a big fan of working remotely. And even though current circumstances have forced most office workers to work from home or work from socially-distant coworking spaces, I still think it’s essential that we return to the office as soon as it’s safe to do
-
5 Manufacturing Predictions for 2021
- January 6, 2021
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Business, Digital Transformation, Innovation, Manufacturing
Sometimes we’re so close to the trees that we can’t see the forest. We’re so focused on this one tree, not realizing that the forest is growing and changing all around us. I feel that way when I think about all the manufacturing technology changes that have been going on around us in 2020 and
-
Dealing with the Fallout of Bad Managers
- December 23, 2020
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Business, Management
I’ve always said, “Hire slow, fire fast,” and that’s served me well on a number of occasions. It helps me avoid hiring people who will be bad for an organization, and in those rare instances that someone slips through the cracks, I don’t spend weeks and months agonizing about the problem as they slowly infect
-
Manufacturers, Focus on Recovery and Grooming the Workforce for 2021
- December 9, 2020
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Business, Management
I recently read an article in the Hartford (Connecticut) Business Journal (as one does, when you live in Central Texas) recommending that manufacturers should focus on recovery, technology, and grooming the workforce in 2021. While the numbers are specific to Connecticut, they represent a larger trend in the United States. Their big concern in January
-
Building Relationships and Partnerships are More Important Than a Transaction
- November 11, 2020
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Business, Management
An email from my friend, Richard Croyner, reminded me about some advice I had given about how building relationships and partnerships are more important than transactions. He said, “I have spent 35 years in the transportation and supply chain industry and so many people look at this segment of business as a transaction — you
-
How Do You Make Data-Driven Decisions for Manufacturing?
- October 28, 2020
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Business, Manufacturing, Measurement
There’s a big push in a lot of different industries, especially in marketing, that they have become solely data-driven. They look at all their past performances and make decisions about new initiatives based on what their old efforts did. They either throw more resources at a flagging campaign (or product) or drop something that just
-
3 Places to Cut Costs That Won’t Hurt Your Bottom Line
- September 30, 2020
- Posted by: David Marshall
- Category: Business, Management
Companies looking to save money and trim the fat without affecting salaries can cut costs in a few key areas that can help you reduce your overall costs without hurting your bottom line or the people who work for you. There are a few places where you can make cuts to your outside expenses without