A salesman boasted that his meeting with customers went well. He did all the talking and pushed his customers to agree to whatever he suggested. “Dominating the meeting is important,” the salesman said, “it avoids the meeting turning into a gripe session and at the same time, focuses on getting what we want.” Many executivesContinue reading “One-Way Conversations Are Never Good”
Author Archives: Ellery
Ergonomics Can Be Helpful, Really Helpful
When it comes to productivity improvement, the first thing many executives think of is head count, how many people are needed for the job. The last thing many managers think of is the human factor, how to better improve the working conditions for the individual person. Ergonomics (or human factors) is the scientific discipline concernedContinue reading “Ergonomics Can Be Helpful, Really Helpful”
Basic Needs Come First
A parish church conducted a field census of an impoverished neighbourhood. The purpose of the census was to gather demographics, that is, how much households were earning, how many family members, if parents were married in a church, etc. When the census takers asked about what were their most important priorities, every household replied: money. Continue reading “Basic Needs Come First”
About The Supply Chain Engineer
Supply chain management has figured prominently in organisational priorities since Keith Oliver in a reported conversation with a Philips manager, Mr. Van t’Hof, coined the term in the 1970’s, and it has become even more so at the onset of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. Supply chains are operational relationships made up of activities that transformContinue reading “About The Supply Chain Engineer”
We Get More Via Mutually Beneficial Relationships
The parish priest wanted to construct a building beside the church. The new building would be a venue to host church gatherings and organisational meetings. He asked his parishioners for help. A construction contractor approached the priest and offered to build the church at what he said would be half his standard price. The 50%Continue reading “We Get More Via Mutually Beneficial Relationships”
Find Ellery
Hi, I’m Ellery Lim. I like to work with people to make their operations, particularly supply chains, more productive. I’ve been immersed in supply chains since 1984. I did industrial engineering at a West Virginia flat glass facility, managed production & logistics for P&G, and ran a trucking business. Presently, I’m an administrator forContinue reading “Find Ellery”
A Reminder to Walk Around
I finalised a contract to lease an office unit to a new tenant in February 2022. I obliged to give the tenant two (2) free months of rent or up to the end of March 2022 to allow him to make improvements and buy & move in his furniture & equipment. I didn’t see theContinue reading “A Reminder to Walk Around”
Our Waiting Nation
This blog was written on May 19, 2013 and was re-published a few weeks after the 2022 elections. -Editor 12 noon, Election Day, May 13, 2013. I’ve been in line for almost two (2) hours waiting with about 40 other people to vote at our election precinct at the elementary school at Mandaluyong City, Manila,Continue reading “Our Waiting Nation”
Adversities versus Miracles
Adversities are events that we don’t look forward to. They are the disasters that set us back, the incidents which lead to outcomes that we rather not face. Adversity is the unfavourable situation that we run into or that arrives in untimely fashion. Adversities have become more prominent in our daily lives and even ifContinue reading “Adversities versus Miracles”
We All Have Superpowers
Ed was a retiree who lived near our family store. One day, Ed saw me and asked me what kind of business he could get into. Ed said he could use some extra income as his pension wasn’t really enough. I asked Ed what he used to do. He said his job before retirement wasContinue reading “We All Have Superpowers”
