My manager apologized for coming in late for the meeting. She came from her home at Marikina but got stuck in traffic because she couldn’t use the LRT-2 commuter train. The LRT-2 station nearest to her home has been closed since October when two (2) rectifier transformers tripped and caused a fire. (https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/four-4-starting-points-getting-reliability-you-want-ellery-samuel-lim/) The LightContinue reading “How NOT to Manage a Crisis”
Author Archives: Ellery
Making Better Decisions in an Opportune and Adverse World
Have you had those times when you felt you made the wrong decision for your enterprise? For myself, countless times. If only I did this, if only I did that. I would have been richer. I would have had a better life. I’d have been happier. Etcetera, etcetera. Making wrong decisions is a part ofContinue reading “Making Better Decisions in an Opportune and Adverse World”
Why Enterprises Lose Customers to Piracy and The Simple Strategy to Stop It
Just the other day, I tried to download a free episode of a new science fiction television series that streaming services were offering on their websites. Instead, I was greeted with a message: “Isn’t Available In The Country or Region You’re Currently In.” It turned out that the free episode is only available in selectedContinue reading “Why Enterprises Lose Customers to Piracy and The Simple Strategy to Stop It”
How to Avoid the Aggravation of Un-Available Items
If there’s one thing that ruins the productivity of your day, it’s when a needed item isn’t available. A wonderfully designed business may have skilled workers, state-of-the-art machinery, and a talented management team. But the business yields nothing if the needed items to run it aren’t there. Managers deal with challenges such as absent workers,Continue reading “How to Avoid the Aggravation of Un-Available Items”
Quality: It’s About Meeting Customer Standards, Not Yours
For the nth time, one of the elevators broke down. The three (3) elevators at the office building had just been rehabilitated. But a few weeks after the elevator contractor’s technicians packed up their tools and left, the elevators had begun to show problems. The elevator contractor who did the rehab arrived every time toContinue reading “Quality: It’s About Meeting Customer Standards, Not Yours”
What Are Action Plans, How Can They Help, and What Are We Supposed to Do to Make Them Work?
Do we get a feeling sometimes we do too much but we’re not getting anywhere? Roughly 75% of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) projects fail, and that’s because of lack of planning. (https://www.mbtmag.com/erp/article/13228432/4-valuable-lessons-from-major-erp-fails). (ERP is an information technology enabled planning system that responds to the market environment and optimizes company resources). From a Harvard Business ReviewContinue reading “What Are Action Plans, How Can They Help, and What Are We Supposed to Do to Make Them Work?”
Compliance: We Hate It But We Have To Do It … Productively
No one really taught us about compliance. Compliance is about satisfying requirements for the sake of legal and ethical obligations. Examples of obligations are paying taxes correctly, making sure one’s operations pass environmental inspections, and providing employees their mandated benefits. As much as we accept the principles behind the obligations, we hate the tasks weContinue reading “Compliance: We Hate It But We Have To Do It … Productively”
Surmounting the Insurmountable
There are just some things we cannot surmount. As we work with what we have, we run into roadblocks and disruptions. Examples include: Government bureaucracy (you can’t fight city hall) Climate change (you can’t stop the weather) Inflexible corporate structures (that’s not for you to decide) For many of us who work for other people,Continue reading “Surmounting the Insurmountable”
Efficiency versus Productivity; It’s Like Speed versus Velocity
What is the difference between efficiency versus productivity? One way to compare both is by looking at speed versus velocity. In Physics, speed is the rate an object covers distance. Velocity is the rate at which an object’s position changes. Speed is all about how fast one is going. Velocity is how fast one goesContinue reading “Efficiency versus Productivity; It’s Like Speed versus Velocity”
What Can We Do About Adversity?
“It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness” -old Chinese proverb We encounter adversity all the time. We talk about it when we succeed or fail. It is part and parcel of our daily struggles. It comes in all shapes and sizes from the mere annoyance to the major catastrophe. ButContinue reading “What Can We Do About Adversity?”
Ellery's Essays 