A husband-and-wife couple approaches and asks a consultant for help in their business. The husband-and-wife couple just started a business selling electrical devices such as relays and circuit breakers. Demand was strong at the onset and the couple found themselves working around the clock serving customer orders. Maybe the consultant can contribute some ideas? TheContinue reading “Visioning: The Last Thing an Enterprise Needs When Starting Up”
Category Archives: Aha!
The People First Proposal
I would like to propose organisations put people first when it comes to their priorities. Organisations may say they already do but based on my observations, they aren’t. Two (2) banks asked me one day to update my business’s account information. They gave me a pile of forms for my business accounts’ signatories to fillContinue reading “The People First Proposal”
The Chore of Buying A Smartphone
My OnePlus 6 smartphone is overheating and automatically turning itself off. And it’s annoying. I bought my OnePlus 6 phone in mid-2018 at quite a high price. Reviews then touted the OnePlus 6 as the best Android phone in the market. I liked its features and its chipset, a Qualcomm SnapDragon 845. Because OnePIus promisedContinue reading “The Chore of Buying A Smartphone”
Allocating an Hour a Day For Oneself is a Fantasy
There are those who recommend we set an hour a day to step back from our busy schedules. I would really wish that could be true. We all could use an hour a day to reflect on what we’ve achieved, organise our thoughts, develop ideas, and plan. Experience, however, shows it can’t happen for mostContinue reading “Allocating an Hour a Day For Oneself is a Fantasy”
Two Tactics That are Better than “No”
Most managers (and white-collar workers) face barrages of requests, if not directives, just about every day. Executives and peers ask managers to do many things such as write reports, attend meetings, do feasibility studies, pay suppliers, or test new products. Many managers would find themselves busy responding to these requests. So much so that they’dContinue reading “Two Tactics That are Better than “No””
Solving Problems, Cultivating Ideas Together
I worked for Procter & Gamble Philippines in the late 1980’s. I was a production manager who oversaw the food packing lines of the company. As production manager, I was invited at times to join the food brand team meetings led by marketing managers, who were responsible for their respective products’ success. P&G is famousContinue reading “Solving Problems, Cultivating Ideas Together”
Nothing Matters More Importantly than the Delivery
In the final scene of the 1975 movie, Three Days of the Condor, Deputy Director Higgins (played by the late Cliff Robertson) of the CIA tells Turner (played by Robert Redford) that when faced with shortages of basic necessities like oil and food, people won’t be asking but will be demanding there will be supply. Continue reading “Nothing Matters More Importantly than the Delivery”
Why We Need Engineers
I spent fifteen (15) minutes one morning pounding several pills into powder. The powdered pills are medicinal supplements for my pet cat, to fight against liver ailments. One of my cats tested for high SGPT, an enzyme when found high in a blood test, indicates problems with the liver. The vet prescribed the cat neededContinue reading “Why We Need Engineers”
The Value a Small Table Can Bring
I was in a bad mood that morning. The bank I always go was closed. The manager said the staff was sick with the coronavirus so I had to go to another branch further away. I didn’t like my time being wasted but I had no choice if I wanted to finish my transactions thatContinue reading “The Value a Small Table Can Bring”
Negotiating Needs Time
One important thing the expert hostage-negotiator, Chris Voss, teaches in his book, Never Split the Difference, is to exercise empathy with whom we negotiate with. Mr. Voss advises we listen intently, ask questions, and mirror what the other party says as the latter cites whatever demands he or she puts on the table. Easier saidContinue reading “Negotiating Needs Time”
Ellery's Essays 