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”
Tag Archives: business
Visioning: The Last Thing an Enterprise Needs When Starting Up
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”
Three (3) Questions Supply Chain Managers Always Need to Answer
When it comes right down to it, supply chain managers have three (3) questions to answer: How do we get what we need when we need it? How do we make available what whoever needs them at when they need them? How do we deliver to whomever wants them when they need them? When supplyContinue reading “Three (3) Questions Supply Chain Managers Always Need to Answer”
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”
How Sales & Supply Chain People Can Work Together
Customer inquiries and quotations have long been seen as traditional jobs of sales professionals. Field sales representatives visit customers and strive to get orders from them. When customers inquire, sales professionals are expected to answer with accurate information. Trouble starts when sales professionals have no adequate answers to give. Sales professionals may know prices, terms,Continue reading “How Sales & Supply Chain People Can Work Together”
Six Reasons Why We Don’t Need A Purpose in Life
My life has no purpose, no direction, no aim, no meaning, and yet I’m happy. I can’t figure it out. What am I doing right? –Charles M. Schulz Do we need a purpose in life? Many so-called gurus would say yes. We need to have one in order to have a direction. A purpose givesContinue reading “Six Reasons Why We Don’t Need A Purpose in Life”
Delegating is a Subset of Teamwork
The following are some lines I’ve heard bosses tell their subordinates when the latter are feeding back about difficulties in their jobs: “Be creative.” “Just do it.” “Don’t give me problems.” “If there’s a will, there’s a way.” “I can count on you.” “That’s what I pay you for.” “That’s what I hired you toContinue reading “Delegating is a Subset of Teamwork”
Being Proactive Requires Reviewing Our Values
My boss asked me to finish a report by Monday morning. I was planning to submit it by Wednesday next week but my boss wanted it earlier. Because he asked me on Friday, I had to cancel my weekend plans. Some bosses pile on work on their employees. The bosses would believe there is goodContinue reading “Being Proactive Requires Reviewing Our Values”
We Need Librarians More Than Ever
How relevant are librarians in the 21st century? In the 1970’s, when I was much younger, a library was that room of stand-alone shelves filled with books, spaced by a few tables and chairs. The librarian was the one minding that room, making sure we who visited kept quiet while we browsed through the titlesContinue reading “We Need Librarians More Than Ever”
Ellery's Essays 