Inspirational Video: 091108-1 Billy Cox Motivation

Powerful words to inspire greatness in yourself and your team.  What he says is true and are words to live by, they are part of being a winner in life and in business.

Posted on Billy Cox Championship Sales blog and YouTube @ BillyCox01

The Business of Integration

As integration companies are formed and grow it is easy to lose site of the operations sides of the business. Sure there are plenty of ways to run a business, and there is a lot of duties to be performed, but how what tasks are needed and what is the right way of doing them?

Running a technology service business is very different from other businesses, the proper operations for others is not necessarily true for the integration company. Technology people are generally more creative and more knowledgeable than the average worker and need to be managed in a way that does not prevent good performance. The attached article shares some advice from Custom Integrators on some do's and don'ts that may not be known by everyone.

I particularly like the part about project management, this is a term that has grown in business and while I understand the need for the skill, it has turned into a way to micromanage employees. Micromanagement is not a good practice in general, but especially not in a technology development or service environment. The creative free thinking flow of ideas required for proper operation is limited when micromanagement exists. I will talk about this in the future.

For now read the attached article as it has some helpful tips on proper opertaions of an integration company.

6 Secrets to Success - CE Pro Magazine Article from CE Pro

Contractors to The Rescue

Many companies are fearful of using contractors to perform key company functions, while it can be scary, contractors can be useful in making projects work.  By using contractors a company can lower costs by paying per project and gain experience that can only come from outside the company.

A series of articles on BNET.com looks at the use of contractors in the business world.  This article series entitled Contractors to the Rescue, explains the benefits of using contractors and provides useful tips on how to work with contractors to the highest benefit.

Whether you are considering contract work or not, I recommend reading the articles.

Article 1: Maximum Work Flow, Minimal Head Count

Article 2: Payment Plans for Contractors and Consultants

Article 3: Contractor Nightmares (and How to Avoid Them)

The Importance of Design Thinking

I came across this video while reading through a newsletter email, it discusses the importance of change by design and how design thinking is important to the end product result.

This is something that I have always believed in, not only due to my nature of being a design thinker, but because I have witnessed the benefits of its inclusion from the start.  One of the main benefits as pointed out in the video is that designers are not stopped by a business or marketing thought, they are only limited by their imagination. While I know that these items are important, they should not be allowed to limit the functionality of a product or service.

While there are a lot of companies who understand this principle, many do not and that is hurting not only them as a company, but the industry that they function in. Part of what happens is that non designers push out designers as they appear to infringe on outdated business ideals. I have witnessed this first hand as business minded non designers would not accept the free form thought needed at the start of project leading to the project being late and not meeting its goals.

If you are in development field or management of development, I recommend watching this video: Change By Design by Tim Brown | Book Brief

The video is from Bnet.com as part of their Book Brief series.

Are You Really Listening to the Customer?

Here is a little quiz to see how well you pay attention to your customers..

Are You Really Listening to the Customer? | Sales Machine | BNET

After taking the quiz ask yourself, how well you listen to not only your customers, but other people in your company especially your employees.  I know a few managers who feel that they listen, however they would fail this test...

Talking about 8 Creative Employee Compensation Strategies - CE Pro Magazine

While directed at custom integrators the advice included can be used for any company. As we all know the economy downturn has provided layoffs and closing, mostly from poorly run companies who were not motivating staff correctly. You can have the best products in your inventory, but if your sales or operations staff is not motivated, you are not achieving the level that can be reach. Sure products may sell, but why?

In many cases companies overlook the true nature of why a product sells, the success of a product may be short lived and if not recognized the result is disaster. By motivating your staff to perform better, disaster can be avoided or at the least minimized. Far too often management forgets that the people on the front lines do not have the same stake in a company as they do, their motivation is not as high as managements. In order to be successful in manufacturing and retail, your staff must receive benefits that motivate them to achieve and not just work.

True motivation comes in many forms as the article states, the one that gets overlooked by managers and companies the most is Recognition. Upper and middle managers usually achieve these levels cause they have the motivation to get there, they are driven by ideals different then the masses. Additionally, executives and managers can be on power trips, when this occurs there is a belief that misconduct and failure is mentioned and no good behavior. When you recognize a job well done, a person will be motivated to achieve the same level or higher the next time.

More can said, but for now check out the article:

8 Creative Employee Compensation Strategies - CE Pro Magazine Article