It’s amazing to me, but looking back over nearly a decade of writing I find posts that still impress, with information that is as useful now as when it was written. Golden Oldies is a collection of what I consider some of the best posts during that time. Interestingly, the original link didn’t work anymore, but Shift Happens was easily searched and it turns out that it has been updated several times since 2007; visit Shift Happens’ home. Read other Golden Oldies here.

I don’t usually frequent video sites (dinosaur that I am), but I received a link to a video called Shift Happens and it had some very interesting information. I don’t know if the number stats are 100% accurate, but the information in it parallels other sources I read.

Three of the points confirm a critical hiring attitude—

• One week of the New York Times contains more information than a person living in the 18th century came across in a lifetime.
• More unique, new information will be generated this year than in the previous 5000 years combined.
• Half of what students starting a four-year degree learn in their first year will be outdated by the third year.

Given the third point, it’s reasonable to assume that a similar pattern holds for work experience, too.

And that brings us to the critical hiring attitude that every manager needs to have—it’s not just what a person knows, but also how well they learn combined with their ability to extrapolate new insights from their previous knowledge and experience that makes them a more valuable addition to your team.

In other words, think not only of where they have been, but also of where they can go in the future.

Post from Leadership Turn Image credit: Ken Meador

When I wrote about Ken Meador, CEO of TWR Lightening for my other blog I called him to clarify a few things. Ken is one of those great executives who actually return their voice mail and he and I had a great time talking—it’s always fun talking with someone on the same page as you. I asked Ken more about TWR’s culture and how it affects turnover productivity and their business. At the end I asked if he could find time to share his thoughts in writing about TWR and business in general.

Here, direct from Ken, are his comments and thoughts…

“If by turnover you are referring to the 52 employees, for us that is a relative non-issue. Effectively we have added 4 new people in the past 4 years. The average employee tenure is 11 years, with three who have more than 20 years. Those numbers speak for themselves in the form of mutual benefit, loyalty and commitment.

Because we maintain lean head count and a very flat organizational structure, we are able to capitalize on personnel strengths/experience to match or best fit in with our product diversification and market changes.

Our growth over the past few years afforded a number of promotions built on “tribal knowledge” which inherently adds value to our customer and vendor relationships.

Our increases in productivity have come in numerous ways including the understanding and adoption of lean manufacturing techniques, cross-training, fully utilizing and trusting in the investment we make in our peoples empowerments and continually fostering a “no change, no gain” attitude in the way we do business.

The pay-off for TWR Lighting, has been and continues to be that the responsibility for our continued growth is accomplished by a lot of great people who collectively manage the company, instinctively drive our revenues, positively affect our SG&A and diligently tend to our EBITDA.

As a culture ,TWR Lighting learned a long time ago that change was inevitable and sometimes harsh way of life and we could either adapt more rapidly than our competition or die a slow death.

But then, change doesn’t come from slogans or signs, it comes from embracing it as factor, and having the right people in the right places to make it happen. And for us, the changes in the market environments and forecasting to readily adapt require more than eliminating bureaucratic red-tape, it means the daily review of the cyclical or commodity nature of the raw materials we purchase, and the leading indicators in the financial markets which affect our customers or customers’ customer.

We continually strive to stay cognizant of the big-picture economic conditions which sooner-than-later trickle down to our corner of the market. Our crystal ball isn’t any better than anyone else’s, but we are getting better at understanding and utilizing cumulative information to discern our options.

After 27 years, this company still is learning daily how to walk and execute on what we know . The plodding reality is that nothing I do as a company president, nor anything we do as a culture is original or new. Most of what our culture has evolved from and practice each day is a culmination of ideologies and best practices stolen shamelessly, and put into action to the betterment of the company. Distilled, it’s purely a matter of simplify, simplify and re-simplify.

From a personal view, probably the biggest mistakes made in businesses today involve jaded and self-serving leadership that takes itself far too serious, the by-product of which is complication processes un-necessarily, saddling right-sizable employees in job functions and reporting structures un-ceremoniously and then having the gall to promote “our people make the difference” hawking customer-care initiatives to the point of glossy lip-service being funneled into never-ending voicemail hell.

What a load!! Managing businesses, even large businesses, shouldn’t be that contrived or disaffected, just be candid and open, put your people first, follow the cash and manage to it, then strategies and everything else will follow. What we do isn’t brain surgery or rocket science—then again most businesses aren’t.”

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