It’s a commonly held belief that everyone has their own moral compass. The internal guidance that tells them how to behave. It gives them an understanding of their own personal listing of right and wrong. It will vary greatly from person to person with no one sharing exactly the same definition of right or wrong….
Balancing Productivity and Security
In this modern world of technological wonders, 24 hour workdays and data coming out of our ears often we find ourselves butting heads with corporate IT groups who are simply trying to keep the company protected. The moment laptops, smartphones, tablets and longer workdays came into our lives is when giant security holes opened in…
Revenue Management
Unless you work for a not-for-profit, your company is seeking to make money. To make money you need to ensure that your revenue is greater than your total costs. Pretty straightforward. Unfortunately this then leads to the worlds of cash flow, accounts receivable, and budgeting. Three worlds that few people enjoy living in. The NY…
New Sheriff in Town
Who’s in charge of making the decisions for your real estate group? If you are like most organizations then it’s the head of real estate (reporting up through the CFO position). Ultimately the decision maker is someone with a financial perspective with little background in what the business units use the space for. Decisions on…
Big Box Retail
Cyber Monday was this week. As e-commerce continues to grow by leaps and bounds it puts a growing strain on many large retail organizations that are still trying to adapt to this shift away from brick and mortar store sales. At the same time this trend raises an interesting conundrum. Are warehouses the new Big…
Conformity
Why is there a New York Times top 10 bestseller list? Are two political parties really the right number? There are certain societal pressures that we all bow to. Peer pressure is not just a localized influence but a cultural/national effect. If we don’t adhere to social norms then we are of society and if…
Running Like Crazy
Some weeks are crazier than others. Some you don’t get time to settle in and catch your breath. Looks like this might be one of those for me. When weeks get hectic it’s important to make sure you plan in stoppage time. It isn’t possible for the internal motors to run 12 hours straight without…
Thanksgiving – 2011
Yes it’s cheesy, but I’m a very thankful man this year. It’s probably been the toughest year of my career but everything seems to be coming to a tipping point (in a good way). Some of my personal milestones include: This year was the 2 year anniversary of my marriage. I love you babe! Couldn’t…
Your Best is Always Good Enough
Not everyone can be great at everything. Steve Jobs famously was bad at school. It didn’t hold him back. Too often people shift into a defensive mode when thrown a challenge they aren’t comfortable with. They do their best with it but when the result isn’t what was desired they pull out excuses or curse…
At the Centroid
In supply chain analysis, we always start with centroids – the weighted center point of customers, sales units, distribution centers, suppliers or any other shipping type. This gives us a general region where we know we minimize our miles from one end to the other. This, in theory, then allows us to lower transportation costs….