This is an original article from the American College of Healthcare Executives.

"Holding a tough conversation is not a task for the timid. There is an art to doing it well...seek to complete, not compete." Lynne S. Cunningham, MPA, FACHE and Coach with the Studer Group.

Think back to a time when someone shared something so compelling, you were engaged, attentive and present. You wanted to listen. Now think of an equally difficult conversation. Chances are, it was an entirely different experience altogether. But did it have to be? Can tough conversations, especially in the workplace, also be compelling?

This is an original blog post from our partners at LMI Chicago.

“We can’t change the world until we change the people and we can’t change the people until we change ourselves.” – Paul J. Meyer, founder LMI

Change is crucial to learning and growing. It is your attitude to change that allows you to become more of the person you want to be. Making small, positive and continuous changes to your attitudes and habits will improve your productivity and performance. This, in turn, results in greater success – not only in the workplace but also in your personal life. In the words of Max de Pree, “We cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are”.

This is an original article written by Megan Robinson, the VP of Marketing at @Revenue.

Still using Excel to track your networking connections? That might work, to a degree — but it isn’t scalable. You easily lose track of contacts, you miss follow ups and you can do better. Do you dream of a tool that tracks your pipeline, stores all your notes and automatically reminds you to follow up, or even does it for you?

That tool exists. Enter the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system of your dreams.

WASHINGTON D.C. – 

A recent study by the W.E. Upjohn Institute found the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Program generates a substantial economic and financial return of 14.4:1 for the $140 million annually invested by the federal government.

The Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) is a federal public-private partnership that provides small and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs) technology-based services these firms need to grow and thrive in today’s economy and create well-paying manufacturing jobs. The MEP Program is managed by NIST and the U.S. Department of Commerce and is implemented through a network of 51 MEP Centers located in every state and Puerto Rico. These MEP Centers are not-for-profit organizations that employ a network of more than 1,300 industry experts who work directly with manufacturers to improve productivity and enhance U.S. competitiveness.

Using the national REMI® model, along with the results from the FY 2018 NIST MEP client impact survey conducted by Fors Marsh, the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research study finds that economic returns are substantially higher than previously reported by the MEP Program due largely to broader economic effects. Every quarter, an independent firm surveys manufacturers six months after they receive MEP assistance to measure the impact they have achieved from MEP Center services. In FY18, MEP clients reported $16.0 billion new and retained sales and the creation or retention of 121,042 jobs.

The Upjohn study reports that the $140 million invested in MEP during FY 2018 generated a 14.4 to 1 increase in federal personal income tax ($2.02B/$140M federal investment). The study looked solely at personal income tax and not business taxes and provided a conservative estimate of the return.

The Upjohn study finds more jobs were generated by the MEP Program than directly reported by its clients. In addition, the study notes that more than 238,000 additional jobs existed in the U.S because of MEP Center projects last year than would have without the Program. This estimate includes direct, indirect, and induced jobs generated by MEP projects. These jobs support additional manufacturing employment critical to U.S. supply chains and jobs outside of manufacturing. Lastly, the Upjohn study also examined additional areas of economic impact not previously reported by the MEP Program; personal income is $15 billion higher and GDP is $24.9 billion larger, translating to an increase of $2.02 billion in personal income tax revenue to the federal government than would be reported without the Program.

“Another year with extraordinary results! MEP centers across the country are undoubtedly fulfilling their duties in helping small and mid-sized manufacturers create competitive futures by empowering them to excel,” said Dave Boulay, PhD, President of the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center and Chair of the American Small Manufacturers Coalition. “As highlighted on this report, the impacts these organizations are contributing and the benefits to our economy are not just impressive - they are imperative to the sustainability of manufacturing.”

To view the study in its entirety, please visit: https://research.upjohn.org/reports/239/

This is an original article, written by Ed Sowoski of Light Guide Systems.

As a lean practitioner of many years, I have had the privilege of applying lean concepts in many different businesses including project engineering, repetitive manufacturing, process manufacturing and even in a sales capacity. I’ve had to apply lean principles in areas where the cycle times ranged from seconds to days, which allowed me to apply lean manufacturing tools in very different ways.

This is an original article written by Alpine Security. 

Protecting your agency or company from cyber crime is critical to keeping your business running smoothly and profitably in the digital age.

What are two of the most likely areas of vulnerability in your cyber defense strategy?

Using the Stay Interview for Retention and Culture Development

As companies are fighting for talent in a tight labor market there is a need for them to look at how they are retaining their best people and developing a culture that others want to join.  Too many times managers are focused on the negative aspects of managing people and do not take the time to develop the talent that's right in front of them. 

Today, departing employees are asked their opinions and experiences on their way out the door. These “exit” interviews can reveal some information about why people are leaving, however, the interviews are typically guarded and are certainly too late to affect retention. Instead, the "stay" interview is targeted at retention, exactly as its name implies. These simple conversations take the pulse of employees' current experiences, attitudes and opinions in a more routine cadence, enabling leadership to implement improvements before they have lost a valuable asset. 

Companies that purchase a new manufacturing information system do so to better manage the business, cut costs, and improve customer relationships – i.e. the “strategy”.  However, when it comes to implementing the system – the “art of execution” – many companies settle for a less than fully-functional solution.  An audit, or gap analysis, of your existing system may yield substantial opportunities for improvement, especially if your company:

• Does not have an IT manager or other personnel intimately familiar with the system.
• Is upgrading an existing system but wants to pinpoint the potential benefits first.
• Experiences disruptions because of underutilized or incapable systems.
• Is in an industry where customer requirements or regulations change frequently.
• Is on a lean journey.
• Has concerns about system fault-tolerance and/or disaster recovery.
• Is experiencing very large year-over-year growth patterns.
• Customer or supplier information exchange interfaces have changed.

Written by Steve Schiera, IMEC Regional Manager

Net Promoter Score (NPS) can be a valuable tool for measuring customer satisfaction, increasing customer lifetime value and reducing customer turnover. The happier your customers are the more referrals you will get and the more successful and profitable your business will be.

Because loyalty is so important to profitable growth, measuring and managing it makes good sense.  The saying “What gets measured gets done” is extremely relevant with customer satisfaction.  Many organizations have no method to obtain this critical information and many existing customer survey approaches have not proven to be very effective. Their complexity makes it difficult to get responses from your customers and they often generate flawed results.

By substituting a single question for the complex black box of the typical customer satisfaction survey, companies can actually put results to use and focus on the task of stimulating growth.

Global competition, OEM pricing, delivery and quality demands, and other threats to a profitable market position require more strategic marketing plans that focus on the right products and services reaching the right customers in the right way at the right time. Without planning, success can be a result of luck.

Companies need to have a balanced distribution of profitable customers, products and sales methods focused on value to the customer, and a position in the marketplace that supports their strategic plan.