Bob watched over the rim of a lifted coffee mug from the doorway of his office. Spread out before him was the 20-bay expanse of concrete floor and overhead mercury vapor lights that was the service department of the local dealership. Twin rows of overhead doors made up the outer walls feeding vehicles into the […]
Read More“A general never blames his troops.” It was a statement I needed to hear. I was a part of a very big, very important project that hadn’t turned out according to expectations. It wasn’t all my fault, but mistakes were made by many including me – and including the general. Up to this point, I […]
Read MoreSome people call me the ‘The Sprinting Hippo’ and I don’t mind it at all. I coach and play for a softball team during the summers, and, just like the noble hippopotamus that can reach top speeds of 30 mph (it’s true, look it up!), I am much faster than you might assume just by […]
Read MoreWhen there’s a lack of harmony on a team, chances are everyone is aware of it on some level, even if it’s just a vague sense of something’s not quite right. It could be really bad, palpable even from a distance – there could be internal turmoil, talking behind colleagues’ backs (which is never as […]
Read MoreThis morning at an off-site leadership training session, Captain Reman challenged his office managers and your loyal REMAN U writers to write a poem… about leadership… inspired by our natural surroundings at the Schlitz Audubon Nature Society. In a fashion consistent with his character, he didn’t tell us why we were doing this activity, just […]
Read MoreETE REMAN’s founder, Sam Loshak, is known for his many insightful and pithy statements. We’ve regularly refer to his statements as “Sam-isms.” One of Sam’s most frequent reminders to ETE’s leadership is “fish stink from the head.” What Sam means is that the worst smelling part of a dead fish is its head. But what Sam […]
Read MoreI know that’s a strong title, and an unfair one without qualification. I promise I’ll explain in detail just after I tell you about my last trip to Chicago. My wife and I took our two older daughters to Chicago for two nights of fun in the city. We interacted with the trendiest brands – […]
Read More“Slow to hire, quick to fire” is one of the countless philosophies on how to staff a business. As much as we have an official hiring policy here, it’s at the very least to hire slowly. Every candidate goes through a series of interviews with a variety of staff members, tours the office space, and […]
Read MoreThis article is NOT about basketball. It’s about YOU. It’s about your shop. It’s about your business. And, arguably it’s about your life. It’s how about to get the most out of everyone you interact with. It just so happens that today’s lesson came from a basketball player. A professional one. A really famous […]
Read MoreThis is a bad Reman U. I mean it. It hasn’t been thought through, agonized over, contemplated, speelchecked or proofreaded. I didn’t have a blinding insight nor did I have one of those everyday experiences that suddenly feels like an analogy for good work/life decisions. What I do have is a deadline, a commitment… ultimately, […]
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