Working for Captain Reman, it’s hard not to be a student. Like many of my coworkers, I often find myself getting hooked on a particular social media blog, new book, or TED talk series. Recently, a really good read from productivity expert Neen James popped into my inbox and I haven’t been able to get […]
Read MoreHave you had a long hard week at work? Is your team tired and unmotivated by the time Friday creeps up? Rallying your troops is one of the hardest things to tackle as a manager and last week, that’s exactly the challenge I had to meet. After a busy week slinging transmissions, a group of […]
Read MoreWhen a company is growing, it’s usually a great thing – more money, more employees, more tools…and more opportunity for misinformation and missed information. It’s common for any growing business to overlook internal communications. Implementing a communications strategy can take time and money that many companies feel are resources better served in money-generating efforts. But […]
Read MoreWhile doing a routine oil change on my car, Sassy (Oh, c’mon…yours has a name, too), I noticed there was oil in my antifreeze reservoir. The culprit? An intake manifold gasket that needed replacing. Having grown up around this industry, I knew that if this problem was not taken care of immediately, a much larger […]
Read MoreLast week, Captain Reman gave all of us a copy of one of his favorite books and a small assignment: “Read this for the Monday meeting.” The book? A Message to Garcia. Some of you might be familiar, but here’s a little background in case you’re not… A Message to Garcia is an essay written […]
Read MoreI recently came across some compelling statistics: 65% of managers believe that money is the most effective means of motivating employees, yet only 18% of employees felt the same way. Moreover, on the employee side, boosting morale and recognition both ranked higher on the list of motivators – at 32% and 27%, respectively. Clearly, there’s […]
Read MoreThere’s an interesting thing that happens when you hire someone new. The new guy asks questions. Hard-hitting questions. He doesn’t know any better. The new guy pushes buttons. He doesn’t know any better. The new guy challenges the status quo. He doesn’t know any better. The new guy comes to the table with how […]
Read More“I would, BUT…” “Right, BUT…” “I know, BUT…” “I could, BUT…” “I understand that, BUT…” “I should, BUT…” Those big buts above are the precursors to statements like “I’m really busy this month” or “the economy is too uncertain” or “my boss won’t let me.” The word “but” is the introduction to every rationalization for […]
Read MoreThis week’s post is based on a letter from one of our loyal readers, Eddie Symonds at Powertrain Products in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Thanks so much for sharing, Eddie! From Eddie: “Dear Captain Reman, I just hired a new employee & they asked me for a new chair at their desk that they were assigned […]
Read MoreI took my own advice over the past week and spent a fair amount of time on our sales floor. I answered front line sales calls. I took some customer complaint calls. I talked to loyal customers. I talked to new customers. I fumbled through our new-ish computer system and created quotes, wrote a few […]
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