Are You a “Cherry Tree” Business?
In the cherry tree legend, when confronted by his angry father about a chopped down cherry tree, six-year-old George replied, “I cannot tell a lie . . . I did cut it with my hatchet.” Washington’s father embraced his son and rejoiced that his son’s honesty was worth more than a thousand trees. In today’s business world, personal integrity is still a pillar of true success. Whether you’re seeking investors, securing for top talent, or building a base of committed customers, maintaining a high level of integrity is a key factor. But what is integrity? Who determines where you fall…
Think LinkedIn When Looking for a Job in Precision Manufacturing? You Should.
Assembler? Quality Inspector? Toolmaker? If you’re looking for a job in the precision manufacturing industry, do you first turn to social media? Do you think about networking on LinkedIn? Chances are LinkedIn and social media are among the last places you regard as helpful in your job search. But you would be wrong. Yes, it is true enough that many professional jobs are listed on LinkedIn, and that is how LinkedIn got started. Though manufacturing firms may have been slower to hitch to the LinkedIn wagon, they now have a strong presence. Manufacturing companies also compete for needed talent. On…
9 Great Ways to Ensure Employee Retention
“The best advice I can offer on how to keep your best employees is this: Be willing to let them go. It’s no surprise that every manager wants to keep his or her best employees. But a good manager doesn’t hoard talent; instead they develop their employees by investing in them, building on their strengths, and providing opportunities to innovate.” John Ambrose, Sr.VP of strategy and corporate development at Skillsoft Employee retention is a key element in making 2016 a prosperous year for your precision manufacturing company. MPS Technical has put together 9 invaluable tips to help you hit a home run…
Preparing for Future Manufacturing Staffing Needs May Be Two-fold
To gain a perspective on blue collar jobs, USA News Today interviewed Mike Rowe, host of “Somebody’s Gotta Do It,” and former host of “Dirty Jobs” as his job requires him to travel the country and speak with the blue collar workforce. As Rowe traveled, he saw “help wanted” signs in every single state and met hundreds of available workers. However, workers were not connecting to available positions because nobody was walking them through the process of how to locate and secure them. “There are 4 million jobs, a very small percentage that require a four-year degree, but most require…
Trading Resolutions for a Customized Professional Action Plan
From pearls of ancient wisdom, “If you don’t know what port you are sailing to; no wind is favorable.” Seneca ‘The Younger’, 4BC-AD65 To thoughts from today’s greatness, “Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” Steve Jobs, 1955-2011 The message rings true: Knowing your personal destiny, and making a plan to fulfill it, is a key element of success. So, here at MPS, we say . . . Scratch the New Year’s Resolutions – only 8% successfully achieve them – and make a…
Events Around Town: Challenges of a Remote Workforce
Managing remote workers requires a completely different mindset to managing in-office employees. While it may be more affordable to hire remote workers for some tasks, it can end up more expensive in the long-run if you don’t know how to manage them effectively. This month we attended a seminar sponsored by the Manufacturers Alliance on overcoming the challenges of a remote workforce. Local leaders from Thermo Fisher Scientific, Skyline Exhibits and Westinghouse discussed what works in their operations. Matt Knutson, Dana Boettcher and Dave Rohlf of MPS Technical sales and business development attended and summarized below some of the key…