I was astounded. Sitting with one of our long time best customers I explained how our newest generation of paper machine weight control actuator would reduce their variability by a further 30%. He said he didn’t care. It didn’t matter. That our existing measurement and controls had already reduced the variability of the manufactured paper sheet so low that further reduction was “in the noise” and did not matter. How could this be? <Complete Article>

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It Really Pays To Set Yourself Apart

Why Value Pricing Initiatives Fail

My daughter recently interviewed a candidate to work in a chemistry lab. One of the questions she asked was "If you had completed your work and had some time on your hands, what would you do?". The candiate's reply? "Oh, there is this awesome game online . . ." Really? But that is not the end of the story. Despite her repeating this story to the hiring committee, they voted in favor of hiring this person.

Chalk one up to generational demographics. Baby boomers who still represent 40% of the population are characterized as those who "live to work" while the later generations "work to live". Being a boomer I cannot conceive of this candidate's response being anything but a deal breaker. But who is right? Is it better to have a good work ethic with the accompanying risk of workaholism and family neglect than to have other priorities which put work not first, or second on the priority list?

In the past we all took personality tests to give us insight on how to deal with different kinds of people successfully whether from a sales, management, or personal standpoint. Today, understanding the differing attitudes and value systems of the various generations is equally important. It is all about being able to communicate successfully.