I vividly remember the moment when it dawned on me that every single person—from the most successful business owners and CEOs to the janitor sweeping the floors, the attendant at the gas station and everyone in between—is making things up as they go along. For years, I assumed that, with rank and title, came “the manual.”
LinkedIn, the online professional networking tool, was a topic of two workshops I gave at the American Architectural Manufacturers Association 2017 National Fall Conference. Even if you’re not currently job-hunting, you should care about the state of your current LinkedIn profile. It’s always good to see what’s happening in your industry, how companies and roles are changing and who in your network might just be perfect for an opportunity on your radar.
Despite the seemingly sophisticated path of our evolution as a modern civilization, there still exist men and women in the workplace who have either ignored, forgotten or altogether failed to learn how to treat one another.
In his book “When,” Daniel Pink discusses the importance of timing events from the matter of their substance, or the what. Whether the timing is good or bad depends on one’s awareness of the current surroundings, and on a perspective gleaned from experience and instigated by an instinct for future risk. That’s it—easy.
Trade shows are a key place for machinery purchasing. For attendees looking to buy, it’s important to get prepared now to secure financing and make a wise purchase. If you’re prepared ahead of time, you’re able to make a better deal at the show and secure what you need in an environment when machines are in shorter supply.
A force majeure (French for superior force) clause allows parties to alter their obligations in times of crises. The clause relieves the affected party from liability for not fulfilling its contractual obligations when unforeseen circumstances beyond that party’s control happen. Force majeure clauses found in contracts are often boilerplate language not carefully considered by the drafters. However, this language is critical to enforcement.
For some time now, Window & Door has covered how the mobile experience of a website is just as critical as that on a desktop computer. As mobile devices have increasingly become the main way potential customers search for products and services, it is imperative that a site's design and operations be optimized for these devices.
If you think back to the formative years of vinyl windows in the U.S., we had our share of performance challenges to overcome. Particularly in hot climates like Florida or Arizona, weathering and yellowing due to high temperatures and UV exposure were major issues that caused some significant degradation and product deformation. These issues put a stain on the industry, especially considering vinyl technology was just emerging. Property owners interested in using the new products had some serious reservations due to testimonials from those early adopters.
You don’t have to wander far to hear positive sentiments about the immediate future of our industry. For instance, Window & Door’s 2018 Industry Pulse notes that the majority of manufacturers, suppliers and dealers expect sales to increase throughout the year. Meanwhile, the Pulse reported that 83 percent of the industry plans to hire this year, despite our ongoing struggles with finding the right talent to fill those roles.
Window and door dealers are a product-focused bunch—and why wouldn’t we be? Manufacturer training and new innovative products are important parts of our world. We have to know how products will perform, compare and behave.
However, this focus can lead us astray, causing us to ask the wrong questions at crucial times. One recent concept I read, from the book “The Innovator’s Solution,” suggests we ask the question, “What job is my client looking to fill?” Let’s take a fictional example to see how this might work in our world.