Posts by michaelrbaer

Bad things happen that companies can’t control. Like airlines. They can’t control weather or weather delays or the cascade of customer problems that come with a monsoon like Atlanta has just experienced. Delta had equipment scattered all over the US and out of position due to the storms and flooding. It happens and, while frustrating,…

The government has invested heavily to translate a Spanish language version of the I-9 and then decided that it can only be used in Puerto Rico. Hmmm. Let’s think about this. 16% of the US population is Hispanic and many don’t speak or read English well. Being able to use a Spanish language I-9 would…

Sticky refers to how long a person stays on your website. It also refers to how difficult it is for a customer to stop doing business with you or switch to another provider. Obviously the stickier we are the better—but not all stickiness is created equal. For example, I have 2 months left on my…

So the President have a fantastic speech tonight. Sincerely I was impressed and score this a major victory for the Administration. I have to say though that the factually deficient, syncretistic bill he proposed will pass and will ultimately have roughly the impact of Johnson’s failed war on poverty (which only served to create a…

There’s very little that employees shouldn’t know about the numbers of your business (compensation aside) and even less that they can’t understand with a bit of explanation. Try having a company wide discussion of your P&L and letting folks see what’s really going on.

There’s no substitute for being there but technology can give you the next best thing. Check out solutions like Go To Meeting, Go to Webinar, Skype Video, and CynergiSystems’ new product “CQ.”

Most meetings are too long, unproductive, cover too many topics, and leave participants frustrated. One simple way to stop “meeting abuse” is to put a severe time limit on them. If there’s one topic, limit the meeting to 15 minutes and makes sure people have info in advance to avoid wasting time “informing” them at…

So I get off the plane and glance up at the everpresent CNN broadcast and I am stunned to hear that now the government is buying people appliances through some kind of rebate program. Come to think of it, I am the one providing the money and they didn’t even ask me.

It’s one thing to be tired in your body or to be tired in your mind—but if you become tired in your heart it becomes nearly impossible to go on. Protracted hard times tend to make us tired deep inside and the fire burns low (and seems to go out). So, how do you deal…