Software - MIS

Looking for a simple tool that will drive your operation to higher levels of efficiency and effectiveness? The checklist may be what you are looking for.

I was still a youngster back in 1995 when I walked into my first National State Printing Association meeting in Kansas City. Sitting at long tables all around me were state printers from all over the United States—even a representative from the U.S. Government Printing Office. They glanced at me with curiosity, recoiling a bit from my camera. I was intimidated.

Henry Kissinger once said, "The task of the leader is to get his/her people from where they are to where they have not been." How can we help our coworkers be successful here in the present—and move with us towards a better future? A big key for us as leaders is to build strong connections with people.

Like many in-plants, Arizona State University's Print & Imaging Lab used a home-grown, Excel-based estimating and job tracking system for many years. Though this eventually migrated to a Google Doc, to give staff better access, it was still cumbersome, and the job list was never completely up to date.

I read a LinkedIn discussion last month questioning whether industry associations still provide any value in this interconnected age, where social media and video conferencing seem to have made physical meetings obsolete. Thanks to Google, some argued, people no longer rely on associations for technical data and guidance.

It's been a rough road the last several years for in-plant printers. Disruptive technologies, economic uncertainty and the threat of being outsourced have taken their toll.

A few years ago I did a presentation at a conference, which I called "Prepare to Defend Yourself." In it I explained that in my experience senior management probably does not understand the strategic contribution of an in-plant, so it's up to us to make the connection for them. The content was informed by more than 30 years of dealing with management and hundreds of projects involving in-plant performance.

Located in the southern portion of western Oregon's Willamette Valley, about two hours south of Portland, Springfield Public Schools (SPS) is the second largest employer in the city of Springfield. Its 22 schools host about 10,600 students and employ 800 teaching staff and 400 administrators and support staff.

In the Hall of Fame of great conferences (if there were such a thing) it would be tough to beat last month's In-Plant Printing and Mailing Association (IPMA) conference. The location, on the outskirts of San Francisco, was excellent; the weather was sunny and pleasant throughout; the lineup of speakers and topics was among the best ever, with a nearly overwhelming amount of useful, timely information presented; and the evening boat cruise on the San Francisco Bay provided that combination of stunning views and friendly fraternization often sought but rarely achieved.

We face an ongoing challenge to build a trustworthy team that reliably serves our key stakeholders. The starting place is to have the team led by a trustworthy leader—you. How can we develop a higher level of trustworthiness for ourselves and our teams? Let me share some ideas, largely based on the work of Dr. Robert Hurley, a respected professor, consultant and former manager.