W.J. Strickler Signs

Posts Tagged ‘business leadership’

For the first time in my 18 plus years of playing fantasy football, we have a tie in the fantasy football championship. Well it’s been that kind of year!
Team Wagner (lead man/ road crew) and Visigoths (company President) score 110 points each in the final game to share the crown of Strickler Signs fantasy football co champions for the 2010 season.
Team Wagner had the best team in the league from the start of the season till the playoffs with a 12 and 2 record ,scoring 1658 (league high) and surrendering 1270 points (league low).
The playoffs are a new season and everyone that makes the playoffs starts over with a 0 and 0 record. The 3rd seeded Visigoths 9 and 5 record proved to be too much for the 6th seeded Spongebob Whoopass (service technician) in the first round, winning with a score of 147 to 87. Visigoths then beat the 2nd seed Achmed’s Bombers (graphic designer) 103 to 97 in the semi round to advance to the championship. Meanwhile Team Wagner having a bye in the first round beat Romo’s Homo’s (estimator) in the semi’s 120 to 87 to earn his way to the championship game. Second seed, Achmed’s Bombers 9 and 4 with a tie, came back thru the losers bracket to beat Romo’s 106 to 78 to take 3rd place in the league, 5th seed Romo’s finished in 4th place, Spongebob Whoopass finished 5th in league by beating yours truly 4th seed (Six time world champs) 93 to 90 to give me 6th place,7th place goes to Scoots (graphics technician), followed by 8th place Balt’s Dirty Dozen (accounts receiveable) ,then 9th place go’s to Hall’s of Fame (office manager) and, last but not least our very own football guru Mexican Express (installation manager).
It was a fun season, although very quiet on the trash talk front. There was lot’s of conversation and fellowship throughout the the season here at Strickler Signs, which helps make Strickler Signs a great place to work and the best sign company in the land!
Till next season….Go S-T-E-E-L-E-R-S!

No doubt, the present may be the most economically tying time  most of us will experience in our lifetimes. It is imperative business owners and managers take care of themselves as well as the people they lead. What are you doing to stay positive and how are you helping those in your sphere of influence?

Keeping a positive mental outlook has been trying for me Our industry has been negatively impacted since November of 2007, and that is a long time to be in the ”trenches” battling to remain profitable. One can sometimes feel like a lab rat trapped in a maze and every attempt to exit the maze results in hitting a wall sooner or later.  I have had to make some tough decisions in reaction to reduced revenue, whereas these decisions take a toll on a compassionate individual, they also help to make us more business savvy. This new found acuity will serve as well as we move into the recovery phase. Our sharpened skills will improve our profitability in the future. This is one of my coping mechanisms helping me to rationalize our difficulties.

If you are abusiness leader, how are you coping? Are you sharing your thoughts with those close to you? Even though your compenstation has decresased, are you taking vacations? Are you connecting with your spouse and sharing your frustrations with them? Are you being proactive by creating plans to grow your business as the recovery continues? Are you doing something I have not mentioned?

Please don’t forget about your people. Maybe business leaders have more overall challenges than the rank and file during this time but the average employee is probably frustrated and a little scared right now. Those who have lost their jobs or had their income cut enough to produce financial hardship may have bigger problems than some CEOs and Presidents. What are doing to take care of your people? I have concentrated on being as translucent as prudent. We conduct quarterly State of the Union Addresses where I explain: where we have been, where we are now, and where we are heading. These meetings are very informal and much data and feelings are exchanged. It is critical to be open with your people and tell them the scary stuff as well as the hope for the future. If they do not know the state of the business it is very easy for their imaginations to fill in the blanks with very negative notions. It is your job to let them know as much as you can and in the process reduce their stress levels. Your employees can not function properly or provide proper customer care if they are working in a high level of anxiety, and besides, caring about them should always be your concern.

“However good or bad a situation is, it will change!”