Happy Holidays to All.........& End of the Year Tips

Happy Holidays to everyone who has taken the time to follow this blog throughout 2015. I am happy to report over 11,000 views on the site. I really appreciate the interest and the following.

If you are interested in contributing content to the site, feel free to reach out to me and we can put something together.

John

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Here are some year-end tips for your business to help make the New Year a prosperous one:

Review and Reflect - Taking stock of your business now will provide you with a good opportunity to improve your chances of prosperity next year. Do a post-mortem of your year. Write out a list of your company’s accomplishments and areas in which expectations were not met.  Which problem areas need refining? Are your procedures and systems efficient, or can they be improved? Would you benefit from adding new hires?

Set Goals for Next Year - Set specific, challenging but achievable goals for your business this year. Set a bar for you and your team to aim for, one that while realistic is still ambitious. Then, create strategies to help your team reach these goals.

Reach Out to your Best Customers – Contact your best customers and thank them for their business over the past year. In addition, ask them for feedback on how you can improve and serve them even better next year. Letting them know they are appreciated is a way to keep them in the fold for future.

Give Employees a Pat on the Back – Share your company’s accomplishments with your employees to help ensure their pride in what they do. Recognition is essential to engaged employees; show your appreciation for their hard work and contributions to your success. Your staff will really appreciate gestures such as gift cards they can use to buy gifts and letting them leave a couple of hours early one day to get some of their shopping done.

Refine Your Online Presence – Review your website and look for areas that are in need of an update. Replace old, stale content with fresh, new material. Update your team’s bios to give them a new look. Make sure all of the links on your site are still active. Are you effectively utilizing your company’s accounts on social media platforms?

The end the year can be a hectic time, but it’s a great opportunity to make sure you start the New Year on the right foot.

Terry Nevins: Office Product Excellence

By John Fullerton,

Last week I attended the annual COPA "Stars Gala" - the Canadian Office Product Associations annual salute to the Canadian OP industry. As usual, COPA provided a great night of camaraderie, as attendees were able to connect with old friends and new acquaintances in a fun and friendly setting.

The event was held at the "Vue", an excellent banquet facility that overlooks the Royal Woodbine Golf Course in Toronto.  COPA provided an excellent setting for networking opportunities for all who attended the Gala in this spacious, informal setting.

The highlight of the night was the tribute paid to long-time OP veteran, Terry Nevins, my friend and former COPA board colleague. Terry was awarded with COPA's highest honour, the "Individual Award of Excellence" for his 40 year career in the Canadian office products industry. Could there be a more deserving recipient for this award?

Peggy and Terry Nevins with the COPA Individual Award of Excellence

"Terry Nevins" - now that is a house-hold name in our industry.

Terry joined TOPS Office Products of Oshawa, Ontario in 1976, - his first role in the industry as a sales person. By 1985, Terry was a full partner in the company, driving sales and marketing initiatives. He left TOPS to work for Canadian Independent Stationers (now Office Plus) to become their general manager and marketing director. In 1988, Terry joined Global Total Office as their director of marketing, until becoming the company’s vice-president of national accounts marketing in 2004. Terry spent 26 years with Global, helping them expand their business and grow their market. Terry retired from Global last year. “Global became the right place to be as the industry reinvented itself many times over the last 40 years,” says Terry. “I was part of that reinvention, driving change and creating products and delivering marketing programs to fit the needs of the day. It was very exciting and satisfying.”

While it is difficult to predict exactly what office environments will look like in five or 10 years, Terry says there are a few givens; people will always require digital or physical writing instruments, coffee, and places to sit and work. Thinking like your customer and moving with technology trends are important aspects for success in the office of the future. “You need to be aware of all technologies and how they will impact your own market niche and your own personal life,” says Terry. “These technology revolutions will become evolutions and the office products industry is best at evolutions — evolving product categories.”

Glen Jackson, Mark Weiler, Steve Murphy, Peggy and Terry Nevins of the Global Group

Terry is an industry visionary who was always there for his customers and colleagues with a helping hand, a kind word and straight-forward advice. For myself, I am glad that I got to know Terry during my time on the COPA board and consider him a true friend. The Canadian Office Product industry will miss Terry Nevins.

Does The Type Of Printer Paper You Use Matter?

By Brad Steeves,

Copier paper is what you would use at your place of employment to mass produce originals that you may need to distribute or file. Copier paper is usually very thin and lucid.

The quality of paper is determined by how bright it is, or to put it another way, how much light passes through it. For mass production of work documents to be filed or distributed, quality is not that important. You can use recycled copier paper, which is approximately eight to ten percent of the total paper used today.

There are primarily two types of computer printer paper, matted or glossy. Matted paper has a “very bright” outside layer. Glossy paper, on the other hand, has a shiny finish. So what type of paper should you use for your inkjet or laser printers? If you are printing draft copies, quality will not matter too much, so plain copier paper is good enough. However, if you are printing a final draft or color presentations, etc., a thicker coated paper, matted paper, is recommended because it allows for sharper colors and a better resolution image. For photos, a glossy finish is desirable, or in some cases necessary. Why? Because the ink dries faster on a glossy surface which, in turn, produces sharper images. A 4x6 size is the most popular for printing photos from your computer printer.

In addition to the types of paper, it is important to know its characteristics. The first one is weight. The higher the paper weight, the thicker the sheet of paper. Higher paper weight is also stronger and has a substantial feel to it. In addition, less light will pass through it. Heavier paper should be used for presentations and final drafts, whereas standard weighted paper is used for everyday printing and copying.

The second characteristic is brightness. Most paper will have a brightness rating between 80 and 100, where 100 is the brightest. The brighter the paper, the better your printed result will be. The third is texture. The type of paper texture you use for laser printers will be different from that of an inkjet printer by nature of how the ink is distributed to the paper. A laser needs a flat paper for sharp results. Inkjet printers will require the use of a rougher surface. This will produce a clear result, as it will not scatter on the surface of the paper, but rather cling to it for a sharper image.

There you have it! The type and characteristics of paper vary, but knowing each will yield the result you want to obtain.

Brad Steeves is the Manager of Merchandising and Marketing at Beatties Basics Office Products in Saint Catharines, Ontario.

Scriptus - Toronto Pen & Writing Show

By: John Fullerton

On Sunday afternoon, I attended "Scriptus 2015" - Toronto's Pen and Writing show which was held at the Bram & Bluma Appel Salon, at the Toronto Reference Library on Yonge St. in the Yorkville area of Toronto.

Philip Akin - Director of Scriptus

 

"Scriptus" celebrates the art of "hand-writing" and at the show I found:

• many fine pens, including fountain pens old and new;
• several lines of luxurious stationery from all over the world;
• a wide variety of vibrant inks, in all the colours of the rainbow;
• an active community of lovers of all things INK;

The main focus of the over 60 vendor tables was fine pens - from rollerballs to fountain pens, exquisitely crafted pens were the stars of the show. This was not a show  about $0.99 stick pens. Scriptus estimates that there were 1,300 attendees for this years show. The large crowd on hand were acutely interested in fine-penmanship. In this age of smart phones and laptops, there clearly is still a segment of the marketplace who craves the hand-written word displayed on fine stationery through the use of a beautiful pen.

David Armstrong, Scriptus's communication director had this to say about this year's show: "Scriptus is a huge success not because it is converting people to the use of old-fashioned writing tools and materials. We are convinced that many people of all ages have always been interested in this vital form of communication, and will continue to be. We are just giving them a place to connect, and helping them to see that they aren't alone, or really even a minority. A vital part of the show's success is accessibility for everyone. Free admission, a central location, and a spirit of fun are the most important facets of the show for us, and will continue to be hallmarks of Scriptus in the future."

Toronto's "B. Sleuth & Statesman"

 

"Refine Mark Print Design" from Victoria

"House of Fine Writing" booth - on Queen St. West in Toronto
 

"Phidon Pens" - Cambridge Ontario

 

Pen World Magazine

Dawn of the Office "Bar"

By: John Fullerton



Last week I attended an informative COPA seminar hosted by "AB Inbev" brewers of Labatt Blue, Budweiser and Stella Artois. Josh Belliveau, Inbev Canada's Trade & Marketing Manager took us through the ins and outs of the beer industry while pointing out potential opportunities for office supply dealers.
 Inbev is interested in exploring the feasibility of distributing a countertop draught beer dispenser to the offices of Canada. They are interested in partnering with Canada's office product dealers in distributing these units.

The countertop draught unit is an all-in-one-plug-and-play, self refrigerated solution created by Inbev for their "Stella Artois" brand. The countertop unit was developed as a solution for smaller, more intimate bars and restaurants that wish to serve proper draught beer without investing in a full-scale tap system. The Unit uses 12 L keg w/ bottle-in-bottle technology, which means the unit does not require gas. It is essentially the Keurig machine for beer!

Josh Belliveau of AB Inbev

Inbev believes that there may be an application for offices that may want to host "celebration" events in their offices. Thus they are exploring the possibility of opening up distribution of these units to an office environment. Their studies show that "millennials" are interested in more than just the traditional opportunities that a regular job may entail - things like good pay, benefits, increased vacation time - they also want to work in an environment that contributes to their social being. So things like an office celebration for a job well done or a finished project is an important feature on where millennials choose to work. This is where the countertop draught unit may be of interest in an office environment.



Inbev demonstrates the draught countertop unit to interested COPA members.

Inbev is interested in piloting the Stella Artois countertop draught beer dispenser in selected urban markets. They are looking for potential partners in the Office Supply industry who are interested in leveraging their network of clients in selling these units.

If this is something that your firm might be interested in, contact COPA for more information on the program. They will be happy to point you in the right direction.

Basics Show a "Down-Home" Hit

By John Fullerton
 
Basics Office Products held it's annual show last weekend in St. John's, Newfoundland and the consensus opinion from attendees was that it was a big success.
 

 
It really was a great atmosphere. Basics and our Newfoundland hosts, Dicks & Company, went to great lengths to ensure that the show was a success. The show itself was super busy from start to finish - the busiest show in recent memory as the dealers really took the time to get out to the show and visit the vendors. For myself, I can't ever remember being so busy at a Basics Trade show. I had 3 booths at the show, Vision Global Media, Genuine Supply Source and American Tombow.
 

 

...with Marnie Stone at the Tombow booth.

 

 
 

Shane Murtagh and Tracey Turnbull-Avey talking Ink & Toner at the Genuine Supply Source booth.
 

 

Exhibiting LED Desklamps at the Vision Global Media Booth

 The highlight of the show was the banquet that followed the show where we learned about the history of Newfoundland and then were entertained by Shaun Majumder of CBC's "This Hour has 22 Minutes". Shaun was in a word - HILARIOUS!!!! He had us rolling in the aisles with his tales of growing up in Newfoundland.

Dave Read of "Dick's & Co." and John Fullerton of "Fullerton Sales & Marketing" flank Shaun Majumder of "This Hour has 22 Minutes".

Congratulations Basics Office Products on a great event.

Why Your Company Won't Survive The Change That's Coming

By: Shaun Browne

It Really is the Economy... Stupid

Many organizations will not survive the transition to the new economy, in part because they are paralyzed by this one.
Most organizations aren't ready to manage the change that's coming. They are stuck in an old model of doing business, one that, while trusted and traditional, hamstrings them for future growth, in part because they are ignoring their responsibilities to train, develop, and coach their employees.

Three Reasons

Ronald Hirshhorn, in his 2013 research summary, "Impacts of Structural Changes in the Canadian Economy," states that there are three issues that will impact growth:

• Decomposition of productivity growth  - the Canadian economy now has a dominant sector with a weak capacity for innovation and multifactor productivity growth,
• Changes in employment  - the increasing number of service jobs, the rise in temporary, short-term, and part-time positions (the so-called 'giging culture'),
• Declining wages - the lack of full-time positions and paid overtime, reduce the willingness of employees to make major financial commitments. 

Hirshhorn goes on to say that the lack of investment, roadblocks to the expansion of service producers due to difficulties in innovating, and the lack of output measurement in the service sector, and the challenging task of reallocating labour, all contribute to the lack of organizational readiness.

What's Past is Prologue

Peter Drucker, even back in 1986, said that the economy was not on the verge of a change, it had already changed. In his landmark article in Foreign Affairs, Drucker writes of a massive, permanent de-coupling of the industrial economy, employment, and trade. And, like the past, our economy today is suffering from a collapse in raw material prices, oil revenue, and increasing unemployment in traditional industrial sectors. The economy may not be de-industrializing, but the workforce has.
The move to ever-larger facilities has resulted in an over-capacity in space, as organizations downsize to meet new demands. Take a walk through your local mall or main street, to see how retail has eroded, with resulting empty shops and vacant parking lots.

How Can We Survive and Thrive

• Get ready.
• Prepare your people.
• Help them adapt.
• Build skills.
• Innovate.
• Become sustainable.

The future is coming, whether we like it, or not.

Shaun Browne is President and Founding Partner of Digital Mentor Group Inc. He is also Vice President - Productivity Mentoring, Innovation Canada. He can be reached at onthejobtraining.com.

Protect yourself from electronic pick pocketing and identity fraud

  

Radio-Frequency IDentification (RFID) is a wireless non-contact system that reads data from a microchip embedded in most credit and bank cards as well as many identification, security and access cards. The microchip contains data which can be read from a distance of up to several meters. Mobile card readers have given rise to a crime referred to as "electronic pick pocketing". Fraudsters can now steal the personal information from your RFID-enabled cards without ever touching your cards.

Several models of Mancini Leather Goods briefcases and wallets feature the latest RFID wave blocking technology. The special metallic layers integrated into the fabric of one or more pockets prevent thieves from electronically reaching into your briefcase or wallet. Mancini is actively incorporating this technology into their products to ensure your data and cards are safe. In the near future all Mancini briefcases, and many other Mancini products, will feature this critical protection.

Protect yourself from electronic pick pocketing and identity fraud. Choose Mancini RFID SECURE products.

Look for the MANCINI RFID SECURE tags on your favorite MANCINI products.

Why are Millions of Grownups Buying Adult Coloring Books?

Amazon's Top 100 book list changes hourly, but did you know that among the top selling books on Amazon are Adult Coloring books?


 

Two slots on the Amazon top 10 are pretty much owned by an artist named Johanna Basford. But these books aren't novels—they are a collection of black-and-white drawings. The Scottish artist, who graduated from design school in 2005 has turned her lovely ink drawings into coloring books "for grownups". And they're extremely popular, selling millions of copies.

 

This was news to me - I had no idea that coloring for adults was a trend. What is it about these books that has made them so popular with adults?  When her books were first introduced 4 years ago, an adult coloring book market did not exist. But her 2013 introductory book: Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Coloring Book has become a phenomenon - currently sitting at #2 on Amazon's Top 100 and has sold 1.4 million copies. Her follow-up collection, Enchanted Forest: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Coloring Book is #6.

Why is coloring suddenly, a craze amongst grownups?

Well it seems that they provide adults with quiet therapy from their busy lives. User reviews on Amazon tell it all:

• * I was very excited to find this book! The designs are beautiful :)
• * This is a lovely book. It reminds me of the Doodle Art we'd spend hours creating back in our teens.
• * I can't say enough about this book! It makes me smile every time I look in it, colour in it or doodle in it! I've bought 3 of them, one for my daughter, one for myself & one that we can tear apart to colour & then frame certain pictures! HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book!!
• * So fun to color as an adult! This book will bring likely hundreds of hours of enjoyment.
• * So relaxing to sit down with this book and my adult markers.

 

So what motivates adults to color rather than, say, draw or paint or just doodle. Is it about nostalgia? Or do stressed-out adults feel comforted by returning to an activity for small children?  Or is it something else entirely?

 

 Coloring books are a way for adults who don't normally draw or paint to be creative without the daunting task of creating an original piece of Art. They also don't require anywhere near as much skill as creating a drawing or a portrait. Plus, there are the psychological benefits people find in removing themselves from the world around them. In essence, it helps people "RELAX" - taking them away from the everyday pressures of their job, family and pressures of life.
 

In an era when books can be downloaded and read in an instant - these books have remained as best sellers despite the fact that they must be shipped to the interested user.

Adult coloring books are a low tech, throw-back activity - back to a simpler time before the age of the internet, when all you had was your imagination.

Have you considered selling these items in your retail store or through your website? All the customer needs are a list of titles and some high quality markers. The Tombow dual-brush markers are a very popular product for this medium because of their vibrant colours and convenient, durable tips - brush tip at one end, fine tip at the other. They come in 10 pack sets and are the perfect instrument for the world of adult colouring.

For an independent review of Tombow markers, check this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l87ys5ZWfao

 

 

What if there were no more Annual Performance Reviews?

By: Jonathan Creaghan – Solutions for the Human Side of Business 
 

Wow, would that be a relief!  I haven’t met either a leader or staff member in my over 25 years of helping companies grow who relishes the experience.  Stats found in the Psychological Bulletin show that 30% of performance reviews ended up with decreased employee performance.  Another 45% of HR professionals don’t think annual performance reviews are accurate, and according to a recent US poll done for the firm Achiever, 98% of staff found Performance Reviews to be unnecessary.  

So why is the Annual Performance Review so disliked?

o   Typically based on negativity and the past.

o   Doesn’t get to the root of the matter, the real issue, merely the surface reason.

o   Managers actually don’t really know how to help the staff member improve.

o   Most leaders dread doing them – the time, the potential for conflict, and no structure available for follow-up 

 

 

Yet Annual Performance Reviews continue to be administered by 93% of companies as discovered by Professor Edward Lawlor of University of Southern California.  

So why do Performance Reviews continue to be done?  Because leaders have to know how people are doing. It is our nature to measure success. It seems that the APR is so ingrained into the work culture, that to get rid of them would be impossible.  

So maybe going cold turkey and stop doing Annual Performance Reviews will be too difficult, is there an alternative?

Is there a way of measuring performance without enforcing a hated and archaic tool?

A future with of no Annual Performance Reviews that still gets the job done. 

First of all drop the word “review”. This implies a past. Use new language such as “development” or “growth process.”  Terms which mean/reference a vision of improvement and focus on movement forward. 

Next get rid of the word “annual”. Because these discussions should never be annual.  It can be too late to let someone know how they are doing. Isn't it better to allow them be able to look into the future and show them how they can progress? A road map that shows them where the next destination can be, and then help them get there? 

Finally focus not on “performance”, which is an outcome, rather focus on that which defines their performance: Behaviour.  Behaviour is the answer, the tool to use to get the outcome, to get the performance.   

So the answer is a roadmap that defines the path and defines a clear set of behaviours (or stages) to follow that ultimately achieves a high performing outcome.  Where the person is measured along the way. 

Of course in sales it is clearer whether someone is succeeding or not. Is she or he hitting their sales numbers? But even here the focus is usually on performance rather than the behaviours necessary to achieve the performance.

It is my belief that by providing a relevant and pragmatic experience that occurs on a regular basis, both the leader assisting the employee, and the employee will then respond positively and see results, and the company will be stronger for it. 

 

Copyright © 2015, Jonathan Creaghan all rights reserved  

                Jonathan Creaghan helps clients transform themselves and their workplaces.  He believes that businesses ultimately succeed or fail because of the human factor.  He teaches people to think differently, to see reality with fresh eyes when solving issues that impede them, whether personal or business.  Jonathan provides “Solutions for the Human Side of Business”.  www.jonathancreaghan.com  

Jonathan is the creator of the TotalLeader® 21 Leadership Assessment and TotalLeader® Development Program. He is the author of several books including Duxter’s Leap, Thinking Differently® about… Getting More Done, Succession.  His books are published around the globe in several languages.  Jonathan is also a sought after contributor for leadership blogs originating in North America and the Middle East.

 

For more information on  Jonathan Creaghan:

-       www.jonathancreaghan.com  

-       jonathan@jonathancreaghan.com  

-       519.472.2562

3 Secrets to Building Loyalty through Orientation

By: Shaun Browne

 

There can often be a gap between promises made during a recruitment interview and the reality the new employee experiences on the job. That gap can play havoc with your turnover rate, your organization’s reputation, and your profitability.
In a recent survey the calculated cost of acquisition, the amount of money the HR Department spent to find one new, entry-level production employee, worked out to be $1,835. With a turnover rate in excess of 120%, the annual cost to fill vacant production positions was about $1.15 million dollars.
$1.150,000 taken directly off the bottom line.
Added to that loss, the waste HR was generating. By spending 80% of any given day finding 3.125 credible employees to fill vacant positions, an average of 8 potential employees had to be interviewed. That cost was estimated at $64,000, annually.

New Employee Orientation Programs Build Loyalty

 

The role of the New Employee Orientation Program (NEOP) is to help new employees understand:

• What your company does (Roles),
• What skills, knowledge, and behaviours employees need (Expectations).
• The NEOP play two other important roles:
  
  1. Convincing new employees that your organization is a good place to work, and
  2. They made the right decision.
  
  Each event in the NEOP must reinforce those two roles, ensuring long-term relationships with new employees. 

 Thank Them 
While unemployment levels are still relatively elevated in North America (between 5.4 and 6.8%), and extremely high in the Eurozone (11.3% average, with pockets reaching upwards to 25% in Greece), why thank new employees, when they should be thanking you for offering them a job.

Whether your local unemployment rate is high or low, thanking new employees for choosing your organization sends a strong message of tangible support. “We are glad you chose us to be your new employer,” is more meaningful to new employees, instills a level of gratitude, and goes a long way to guaranteeing the development of long-term relationships.
Considering the previous experiences some employees have had with NEOP at previous companies, just offering a pizza lunch, coffee, doughnuts, and a pen will prove to them that this will be a good place to work.

Build Learning They Can Use
Part of the transition to a new workplace is building a new set of skills, knowledge, and behaviours. New employees may have a serious learning curve to master new competencies and capabilities.

Since few people want to be seen as incompetent, your NEOP should include some generic skills that new employees will need to work safely and effectively.
The NEOP is a perfect time to take care of mandatory training, generic skills training, or safety training. Doing so will help make the best use of time, effort, and resources, and just about guarantee that every new employee receives the training they need to succeed in your organization.
Building early competence is another instiller of loyalty. If competency growth is recognized and rewarded, there are fewer reasons for the new employee to leave.

Celebrate Accomplishments

Some employees you hire may come with few, if any, reasons to celebrate. Another way of encouraging employees to stay could be by having them ‘graduate’ from the orientation program and transition to new workers. Why not have new employees ‘graduate’ by hosting a graduation party where all successful new employees removed the ‘Trainee’ sticker from their hard hats, becoming full-time employees. For those that have not graduated from anything before, yours may be a significant event, one they will remember, and be proud of, for a long time.

After all, graduation is a rite of passage. It marks the transition between school and work, or it can mark the move from a probationary employee to a permanent one. Graduation also marks how much the new employee has accomplished, recognizes how far they’ve come, and acknowledges their new competencies.
That’s worth celebrating.

Summary
New Employee Orientation is an opportunity to prove that your organization is a good place to work. Your NEOP also reinforces the decision the employee made to choose you as their new employer. They can be proud to tell family and friends of the excellent choice they made. Who knows, that may attract others to your organization.

 

Shaun Browne – http://www.onthejobtraining.com

Shaun Browne is President and Founding Partner of Digital Mentor Group Inc. He also volunteers as Vice President – Productivity Mentoring, for Innovation Canada – a country-wide organization focused on fostering innovation, creativity, and excellence.
He can be reached at learning@onthejobtraining.com