The “Gold Standard”, sounds pretty impressive doesn’t it? What does this claim really mean? If we look at Gold much of its value is due to an implied limited supply; if anybody could go into their backyard and dig up whatever amounts of gold they wanted, it would have very little value, right?

I read with interest an article on the MTI website (http://www.heattreat.net/news/mapi-brief-innovation-in-an-era-of-globalization/) - MAPI Brief: Innovation in an Era of Globalization (posted on 11/9/11). The article sites Apple as an example of a company that has bridged the gap of off-shore manufacturing with good old American innovation.

Mark Twain once quipped, “Everything has it’s limits - iron ore cannot be educated into gold.” My take on that, as was Twain’s superb sense of comedic timing, I believe, is that ‘we are what we are’ - which is, creatures of habit. It is a hard thing to change that. And now that we live in such a financially chaotic business world, we are pulled in many ways by many forces to do what they want us to do. Little alone what we still must do, for it is our job, our responsibility, our business.

I hope your first response was NEVER, because that is the correct answer. Unfortunately, not everybody agrees, including a company who considers themselves the industry “leader” of software for the metal treating industry...

As Kenny Rodgers’ The Gambler plays on the radio in the background, I hear the familiar refrain come in “…You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, Know when to walk away and know when to run…” This gets me thinking about technology and specifically software technology for Metal Treaters...

Productive people - entrepreneurs, for instance - generally are folks who work hard, play hard and have interesting, creative hobbies. It often follows that these folks are impatient with employees who do not use idle time well, who are not curious, or who do not show an interest in the business. This sort of situation, if not handled well, can and does lead to contests that are not productive for the company in the long run. Much has been written about motivating employees and we would suggest that there are many fruitful ways to approach the problem. Let’s then, return to the question. Is idle time really all that bad? ...

The short, obvious and easy answer is, “Of course. Everybody does!” The challenge is to find and use it. Let’s look at some creative examples...