Happy Campers | Managing Priorities | WS-C3750X-48P-S | Sanitizer Dispensers
Happy Thursday!
Welcome to the CablesAndKits CEO daily email. Read more about this email by scrolling to the very bottom.
I realized the other day that if you spell LOVE backwards it spells EVOL. (Evil). How interesting.
I’m on a rolling vacation the rest of the week and early next week. We got the rental motorhome loaded and hit the road at 6pm! It took all day long to gather everything and make sure we had what we needed. If you ever rent a motorhome, build in an extra day!
When I got home with the motorhome we surprised the kids and they were so beside themselves. Today, we got them again. We didn’t tell them that our first stop was going to be at the house of some great friends (of ours and theirs. They have kids about the same age). We pulled into the yard and when we walked out the door of the camper, there they were. All the kids lost their minds. So great.
Even though this stop was nearly 2 hours out of the way from where we are headed, this, in my mind, is the whole idea of a camper – go where life leads you. You never know what will happen.
So far, everyone is a happy camper.
Product Spotlight:
One of the most popular switches we offer is the Cisco Catalyst WS-C3750X-48P-S. This layer 3 switch features (48) Gigabit Ethernet PoE+ ports with (1) network module slot, IP Base software, and Stackable Data & Power! These switches are highly customizable as you can choose from a variety of network modules and redundant power supplies. Here at CK we try our best to be a one-stop-shop for all your networking needs so you can find all compatible accessories, modules, power cords, power supplies, and stack cables right on the product page! This switch comes with an accessory kit included which includes a rackmount kit, power cord, and console cable.
If you are uncertain whether a PoE or PoE+ switch better suits your needs, be sure to check out our Learning Center article to help you understand the differences and when to use each!
At CablesAndKits we love offering significant costs savings to our customers by offering refurbished products. If just hearing the word “refurbished” makes you a little uneasy, allow me to put your mind at ease. We put all of our switches through an extensive and comprehensive inspection, testing, and refurbishing process. All of our switches receive a factory reset and go out the door looking and functioning like new! As if that wasn’t good enough, we offer risk-free purchasing with our lifetime advance replacement warranty. What’s not to love!?
From Joe, our friendly Safety Supplies Product Marketer:
Good news for you guys regarding our most popular dispenser! Model HSDFLT Will be on sale through Sunday the 16th! This is our top of the line premium option; I personally refer to it as the “Mac Daddy” of dispensers. It dispenses both gel and liquid with the ability to spray liquid as well, making it a universal. The build quality is very durable and appealing making it perfect for the entrance of a school, office, restaurant, etc.
With the arrival of Kids masks on the site, I’ve been thinking about anything your child may need to take on the day safely. We have a few products that go hand in hand with sanitizing on the go or while at school. Not only do we carry small sanitizers perfect for your kids/student bags, but we also carry individually packed alcohol wipes that are perfect for on the go! Grab a handful each morning for them to use after class changes, wiping down desks/chairs, and anything else that could use some extra cleansing.
From Gary, Our Chief Administrative Officer:
A couple years ago, I was approached by a team member with a simple, yet profound, question… How do I decide what to do next?
The topic of priorities in business gets lots of airplay. We know the importance of setting priorities. Your organization may even be pretty good at defining priorities for your company, division, department, or team. However, when you really stop to think about it, a surprisingly high fraction of the time, we are left to determine our own priorities. How do I do that effectively? How do I determine what to do now or next?
One of the more powerful frameworks for managing our priorities is Stephen Covey’s Four Quadrants in his book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People“. Covey proposed that any activity falls into one of four quadrants on a 2×2 grid that defined an activity as either important or unimportant on one axis and as urgent or not urgent on the other axis. His primary takeaway was that Quadrant II activities (those activities which are important, but not urgent) will get ignored unless we purposefully schedule them into our days. However, even that powerful framework falls short in terms of helping me understand what to do next.
After some reflection on my teammate’s question, I shared what has become an enduring and reusable framework for answering this question within our company. I even repeat so often team members have taken to mimicking me (or maybe it’s mocking me–haha) reciting this framework. Here’s the framework followed by some simple instructions for applying it.
- Serve Customers — Whenever I have an opportunity to serve a customer, no matter what my role or activities in the moment, I stop and redirect my energy to serve that customer.
- Do Your Job — As part of my assigned role, I am accountable to teammates for various deliverables. These commitments to the team comprise my second priority. This means that whenever I am unable to fulfill those commitments, I must find a delegate who will temporarily perform them. This phrase is a mantra for the Bill Belicheck-led New England Patriots. Whether you’re a fan of the team or not, their success is undeniable.
- Help the Team — Since we are all in this business together, I must keep my mind and heart attuned to the needs of my teammates. When they need help, I willingly and joyfully step into the breach and help; even when it requires personal sacrifice.
- Find a Better Way — When I have fulfilled the previous three obligations, I must perpetually seek and test ideas to find a better way (including identifying and capturing opportunities, eliminating waste, solving problems, increasing speed, simplifying tasks and processes, improving quality, etc.)
Use these four guideposts to prioritize the investment of your own time and talents. Only progress down the cascade when you have satisfied the current and higher levels. For example, you should not pitch in to help teammates (#3) at the recurring cost of ignoring your own responsibilities (#2).
Try it. When you discover the power of this framework for yourself, teach it to someone else.
I hope you are enjoying these emails. If you are, I appreciate it when you let me know! If not, or if you have ideas for how to improve, by all means, please let me know! Sometimes I “can’t see the forest for the trees”.
As always, please let me know how I can be of service to you. If you need assistance with something, advice, or even if you just need someone to pray for you, I am here and listening.
Blessings,
Craig Haynie – CEO
CablesAndKits
P.S. Don’t forget to go follow us on Facebook here: CK Facebook Page.
Main Safety Supplies Landing Page: https://www.cablesandkits.com/c/safety-supplies
COVID-19 / Business News for Today:
- Over 13,742,000 people worldwide have recovered and over 2,813,000 people in the US have recovered! The death toll in the US stands at 169,146.
- 963,000 unemployment claims were filed last week, marking the first time that claims have fallen below a million since the start of the pandemic.
- Some restaurant and tavern owners in western Pennsylvania say they’re not happy with Democrat Gov. Tom Wolf’s orders limiting the number of patrons they can serve because of the coronavirus. The disgruntled business owners in Allegheny County say they plan to fight back beginning Friday with what they’re calling a “Restaurant Revolution.” Organizers are asking participating businesses to open their establishments to full capacity – instead of the 25% capacity ordered by the governor, Pittsburgh’s KDKA-TV reported.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated its guidance on face masks, warning that those with valves or vents do not prevent the wearer from spreading covid-19 to others.
- The World Health Organization and the American Dental Association are at odds over whether routine dental care should be delayed during the pandemic.
- The British economy has plunged into a record-shattering recession, shrinking by a fifth in the second quarter and posting the steepest decline of any Group of Seven nation.
- SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey has continuously stated that he and the conference are proceeding with a plan to play amid the pandemic. Two other top conferences, the Big Ten and Pac-12, reached a different conclusion Tuesday, deciding not to play this fall.
- The NFL would consider rescheduling some games for Saturdays during the upcoming regular season if there is no college football being played this fall, multiple people familiar with the planning of the league and franchise owners said Wednesday.
