Clorox Wipes Update | GLC-SX-MM | Gunshots at Walmart | My Continued RV Adventures
Happy Monday!
Welcome to the CablesAndKits CEO daily email. Read more about this email by scrolling to the very bottom.
The RV adventure continues …. We left my wife’s hometown (Mimi and G’s) Sunday morning and headed to Tybee Island (GA). There is a campground here and we rented a spot. We also rented a golf cart but showed up too late so we have to get it this morning. The beach is a few blocks away and the golf cart will prove to be very convenient I’m sure. We plan to drive it to eat as well which seems fun.
We stopped at Walmart on the way and as we approached the building I heard gunshots. Uhh… stop. Dial 91. Think. People keep walking toward the place …. Open Google Maps. “Gun range”. Enter. Yep, not too far behind the Walmart. Ok, keep walking.
Sunday was also my wife’s birthday (happy birthday! Yes, we are just 5 days apart, both Leo’s and are always bickering about something. It must be fun to watch. Haha). She had to have a chocolate something so we stopped at a Cupcakery in Savannah on the way in. I wheeled the big RoadHome in the parking lot like I’d just robbed a bank, we grabbed the goods, and were off. After just a few days with this thing I’m (overly) confident enough to take it through a Checkers Drive Thru.
Christin (wife) complained about the toilet at one point. It’s jammed up against the cabinet with the TP holder hanging out. I told her you have to do your business with a gangsta lean. Or ride it side saddle. She just looked at me. Maybe she was thinking about it.
Today, we go to the beach and bake. Who in the world goes to the beach in GA in August? It’s a good thing I’ve been anemic and am cold all the time. Maybe I’ll be nice and comfy while the wife and girls soak up the sun. I’ll be in a chair under the umbrella where I belong.
I’m sitting here writing this Sunday night. It’s 10:30pm and I’ve got a camp fire going. Why? It’s 82 degrees in August. Cause that’s part of the experience right? Plus, the smoke seems to run the skeeters off. Good times so far.
Today’s Product Spotlight from Rerun (AKA Rebecca):
Today we are featuring a CLASSIC! The GLC-SX-MM transceiver is one of those core, tried and true products that we all know and love! These 1G SFP transceiver modules offer tons of flexibility as they support 50/125, 62.5/125, and laser optimized 50/125 (OM3) fiber! They are an ideal solution for providing gigabit uplink capabilities in many Cisco switches, routers, and firewalls. In addition, they are hot-swappable so they are super easy to install – just plug-and-play (with your config cause it’s never right the first time haha)!
We offer this Cisco transceiver in a variety of conditions: Factory Sealed or Refurbished. We also offer our very own CK branded version so there is something for every need and budget! All of our transceivers come in anti-static packaging and look and function like new!
Check out the AWESOME reviews for this product! 22 reviews with an average rating of 5.0… Not too shabby!
If you’re looking to learn more about GLC-SX-MM transceivers, check out our YouTube video where Jonathan and Craig break down what you need to know!
From Joe, our friendly Safety Supplies Product Marketer:
It’s a new week! I’m not sure about all of you but the past few weeks have flown by for me and I’m back again to give you guys what seems to be your favorite news! (Well…I was going to share some awesome news with you.) I had planned to share that we had Clorox wipes in stock but they sold out in less than a day. I have more Clorox Flex packs landing early this week and I couldn’t be happier, so stay tuned and check back often! They’ll likely be in our hands on Tuesday at the latest, so take advantage of our same-day shipping and get a hold of these while you can! As you can see, they will go FAST!
One other product we have arriving are shoe covers! I’ve noticed an increase in customers reaching out asking about larger quantities of these. With that being said, we’ve already helped some of our customers secure these quantities and are happy to help anybody else who finds themselves in a similar situation! Whether you’re a real estate agent looking to keep a few pairs on hand for touring homes or even looking to stock up for an entire workforce, we can help!
From Gary, our Chief Administrative Steward:
Don’t spin your tires.
My project is stuck. My team is under performing. We are falling behind the competition. We are missing our earnings projection. Why? What is the problem? Where do I start?
There are five discovery factors an effective leader must assess before launching any countermeasures to get a project/team/business back on track.
Before I proceed, please understand that I strongly support using one of the powerful problem-solving methodologies developed and rigorously field-tested over the past several decades; including the Lean Plan-Do-Check-Act or the Six Sigma Design-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control. Those methods define a series of effective process steps for continuous improvement. However, they do not tell you where to start. While the discovery nature of those methodologies and related tool sets would eventually discover the root cause of your team’s poor performance, the urgency of the business situation typically allows for few, if any, false starts.
Even the best processes perform more efficiently (i.e., quickly uncover the root cause) when we seed or start the process by first assessing the most likely problem areas. If you discover oil in your car’s radiator (as we did recently in our household), it is a waste of time investigating the car’s electrical system. Instead, you will focus attention on the automobile fluids and look for sources of cross-contamination.
Where do I start when my project/team/business is under performing? Two fundamental principles undergird the elements and sequence of the five discovery factors I have developed and used over the years; one, people want to do a good job; and two, the selection of your team heavily influences the fate of your team/organization/business.
So, what are those five elements? Where should we begin an evaluation to identify the root cause of under performance?
Talent. Do we have the right players on the team? Even the most well-intentioned person will fail in certain circumstances. I watched the movie “Lone Survivor” with my son last night and was again struck by the realization that there is no way I could become a Navy Seal. Their combination of mental and physical determination makes them a breed apart.
- Target. This is a combination of strategy and priorities. In short, are we working on the right stuff? If a particular baseball game requires the team to play “small ball,” but my batters are all trying to hit a home run, that’s a problem. If I am spending my team’s resources on improving the distribution system when we have a problem of product quality, we are focusing on the wrong target. The more typical problem is that everything is a priority, which means nothing is a priority.
- Tactics. Evaluate our processes. Do individuals or teams use their own work methods? Are performance standards widely deployed and rigorously tracked? Do we have documented processes for performing repetitive functions, including how to solve problems? Do we have documented processes that we frequently ignore?
- Tools. Assess the tools your team uses? Are those tools well suited for the team’s common activities and rhythms? The right (or wrong) platforms can make marked impacts on team effectiveness and/or efficiency.
- Training. Do we explicitly know the skills (as distinct from talents) necessary for high-performance in a particular project or organization? Do we know how team members’ skills align with those success factors? Have we provided appropriate training to fill in the gaps or cross-training to build sufficient depth and enhance flexibility?
- Time. Is the team investing enough time? More bluntly, are they working hard enough? This factor is intentionally last, because the answer to a business problem is rarely work harder. However, there are circumstances where the solution requires working faster and longer. So, don’t ignore it.
The next time you find your team stuck, pull out this list and use it to start your own assessment of why the team is spinning its tires.
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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 14,591,000 people worldwide have recovered and over 2,922,000 people in the US have recovered! The death toll in the US stands at 173,100.
- The number of coronavirus cases worldwide has surpassed 21.6 million — roughly a quarter of them in the United States.
- Japan’s economy suffered its worst hit since at least 1980, as the coronavirus pandemic took a heavy toll on consumer spending and exports.
- J.O. Combs Unified School District, in Arizona, that planned to reopen this week despite not meeting health benchmarks reversed course after more than 100 teachers and staff members said they would not show up for the first day of class.
- Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Monday postponed New Zealand’s general election, scheduled for Sept. 19, for four weeks as authorities grapple with a new wave of coronavirus cases that has set back the country’s pandemic recovery.
- Yale’s rapid COVID-19 saliva test receives FDA emergency use authorization. A new saliva-based laboratory diagnostic test for the novel coronavirus developed by researchers at Yale University’s School of Public Health has been granted an emergency use authorization by the Food and Drug Administration.
- Pepperoni lovers may have to learn to be OK with plain pizza for a bit. Pizza shops across the United States say they’re paying higher prices for the popular topping and have noticed that the supply has become tighter, Bloomberg reports. Restaurants from New York to South Dakota have reportedly seen a significant increase in price, with the cost nearly doubling in some areas.
