Ubeo Blog

We are moving towards a new normal in the office. As we begin the process of returning to the workplace, we have many new considerations. Dealing with COVID-19 has shown us the vulnerabilities in the way we design our workplaces.  This article is the first in a series exploring safer routines related to document technology. We will discuss aspects of your document work-flow you should consider so your team can return to the office safely.

During quarantine, I thought I would have more time on my hands to read some marketing books I have been neglecting, but between keeping my kids' school work going, housework, and still working full time, I feel like I have less time now than I did before. What to do? 

In this time of heightened awareness around personal hygiene, hand washing and sanitation, all of us are evaluating our routines.

One often overlooked area is something many of us touch multiple times a day; our office Multifunction Device. The technicians at UBEO have a cleaning regiment they follow for devices during service calls, but sometimes those service calls can be months or even years apart!

Why do New Year’s resolutions almost always fail? They rely on a reset effect; it’s a new year and that moment acts as a catalyst for change. It's motivating. You might keep working towards that goal for a few weeks, but the motivation wanes and eventually you are back at the same status quo.

Listen up leaders, especially you middle managers.

Success is not a zero sum game. When someone else succeeds, it doesn’t mean you are failing. When someone else succeeds, it means just that; they succeeded. Congratulate them. Cheer for them. Support them.

When you are in a leadership position, you have just a few priorities that should consume most of your time.

In product and service businesses that are highly commoditized, it should be easy to spot a good deal. Reality is always more complicated than theory.

If you are making a straight product purchase, I would agree this process is easier. If feature sets and quality are relatively comparable, then price leads the discussion.

But what do you when other factors should be considered beyond price? What about product support or expertise? These factors come into play when dealing with situations containing many variables. CRM integration, choosing to change ERP systems or signing on with a new IT service company are all examples of decisions where price should not be the only factor.

As a leader auditing your company's plan to deal with security threats, it can be helpful to have a framework. One of the risks when auditing security protocols and systems is that we tend to focus on tactics rather than the impacts of security on the organization as a whole.

"CIA" is a simple framework that can be helpful to keep a high level view of your company's security protocols.

I argue that most of what we accomplish in life isn't actually things that we aim to do. You always hear phrases like "Try your best" or "Put your mind to it and you can accomplish anything." Sometimes I struggle with these ideas because I think our regular routines are greater indicator of our success than any type of conscious effort.

Many of us work in cross-functional teams. When you are involved in a project that requires contributions from many different departments, it can be difficult to keep a project moving when different teams have competing priorities. What do you do when you are relying on someone to move a project forward, but it is not at the top of their list?