NC State of Business

In the manufacturing leadership roles that I had, I kept focused on getting the work done and taking care of customers. I took little time to look outside the organization to learn about the resources available from state and federal agencies. And for the few times I did, it felt like a bewildering maze to navigate. I wish I knew then what I know now.

This is why I am so excited to see BLNC - Business Link North Carolina continuing its growth. In its first six months, there have been over 22,000 visits. That is 147 visits per day. So, what is BLNC and why are people coming to visit?

The BLNC initiative is led by the North Carolina Department of Commerce and involved many partners such as Industrial Extension Service (IES). No matter what the business need, BLNC serves as an effective portal to get business leaders the right answers and resources. BLNC can provide timely and efficient answers to help busy business leaders and entrepreneurs stay competitive. In addition to the web-based answers and resources, a team of talented people are prepared to provide phone support as well. And they are working on instant chat support as well.

I am proud that IES is a BLNC partner. And my sincere kudos to the North Carolina Department of Commerce and their leadership role in this effort.

The next time you are looking for some support and resources within the state, be sure to think BLNC:

www.blnc.gov/default.asp

In response to worker deaths on construction sites, New York City and the state of Nevada have now required OSHA 10-hour training for employees working on construction job sites. While this initiative is proactive in concept, teaching workers the hazards of their jobs and methods to prevent them, it also breeds a black market for fake training cards and fraudulent trainers.

Early this year, the New York Daily News reported a series of articles regarding a “10-hour OSHA” course that was conducted in bar while beer was being consumed, by the students and the instructor, with a total of 2 hours instructional time. Students received their 10-hour OSHA card from the instructor, earning the eligibility to work on a construction site in New York City.

Even trainers here in NC have reported to me that they have been approached by employers who would like to “buy” 10-hour OSHA cards because a job site required them.

Why a trainer or employer would trade the value of safety training for financial gain is beyond my comprehension.

OSHA has responded by increasing the integrity of the Outreach Training Program. Some of these controls include:
• Unannounced OSHA visits to training classes
• Referral of fraudulent trainers to the Labor Department's Office of Inspector General for possible criminal prosecution
• Implementation of a new outreach fraud hotline at 847-297-4810 to file complaints of trainers

The Southeastern OTI Education Center will also participate in program integrity by ensuring trainers have submitted training documentation in accordance with OSHA's guidelines before trainers can receive course completion cards, administering effective exams for authorizing new trainers, and working with OSHA to develop a new ethics module for trainer courses.

Keeping OSHA training in demand, and ethical, is a top priority for me.

During this time of year, our thoughts on collegiate sports turn to deciding national championships in the spring sports. For me specifically, I make sure the recorder gets each baseball and fast-pitch softball game so that I do not miss a moment of the action. Watching these great athletes pursue their dreams stimulates so much thought within me. Their drive to succeed, the focus on giving their all, the overall effort being put forth, and the team work that appears to be so naturally ingrained within each competitor. It is easy to see that some teams are more talented; while others may make better decisions during the course of action.

All teams have a given set of constraints or rules that they must follow and each team looks to best position their assets and strategies to ensure success. Looking deeper, something stands out in all of those teams. That something is unity. Each player has their position on defense, their own spot in the batting order, and some that have supporting roles. The coaches and assistants also have their own roles and specialties in support of the team. Others on the team include: the grounds-keepers, university officials, tutors, bus drivers, and a host of other supporting casts all needing to be on the same page so the team can succeed. With all this going on, it would be easy to lose focus, to worry more about individual statistics, hang too much thought on a loss, or to just simply stray and become disjointed. How can these teams avoid these distractions and maintain the course?

Television news gives us daily examples of companies and organizations that get off the path. Their operations seem to become fragmented. I have heard many times, “Our department/area makes money; but, the rest of plant is losing it”. How about this one, “I do my part, the rest of the people are not doing theirs”. Better still is the frustration revealed when one responds, “We had a good plan; but, we got off course and never realized it until it was too late”. Often times they add in comments like “our goals did not make it to the levels to get everyone on the same page” or “our metrics did not correlate to our financials”. I think most of us have experienced these types of situations. So how do we create unity and sustain associate unity within our companies?

Just like the centerfielder has the shortstops back, how do we get the line worker to have the salesperson’s back or the purchasing agent to get a hit after the supply clerk just grounded out? I would suggest that unity comes from being on the same page and being aware of not only the individual role; but, also how everything fits together. In the world of lean, policy deployment not only creates this type of unity; but, ensures that strategies are aligned, correct metrics are in place, and communication is clear. Let’s take some time to ponder and we will get into this more in Part 2.

A recent exchange with my 12 year old son went something like this:

Me: How many times do I have to tell you to Stop… Aggravating…Your… Sister?!?

Son: That’s not what you said, you said ‘stop sitting on her’ and I’m not sitting on her anymore…I’m standing on her!

Claiming full compliance with the directive, my son was nonplussed by my frustration. I‘m thinking -- UGH! All I want is for him to stop making his little sister holler “MOM!” every 2.4 minutes.

But that wasn’t what I asked for, was it?

When it comes to workplace safety are you getting what you ask for? Simply telling employees the rules is equivalent to the “stop sitting on your sister” approach. The end result will be minimal compliance with minimum standards.

Take your safety program to the next level by encouraging employees to think critically and participate in safety and injury prevention:

1. Explain the “whys” behind the rules, standards and policies;
2. Ask employees for their input on safety risks and possible solutions; and
3. Demonstrate that you care about employees' safety.

A safety program founded solely on the enforcement standards, rules and policies will likely fall short of what you really want, so think about what you ask employees for – 'cause that’s what you’ll get!

The bad news is I still have no idea how to solve sibling issues – now he’s dangling the TV remote just out of her reach! Hey! I thought I told you to stop aggravating your sister!

Do you realize that the best growth opportunities can often be global? There are over twice the number of people in developed nations outside of the United States. An even greater number, 19 times the US population, exist in developing nations!

The World is open for business – your business! Navigating the path towards successful exporting is easier today than it has ever been.

Navigating the export road today is like having your own travel computer on your dash! One of the best kept secrets around our State is that there are a number of these export experts that are willing to help you navigate your business and product line into these new markets. Many of these folks are in the public sector and it is their mission to help you become a successful exporter!

Various international markets have different levels of risks. These risks can be identified and minimized by leveraging the deep knowledge of these export specialists.

Consider what your business could be with a customized export marketing and commercialization plan, not one from a business textbook.

This marketing plan is yours, one that you have developed along with your export coach for your product line and/or service. If you are interested, it all starts with an Export Strategy, and getting started is but a phone call away.