Creating employee, student and community awareness moves people

AwarenessIDEAS.com is a place to go for creative customized environmental & promotional awareness marketing and motivational products. We help organizations stop environmental waste, encourage work safety, quality process, and move toward their goals. We help facility managers create an alignment with their employees and community to stop waste & reduce utility bills.

We create messages and unique visual effects that when produced on our related products... will get your message across. We have easy to implement turn-key solutions and a lot of creative input available to you. We have a very large variety of products that can be used in various departments for education, awareness reminders and recognition. Most importantly pay attention to our theme development, graphic design and tag lines that help communicate your message.

When at the home page, in upper right hand corner, click on our animation which you can re-use as needed. Have fun and get business done at http://www.awarenessideas.com/

Your employees have a lot on their minds, reminders help them focus on goals.

Remember: that with everything people have to do in there job, putting out fires and meeting goals, without a sustained marketing campaign, subjects like quality control, sustainability and safety take a back burner. The more marketing an organization does to create awareness the more significance people give to that subject. We can help you have a sustained, impactful awareness process.

There is no difference in what it takes to market products and the marketing of appropriate Quality Process, Energy, Recycling and Safety habits. The decision to buy, or the changing of a mind or a habit, does not occur in a communication vacuum.

Marketing departments learned a long time ago… they need to use multiple forms of advertising, over and over again; to catch the attention, to change a mind, to move people to take action.

People involved organizations need to see that the same consistent efforts are needed to change the minds and habits of employees, to get and stay focused on facility goals as well.

We can help you have a sustained, impact full awareness process.

Whatever your objective, we can create a marketing solution that fits your budget. Our web site will demonstrate our capability to put words into simple graphics that tell big stories that make a difference in the minds of your audience.

We like to say, "Our point is getting yours across" and we do it well.

We are down to earth and to the point. Give us a call, get to know us and arrange to discuss your needs. Visit and review each primary link at http://www.awarenessIDEAS.com

New Years Resolutions to improve Quality in your operations

The new year brings new opportunity to improve the quality process of your operations. Whether you are in a manufacturing facility, office, school, hospital or any other organization, you can make small changes that will result in better communications, superior customer service, a higher quality product and a more satisfied workforce.

Here are a few resolutions to consider for your facility in 2009:

Resolve to make Better Communication a goal. This goes for both your internal operations and your external communications with suppliers and customers. Communication that is well written, to the point, professional and succinct not only makes for a better experience for the reader, but is actually quicker to write and more effective once you get over the hump of producing communications of this quality. Communication doesn't only need to be clear and concise, it should also be regular. The most effective project management teams I've seen have the success they do because they regularly sent status updates, gave praise when appropriate and were quick with critiques and criticisms. The well oiled machine of communication only works if it's used.

Resolve to provide Superior Customer Service. This applies to both internal and external customers. If your coworkers can count on you to consistently produce good work in a timely manner with a level of quality that they need, they will not only trust you to do so but count on you to do so. When a customer comes to know that your company provides the products or services they need with predictable excellence, their eyes are less likely to wander to the competition. Good customer service is crucial to improving or maintaining quality control in your organization.

Resolve to product Quality Products that begin with quality components and consistent quality control. Even time tested products have to be re-evaluated regularly to ensure they are safe, easy to use, reliable and live up to their reputations. New products or major improvements need that level of quality control as well as a thorough testing both in the lab and in the field. The worst thing you can do for the reputation of your company is to put out a product that is unsound or dangerous. Just ask the chinese about their lead-based toys, chrysler about it's head gaskets or Seagate about it's 1.5TB Hard Drives with failing firmware.

Resolve to acknowledge and respect your work force. A Satisfied Work Force will produce a quality product more reliably, and with less turnover. When you consider the cost of training, the trust you build with employees over time and the ebb and flow of an evolving workforce, you realize that your people are often your greatest asset. Threat your team well, give them creative control when it's warranted, listen to their feedback and provide rewards for their successes. A quality product is built by a team who takes pride in their work, and it shows in every position from basic assembly to management.

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The importance of streamlining internal processes

I'm posting this in both our Marketing Your Business and Quality Process blogs, because I deem it that important to your company. When it comes to how a company can most improve itself and make itself a viable commercial entity, especially in hard economical times and in a very competitive marketplace, the best place to look is within.

Processes tend to start out with the best of intentions and they deteriorate over time. This deterioration happens for a number of reasons:

• Lack of Technology - Perhaps when you started this process, the only way to make every side of your company work was to key in data 2 or 3 or 10 times. This redundancy not only is a waste of resources, but tends to dull down morale. Putting new technology in place often remedies this problem.
  
• Lack of Employee Competency - Often times, an employee will be the downfall of a process because they simply don't have the training required to make the process work or they are otherwise overworked/incompetent/frustrated/distracted.
  
• Cost cutting Measures gone Awry - Often times, cutting what seems like a benign corner ends up being a major downfall to the overall health of the process.
  
• Failure to embrace new methods - The phrase "can't teach an old dog new tricks" is prevalent in business.
  

So now that you know why processes fail, let's work to streamline some of the processes in your operation.

• Examine why your processes fail. The list above may give some clues. Perhaps there are other clues in why the process fails.
• Research, research, research. This can be an internal research into external solutions or you can hire a consultant with the expertise you need. Either way, research multiple solutions to your problem and make the decision that is best both short time and in the long haul.
  
• Budget for change. Almost anything you do to drastically improve a process is going to come at a cost. Make sure you budget for this change. If the budget can be amended immediately, do so. If you have to wait for a new fiscal quarter or year, do so. Just make sure you have money budgeted to make the big changes.
• Understand that change takes time. No one can possibly make a company-changing shift without the time to allocate resources, properly train and roll out the program. This might be days. It will more likely be months. No change happens instantly, and all parties involved need to know that.
• Don't embrace the afterglow. As soon as your new processes are in place, don't just accept that everything is better. Run checks on how much more efficient you are. Look for problem areas. Get employee feedback. Your eyes and ears on the process are your people, and trust their feedback.
• Plan the next big process improvement. After you have rolled out your new process and gotten feedback, plan the next big step. Companies that succeed are companies that are always looking to improve.
  

Streamling internal processes can be challenging, but it's necessary to improve efficiency and make the most of your company's resources.

What does it mean to be indispensable in an organiztion

Indispensable probably can mean different things to different people.

From one employee to another it might mean.
You are:
there when I need you
count on-able
an asset we all count on
a reliable go-to ally
part of the foundation
a spark that lights up others
a leader of leaders
a positive role model
an inspiration to others
a team player
full of practical ideas that you're willing to champion
inventive
one of the reasons the organization is successful

Yes, indispensable people take on a lot of responsibility.
That's why they're "indispensable"

The TEAM at awarenessIDEAS.com creates a lot of awareness products that
can be supportive of your indispensable people's efforts. View our web site:
www.awarenessIDEAS.com

We'd love to hear your comments on what your indispensable people look like.


http://www.awarenessideas.com/qp410-01-Quality-Poster-p/ai-qp410-01.htm

quality process is a partnership revolving around goals and mutual interests.

Every person in an organization has both one or more customers on their one side, and one or more suppliers on their other side. Everyone is either helping a customer get their needs met or working with a supplier asking for and getting their input to the customers needs. Everyone in that chain gets something out of the relationship. Suppliers get paid and get kudos for a job well done, middle people get paid and get
kudos for a job well done and customers get their product or service and get kudos for a good purchase.

Managements job is to assert that there are these relationships taking place and to set in motion a system that reinforces the chemistry between the parties involved. Creating ongoing awareness that supports these relationships should be a part of the process. When you review our web sites quality process links you will see immediate posters, banners and handouts that will support this concept. We can customize further ideas that further your cause. See: http://www.awarenessideas.com/Quality-Process-s/6.htm

Scrap prices at all time highs, so cash in for your company

The prices of scrap metals are at all time highs. Metals like aluminum and copper that, even a few years ago, were only worth a small amount have now risen to unimaginable prices. There are people that make a living off from just selling scrap!

Knowing that, there are two things you can do to help stamp our scrap in your quality process.

The first thing you can do is minimize scrap. This includes using molds and patterns that make the most efficient use of your raw materials. This means reexamining how machines produce parts and how these processes can be improved to minimize loss.

The second is to gather up all of your remaining scrap and either melt it down for internal recycling or have it processed by a local recycling center. If you have an internal process to recycle materials, you will not only save money from buying new materials but you will be helping the environment. If you don't have an internal process, a local recycling center that specializes in scrap reclamation will pay top dollar for materials these days. Those centers will put money for your scrap back into the coffers of your company, and thus improving the quality of your material handling.

Achieving company goals is more fun then going to work

At FLEXi Display we are all leaders and managers, and we’re always asking; how can we help each other be successful and to feel good about our efforts at being the best we can be, as an organizational team and as individuals.

Success and feeling good are different for everyone and therefore we need to look at each in the context of our working together. FLEXI Display, the organization that brings us together, has a Vision, Mission, Principles and Corporate Strategy revolving around making a difference for our customers, community and our employees. We’re also committed to having a work environment where we can learn to be the best we can be as a team and also as individuals. It’s in this team environment of having organization and personal growth that we can share success and can feel good about ourselves.

Teams are made up of individuals who are committed to goals that accomplish our Corporate Strategy and move our organization toward our Vision and Mission. Goals create the agenda that make our efforts more effective and fulfilling. It’s in the accomplishment of goals that we can tie our successes and good feelings too. A goal with a big improvement is great and any improvement is good. We want to enjoy every improvement, and set the stage for a lot of them. At FLEXi we have big goals in our near future and we have to actively work on them. After all, what we do has a positive effect on a lot of people and their goals, and we can affect just how much they do count on us by the services and products we’re providing them.

Goals are always something that is out there, not yet accomplished. There are long range and short range goals. Most goals have sub goals that have to occur to get to the bigger goal. Organization wide goals are participated in by everyone. Some goals meant to positively affect our organization may be initiated and carried out by an individual or small group. Our future success will come from our team members fulfilling on our existing goals and initiating new goals that support our efforts.

A new goal, that has not yet been accomplished, is scary for most people because if it’s new, there is uncertainty as to how to accomplish it and there is the possibility of failure. That is why we speak of our company being a learning organization. When our attitude is one of I’m learning rather then “I know it all”, then failure can be experienced as “what can I now do different and better”. Most learning comes from outside of ourselves and we always need to be open to new knowledge. There are few guarantees in life, so the best way to prepare for a future we choose, is to acquire new knowledge that will be helpful in our accomplishment of those choices.

A nice thing about working in a small organization is that we can all be supportive of one another in this learning process. As leader - managers, one of our roles is to support and encourage each other to accomplish what we each say we are up to accomplish on behalf of our organization Vision, Mission and Corporate Strategy.

FLEXi is committed to creating an environment where each person has the opportunity to grow and experience success. We promise to provide an environment where every person who is committed to learning can stick their neck out, commit to new challenges, attempt thoughtful changes in cooperation with others, and feel they have a safe environment to discuss the outcome… even if the project falls short of the goal. We appreciate your taking a chance to grow with us.

Quality begins with good communication

Quality begins with good communication, and good communication begins with a well thought out employee manual. Your manual can take several forms, it can be a list of expectation you have for your employees, it can be an instruction manual on how to create the product you sell, or even on how to properly use the software your company has. Having a good manual gives your employees comfort in knowing what is expected of them. It makes training easier, because it can act as a reference for a new employee or even a veteran who has forgotten a particular step. Most of all, it should be a living document, that can change and grow as your company changes and grows. Don’t be afraid to pull sections out if they no longer apply, as well as add sections as your business flows. Visit AwarenessIDEAS.com for more information about making your process a quality process.

http://www.awarenessideas.com/Quality-Process-Posters-s/41.htm