Blog
A “No or Low Hire, No or Low Fire” Economy – An Industry Solution?
In the United States we have a challenging economic situation. GDP grew at an annual rate of 2.1% in quarter 1 of 2026, slowing to 1.5% in quarter 2. Inflation (CPI) in July was down a little to 3.4%, still way above the fed’s target of 2.0%, leaving people to worry...
EVERYONE IS DOING THEIR JOB – So Why Aren’t We Getting Better Results?
A Paper by Mark Fitzsimmons Managing Director, 360 Degrees Management Consulting The Meeting Looked Good Many of us have attended a meeting like this. Sales reports a strong month. Operations says productivity has improved. Finance confirms that costs are under...
Why We Created an Employee Development Business
In many capital goods companies, employees receive basic training when they are hired. They are shown how to do the job, told they will become faster and make fewer mistakes with experience, and then left largely on their own. Over time, employees often develop...
Who We Are at Learning Without Scars
Learning Without Scars began in the early 2000s as the successor to Quest Learning Centers, which we founded in 1994. In 2015, we closed the California company and formed Learning Without Scars LLC in Hawaii. My use of computer-based training grew out of the...
What’s Really Holding Your Dealership Back
John Dowling joins a Candid Conversation on dealership management and why many equipment dealerships appear busy yet remain unprofitable. He explains the thinking behind his new book, “What’s Really Holding Your Dealership Back,” and why he uses a practical, how-to...
Busy Does not Mean Making Money
Busy does not mean profitable, and “we sold a ton” does not pay the bills. Our Candid Conversation this week digs into this typical Capital Goods dealer/distributor. We are joined by John Dowling, author of Service by the Boxes, to unpack why so many equipment...
America’s Schools Are Producing a New Generation of Techno-Peasants
Every week brings another pair of seemingly contradictory headlines: major tech companies announce sweeping layoffs while other employers say they can’t find enough qualified workers. Can both be true at the same time? The answer is that the United States is dealing...
Training Alone Does Not Create Change
Most companies do not invest in training because they want more training. They invest in training because they want something in the business to change. They want revenue to increase. They want expenses to decrease. They want employees to perform better. They want...
Rework: A Critical measure of Service Quality
In every successful service organization, rework serves as an important indicator of operational effectiveness and customer satisfaction. While often viewed simply as a cost of doing business, rework is actually a valuable measurement of service quality that provides...