Georgia Manufacturer’s Representative to Be Profiled in Industrial Connection by Associate Editor TR Cutler

Thomas R. Cutler, Associate Editor of Industrial Connection magazine (www.industrialconnection.net) is leading North American manufacturing journalist, writing for more than 200 publications per year. Cutler recently announced an important addition for May and June Industrial Connection Editorial calendar for 2005.

With a fast approaching deadline of April 21, 2005, Cutler is going to profile regional manufacturing representatives with a SE U.S. territory. These one page Manufacturer’s Representative profiles will include a JPG photograph, and information about their product line being offered to readers of Industrial Connection. A 60% discount will be provided to advertorial participants in this special section. Cutler noted, “Manufacturer’s Representative are face and image that our readers know and it is important that their efforts and products and territorial experience is shared in these two upcoming issues.”

Terrible Meetings - Ten Ways to Spot Them!

Meetings are valuable components of organisations. Yet they need process, discipline and leadership/facilitation to work best. Working at getting them right is one of most value-creating activities any organisation can embark on. But it doesn't always work that way...

Sometimes, better than giving advice about how to run things well, it can be useful to have a hit list to notice to help you identify when things are less than productive. Meetings can be hugely productive, especially if you keep a sharp eye out for these Ten things:-

1. No Agenda When there is no agenda, there is no opportunity to prepare, no framework for meeting and no purpose. When this happens a lot, there is a tendency for 5 below.

2. Wrong people there Ever been to a meeting where there was no logical purpose for you to be there? Meeting time is valuable and it is important for efficiency and effectiveness that as few people attend as purposeful. People should appreciate that non-attendance at a particular meeting is OK and get used to it.

3. Overrun
   Those times when you sit in a meeting and watch your life slip away, are those that happened with poor meeting management. There is nothing worse than unkept promises (and meetings are just that - a contract to participants time) and must be honoured. Everyone has a role here.

4. Indiscipline
   Many meeting participants do not know how to behave. These are things about them and their ego, lack of self-confidence and poor behaviours (out side meeting too). Lack of courtesy, understanding and space for others to say their piece is inexcusable and not constructive for outcome

5. The Leader Leads
   Here meeting is at beck and call of leader or chair who really is holding court for themselves. This sort of meeting is about them showing that they are democratic, but they are nothing of sort. This is a rubber-stamping meeting and is of little or no value