Lawn Care: The Whys of Quality

Last week, a lawn care company was servicing the property across the street from our office. As I watched, my mind fresh from a review of Tembua’s ISO 9001–certified procedures, I ticked off items: the truck was freshly washed; the crew was neatly dressed in clean uniforms; one person carried a clipboard and checked as the rest of the crew scattered to their positions. I was impressed with the efficiency of motion—obviously, someone had trained these people well!

The Everyday Perils of Bad Translation

Bad English often isn’t the product of a poor education. Today many manufacturers, particularly overseas, use low-grade machine translation to translate instructions and product information. The results are fodder for many humorous websites. Usually, we readers decipher the poor English and move on with our lives. (Tembua sometimes converts the publishers of bad English to clients with our English polishing service.) But sometimes, bad translations can affect their readers’ lives in sudden, unexpected ways.

The Open Hand

As my children grew into high school, then college, and then professional lives, I always pictured parenting as the gradual release of something you once held tight and still wish you could. My image was of a closed fist that slowly opens, spreading the fingers wide, perhaps providing some upward impetus for the small creature that waits on the palm to fly.

Thumbs and the World Cup

Living in Germany years ago, I learned that the translation of crossing your fingers was literally pressing your thumbs.

Termites and Skyscrapers

What do termites and skyscrapers have in common?

Deadbeat Clients: Part II

Recently I was the target of a stern lecture about accounts receivable. The speaker asked me why I thought so little of my staff that I wouldn’t demand the client payments we need to pay salaries. Framing it that way goaded me into action.

Deadbeat Clients: Part I

That’s an ugly phrase, isn’t it? No one wants to be a deadbeat, and businesses certainly don’t want deadbeat clients. Still, almost all companies today that are not point-of-sale enterprises have a higher percentage of overdue accounts than 5 years ago.

Working with a software engineer

Many small to midrange companies struggle with out-of-the-box software solutions that fit our business models about as well as one size fits all in the garment industry. Even industry-specific software needs to be tweaked. Custom software applications are expensive, but when you realize you’re spending more time making the software play nice with your processes than actually getting your work done, it’s time to consider hiring a software consultant to write software that specifically addresses your needs.

Language is Alive

“What up, cuz? Let’s get blacked out because I’m finna hit a lick for an elbow during vulture hour, so get your strap. We’ll wait in the cut and roll up on him.”

Cables, cases, commotion, confusion, complexity and calm

The project managers who handle interpreting equipment and staff for large events are a special breed.