By Andrew J. Sherman
Seyfarth Shaw LLP
My latest book, The Crisis of Disengagement, discusses the multifaceted workplace dilemma — disengagement. It examines how apathy and complacency effects leadership and governance, company culture, fellow peers and team members, and lastly, the individual itself. Layer by layer, I uncover the impact disengagement has on innovation, creativity, productivity, and profitability within an organization and in our communities.
At the America’s SBDC Annual Meeting in Orlando in the Fall of 2016, I gave a “Small Talk” sponsored by American Express where I discussed the impact of our nation’s current levels of disengagement on small business, innovation and entrepreneurship. Small companies are struggling to compete for recruitment and retention of a qualified and motivated workforce and cannot withstand the financial and productivity consequence of a small group of workers who are not engaged. They also face the challenges of the “gig economy” and “the free agent nation” where nearly a third of all U.S. workers are independent or self-employed, with no loyalty on engagement towards a particular company, creating a modified set of expectations, relationships, and workplace norms. (more…)
It started when Jeff and Jenny brewed two beers to give away as wedding favors at a brewery in San Luis Obispo, where they went to college. Homebrew projects and burst bottle explosions ensued in the years after. But a casual passion soon turned career as Jeff announced to Jenny that he had quit his job and had been accepted off a wait-list to brew school. You’d call them crazy, adventurous, unpredictable… a wildcard. Their story is one of the unexpected; a place where there are no limits, where perseverance and a free spirit will turn dreams into reality.
Manufactured in Michigan, Micro-LAM Technologies offers cutting edge technology that increases productivity and profitability for companies that make precision optical components such as lenses, telescopic mirrors, infrared imaging systems, laser components and smart gadget hardware. Micro-LAM’s product increases productivity by up to 500%, increases machine efficiency by up to 200%, improves part quality by an order of magnitude, and has an 8 to 10-month payback, making it a game changer in the precision manufacturing industry. Within a year of hitting the markets, Micro-LAM has sold systems in the US, Israel, the United Kingdom, Spain and Sweden.