For this month’s installment, we’ll look at two aphorisms from Richard Saunders:
“Observe all men, thy self most.” (August 1740)
“There are three things extreamly hard: steel, a diamond, and to know one self.” (January 1750)
In other words, we need to keep accurate records of volumes and costs. This is especially true in a production environment. We all want to improve ourselves and our operations. But you need to know where you are before you can make any changes.
Operations Management / Strategy / Postage Rates / Purchasing / Leadership / print / The Berkshire Company / learning / success / positive / inspiration / management / growth / strength / employees / Ben Franklin / professionalism
“Tho’ modesty is a virtue, bashfulness is a vice.” – Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1750
You should be proud of being a professional operations manager.
For decades, we’ve been told “print is dead” or “nobody mails anymore”. Yet, we’re still here. And there’s more of us than most people realize. The EMA Foundation for Paper-Based Communications tracks and identify trends in our industry. Their 2023 U.S. Mailing Industry Economic Job and Revenue Study revealed that the mailing industry (including print and design) accounts for 7.9 million jobs and contributes $1.9 trillion to the US economy. That’s more than the airlines, and almost as much as the oil and gas industry.
Too often, print and mail are seen as archaic professions. Negative articles have images of presses that have more in common with Gutenberg than today’s digital production models. Mail is portrayed as licking stamps for envelopes. In reality, print and mail are high-tech industries.
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Operations Management / Strategy / Leadership / print / The Berkshire Company / learning / success / positive / inspiration / management / growth / strength / employees / Ben Franklin / professionalism
“What one relishes, nourishes.” - Poor Richard's Almanack
The year 2025 marks the 250th anniversary of Ben Franklin being appointed Postmaster General by the Second Continental Congress. In 1753, Mr. Franklin had previously been appointed joint Postmaster General by King George III.
Before that, Franklin was a printer and author. Perhaps his most famous work was the yearly Poor Richard’s Almanack, under the pseudonym Richard Saunders. From 1732 to 1758, the pamphlet provided seasonal weather forecasts, puzzles and astronomical information.
What people remember are Franklin’s witty sayings passing along homespun wisdom. Most of us are familiar with: “A penny saved is a penny earned.” Or “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”
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Operations Management / Strategy / Leadership / The Berkshire Company / learning / success / positive / inspiration / management / growth / strength / employees / Ben Franklin
"Nothing ever becomes real until it is experienced. Even a proverb is no proverb until your life has illustrated it." - John Keats
Too often, successful executives are classified as being either innovative leaders or efficient managers. The innovative leader is defined as a visionary, a passionate idealist, and an inspirational thinker. On the other hand, the efficient leader is process-oriented, a student of Agile, or Total Quality Management (TQM), or a black belt disciple of Six Sigma. In reality, the successful person blends these seemingly opposite traits into inseparable qualities.
In his acclaimed book,On Becoming a Leader, Warren Bennis states, “The manager does things right; and the leader does the right thing.” He further differentiates the manager and the leader:
Operations Management / Strategy / Leadership / The Berkshire Company / reading / learning / success / positive / inspiration / management / strength
Bill Fallon, joyfully sorting Santa's mail.
In the late 1990s, I held my last job in the corporate world. I was the Vice President, Document Technology and Delivery, at State Street in Boston. My group included print, mail, centralized receiving, couriers, output control and the parking garage. I was younger then, and thought it was important to manage with a serious outlook. Unfortunately, sometimes I took myself too seriously.
Thank goodness, I had three amazing direct reports – Audrey, Paul and Bob. Thay had all been with the company for decades. In fact, Audrey started before I was born. They were all old enough to be my parents. Paul’s son and I were born on the exact same date.
Strategy / learning / success / positive / inspiration / growth / optimism
“The universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.” – Eden Phillpotts
I recently went on a whale watch. Conditions were just right, and we saw about a dozen of these amazing mammals. Several came surprisingly close to the boat, as if they knew we were desperate to get a good photo – especially the iconic fluke as they dived for more food.
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positive / inspiration / optimism / strength / nature
“Facing it, always facing it, that's the way to get through.” – Joseph Conrad
The challenge was too great. There was no way I could accomplish it. I didn’t have the money. I didn’t have the time. I didn’t have the strength. My vision of the future contained one word – failure.
We’ve all been in similar situations. The future seems bleak. Every option that we can generate is flawed. It seems no matter what approach we take, there’s no path to success.
Driven, we don’t stop.
"Reading takes us away from home, but more important, it finds homes for us everywhere." - Hazel Rochman
For most of us, the upcoming holiday weekend marks the beginning of summer vacation season. Hopefully, you’ll find time away from your office – onsite or hybrid – and enjoy some downtime with family and friends. Time for resting, reflecting, and perhaps – reading.
My vacation companions always include a book. Or two. Or three.
And usually a stop at a bookstore. Or two. Or three. It’s why I prefer to drive rather than fly. No extra luggage needed and no overweight fees.
Here are a baker’s dozen of books you might consider packing in your bags.
The Berkshire Company / books / reading / learning / positive / inspiration / optimism / gift / bookstore
" I am still learning.” – Michelangelo
It wasn’t something I planned, becoming the owner of 3 different canes. There was no intentional collecting – one’s an heirloom, one’s an essential aid, and the other was a gift. My situation brought them together, and each one brought its own little lesson.
First Cane: The standard wooden cane belonged to my father. It was his last cane, one that he kept nearby – even when he was using a walker or wheelchair. I can’t use it, because it’s not the right height (when I say I looked up to my father, it’s more than a metaphor). Along with some military memorabilia, it’s one of his few possessions that I kept after his death.
The Berkshire Company / reading / learning / positive / inspiration / kindness / recovery / optimism / strength / gift
In a few weeks, the mailing industry will come together at the National Postal Forum (NPF) in Indianapolis, IN. From Sunday, June 2nd through Wednesday, June 5th, attendees will attend classes, meet with vendors, and hear from US Postal Service (USPS) executives. It’s a packed agenda.
The Berkshire Company has partnered with the NPF to create the Mail Center Manager Course on Wednesday, June 5th. After three days of learning about postal initiatives, industry trends and innovative technology, we’re focusing on your most important resource – you!
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United States Postal Service / National Postal Forum / USPS / NPF / The Berkshire Company / Habitat for Humanity / growth
