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What is the Purpose of Your Processes?
Everyone should understand why processes are in place If an integrator is engaging in an activity on a daily basis, the people need to know why. What is the purpose of your processes? And does everyone understand the value? Mature companies document and improve their processes incrementally — in a
Leadership Takes Courage
Leadership is based on service – not ego or power In these unprecedented times we need true leadership from our owners, executive and middle managers, project managers and technical leads (whether they be technicians, engineers, programmers, or service/support). This list may seem long – but leadership is not based
The Value of Creating an Exceptional Customer Experience
Customer experience permeates everything you do Every phase of your projects, sales, implementation, service, and finance, all contribute to the experience your clients have when working with your integration company. How does this align with your company values? Are you shaping your client’s experience, or reactively responding to it when
5 Benefits of Executive Coaching
Unlock Success with Executive Coaching Executive coaching has emerged as a powerful tool for professional development, offering leaders a tailored approach to enhance their skills and achieve peak performance. As organizations recognize the value of investing in their leadership teams, the concept has gained popularity. In this article, we
Is It Better to Reward Effort or Value?
Navigate finds that people are often rewarded by how busy they are, rather than how productive they are. I was recently working with a company and the president said, “I want people who put in lots of effort.” I asked him to define that. “I want them working from seven
Jim Colquhoun Joins Navigate Management Consulting
Navigate Management Consulting announces that Jim Colquhoun CTS-D, CTS-I, ISF-C, has joined the firm. Jim Colquhoun held the position of VP & Chief Technologist for Avidex for the last 15 years. His corporate responsibilities included developing new Avidex product offerings and assisting with the development of internal programs and
A Look Back at 2022 with Some Actual Lessons Learned
In a previous blog post, ‘What Should a Lessons Learned Process Focus On?’, we concluded that a mature lessons learned process can pay huge dividends, especially for systems integrators that work on a multitude of similar projects under tight deadlines. Navigate has been fortunate to work with hundreds of integration
Navigate Academy Exclusive Offer for NSCA Members
What is Navigate Academy? Navigate Academy is our online learning platform designed specifically for systems integrators and their related technology partners. This program is designed to teach your team about project management, process management, leadership, culture, and business management in one convenient place. We have dozens of courses,
Elements of a Project
The mature practice of project management has become one of the key differentiators for integration companies that are interested in achieving long-term success. Mature project management practices lead to increased profit, greater client satisfaction, higher employee morale and overall quality improvement. But many integrators treat the subject of project management as
The Value in Employee Engagement
Why is employee engagement important? According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a record 47.4 million Americans voluntarily quit their jobs in 2021. This mass exodus from the workforce was no doubt spurred on by COVID-19. However, this trend began before the pandemic, and challenges with finding and retaining talent
Why Do Something Once, When You Can Do It Twice?
How much time do you waste in your integration business? And what are the costs associated with call-backs and do-overs? Isn’t it better to do it right, ONCE? On this month’s episode of the Navigator, Brad Malone is joined by our own Robert Hammond to discuss how one of the
We Need More Leaders Focused on NextGen Leadership Development
In the midst of The Great Resignation, we need more people in leadership positions that are focused on growing and developing the people underneath them. On this episode of the Navigator, Brad Malone is joined by Craig Jacobus to talk about the reward-based leadership versus responsibility-based leadership. What is the
What Is a Work Breakdown Structure?
A work breakdown structure serves many critical purposes, the most important of which is defining the work to be performed and breaking it into manageable components. For systems integrators, a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) provides the building blocks for successful Project Management. In the 1950s, the U.S. Department of Defense
What Happens When Employees Do Not Perform to Standards?
Welcome to The Navigator, our monthly video series dedicated to helping integrators achieve better business results. On this episode, Brad Malone is joined by Brad Dempsey, CEO of Solutions360, to talk about performance standards and what to do when employees do not meet expectations. A question Navigate often hears
Craig Jacobus Joins Navigate Management Consulting
Navigate Management Consulting announces that Craig Jacobus has joined the firm With over 30 years of executive positions leading companies, Craig Jacobus knows what it takes to grow successful enterprises. Craig is owner and president of Jacobus & Associates, LLC, an executive coaching and consulting firm specializing in working one-on-one
Did You Use the Pandemic to Build Your Leadership Team?
On this episode of the Navigator, Brad Malone is joined by Brad Dempsey and Joel Harris. One of the conversations our panel has been having with integrators is, did they use the pandemic as an opportunity to increase the capabilities of their leadership team, or did they waste it? During
What Are the Benefits of Forming a PMO?
Project Management should not be about firefighting. On this episode of the Navigator, Brad Malone is joined by Tofiq Indawala, Director of Product Management at Solutions360 to continue our series of discussions on project management. Too often, we see integrators that believe the role of the Project Manager is to
Solutions360 Announces Acquisition of Navigate Management Consulting
Solutions360 Announces Acquisition of Navigate Management Consulting, a Leading Consulting Organization to Technolgy Systems Integrators Acquisition Advances Solutions360’s Commitment to be their Customers’ Most Valued Business Partner Newmarket, On. – October 1, 2021 – Solutions360 announced today that it has acquired Navigate Management Consulting, a worldwide consulting organization that
Management by Talking Around
Management By Walking Talking Around “Just the act of listening means more than you can imagine to most employees.” ~ Bob Nelson ‘Our employees are our greatest asset,’ is a popular phrase in today’s workplace. And as business leaders, it is critically important to recognize that our people
Patrick Britton Joins Navigate Management Consulting
Navigate Management Consulting announces that Patrick Britton has joined the firm Patrick Britton has 25 years of experience in the audiovisual and visual communications industry, working for large and small systems integrators in roles covering all facets of the industry from sales to Project Management to General Manager and CEO.
Your Technicians Are Your Brand!
How important do you think technicians are to an integrator’s brand? On this episode of The Navigator, Brad Malone is joined by Brad Dempsey, CEO at Solutions360 to discuss how technicians are important to the brand of an integration company. This topic is going to be essential as we
The Importance of Serving Internal Customers
When was the last time you rolled out the red carpet for your internal customers? On this episode of The AV Profession, Tim Albright and Brad Malone take a look at serving internal customers, and ways to do that better. “When I look at serving internal customers, that doesn’t
Are You Leading, Managing or Coddling?
Leadership is sexy while management is kind of tough, and that’s where we get into coddling, which is managers who really don’t manage. On this episode of the Navigator podcast, Brad Dempsey, CEO at Solutions360, joins Brad Malone to discuss how these days, it takes courage to manage, and
Are You Asking the Right Interview Questions?
On today’s episode of The AV Profession, Brad Malone joins Tim Albright to discuss hiring practices and the interview questions you should be asking. Finding and retaining talent is a top priority for integrators, and as we return to the workplace, Navigate is working with many integrators that are in
Navigate Academy
Online training for systems integrators and their technology partners.