May 9, 2019 by Jeff Edwards

Ask a guitar player what the most important, most sought-after,
most valuable part of playing is, and he/she is likely to say tone. Tone is king!
Pure, transcendent tone is what all guitarists long for. According to this article on GuitarWorld.com,
“tone is the holy grail for all
guitarists.”
While tone is certainly important
to Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks, or [insert your favorite guitar hero here] –
tone is equally important in our everyday “performances.” We may not be on a literal stage, but we
should always be mindful of our audience.
Whether engaged in face-to-face conversation, speaking over the phone,
or leaving a voice message, it’s important to convey a friendly, helpful tone.
Tone is also conveyed in written communication, so before you press the send button, read your email message one more time. Consider how your message might be received on the other end. This is especially important with text messages, which often do not include standard punctuation and spelling. I’m finding that as more people become accustomed to text messaging, they tend to compose email messages the same way – and this can lead to misunderstanding. It’s always better to use a cordial tone, whether communicating with a client, peer, associate, friend, or family member.
QIC exclamation #3 is: Maintain a
Tone of Friendliness. This is our goal
for the entire organization, and we earnestly seek to live it every day. Challenging?
Certainly. Rewarding? Absolutely.
After all, tone is the holy grail
for guitarists and should be for all of us.
May 3, 2019 by Jeff Edwards

At QIC, we’re very fortunate to have a group of conscientious, committed team members. A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned our standards of behavior, which we refer to as QIC Exclamations – because they exclaim our unique culture and are exemplified by our extraordinary people. To a person, we own these behaviors and our… Read more »
April 26, 2019 by Jeff Edwards

Last month while discussing employee engagement and culture, I mentioned David Friedman and his company, High Performing Culture. David provides his clients with a practical, sustainable way to identify and build cultural behaviors (he calls these fundamentals). At QIC, we refer to our fundamentals as “exclamations,” as they exclaim our high standards and commitment to… Read more »
April 11, 2019 by Jeff Edwards

Ever been ready to take on a task or project, only to find that you didn’t have the right tool for the job? While not the handiest when it comes to mechanical, home remodeling or building projects – I do enjoy taking on projects myself when possible. For example, I like to perform the scheduled… Read more »
April 3, 2019 by Jeff Edwards

Next month is designated Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month and, with spring in full form, it’s the perfect time to focus on safety – both on the road and in the workplace. If you’ve ever experienced piloting a motorcycle on the open road or off-road trail, you know about the exhilaration and heightened sense of awareness… Read more »
March 27, 2019 by Jeff Edwards

A common topic in our industry centers around the benefits of differing reward types and their effectiveness to motivate when used in incentive and recognition programs. With much discussion and debate, many have offered theories and best practice formulas to substantiate their positions. Today we are fortunate to have more resources than ever which focus… Read more »