For some time now, during this difficult economy, “good enough” felt adequate. Just last year, there were blogs and articles about getting to where you wanted to go by using the tools that provided the basic minimum requirements to “get by.” People were choosing “good enough” over “world class.” This theory pertained to a broad spectrum: tools, utilities, software, household goods, etc. There seemed to be an underlying message of “you don’t need to aspire to have or achieve greater things, life is difficult enough.” With as uncertain as business conditions have been, it felt somewhat OK to be able to say, “oh, see there, we don’t really need to try any harder.”
Something has changed in the last few months. Perhaps it’s the brightening of the economy. IQMS had a record year in 2010 in all areas of licensing and sales. Since our customer base is the manufacturing industry, this signifies a shift in the manufacturing sector. Forward-thinking manufacturing companies are spending money again. They’re buying software, they’re expanding, they’re growing - and we’re part of their growth. Customers are asking for additional functionality, new projects and new features for EnterpriseIQ. Our development team has been busy and hiring additional programmers has been the highest priority for HR these last few months. We are working in partnership with our customers to develop additional and more sophisticated functionality, making all parties stronger and better prepared for future success.
In addition to hiring programmers, we’ve been hiring for positions in five other departments as well. Part of the euphoria we’re feeling is undoubtedly the cumulative exhaling of an over-burdened workforce, breathing a sigh of relief. The cavalry is coming, help is on the way! We have a new attitude toward succession planning: It’s time to get the right people in place, “on the bus!” We are hiring the best people and getting them into position. We all have room to grow again and the proverbial life/work balance looks to be within our sights.
There’s a renewed optimism in the future. People are tired of being “lean” and worked to the bone. We’re ready to be more than “good enough.” We want to be better and then better than that. We have a desire and the capability to be winners again. We are moving toward greater achievement. It feels good to look toward the future and to improved situations for all of us in manufacturing, in the economy and in the software industry. We are focused on excellence and on being the very best.
We have found our passion again and our objectives are clear. IQMS is the very best at what we do, providing world-class manufacturing ERP software solutions for our manufacturing customers. Our customers are experiencing success and reward us with their loyalty. We hire and keep the best people and our employees prove their loyalty as well by contributing to a well-run business where we also have fun at what we do. We are prepared to move forward with confidence and optimism!
