“Although we can’t always control events in our lives, we can always control how we react to those events. It is our choice alone whether we adopt a positive or negative attitude in the face of adversity – to be victims or victors of those potholes in the road. If we approach bleak situations with a lightness of heart and spirit, stumbling blocks can become stepping stones.” Catherine DeVrye (Who Says I Can’t) 
Why Focus Office Supplies?The journey so far … The story began with the purchase of Frank Vaughan Business Electronics in March 1994 and after varied levels of success culminated in the formation of a new organization – Focus Office Supplies – a business formed with the sole purpose of bringing back true customer service to the world of office equipment and related services from a perspective other than doing whatever is necessary to maximize profits. A shared “focus” on what is best for the client and the supplier will lead to mutual success – from both a financial and moral perspective. This led to the Focus Office Supplies motto - We are committed to doing that little bit extra to provide the right solution for our clients – not the best solution for Focus Office Supplies. There have been many financial, personal, spiritual and ethical speed humps along the way but we will live by the sentiments expressed in the words of Catherine DeVrye above and get on with doing what it takes to make our clients’ lives better and easier – allowing them to get on with their core business and not have to worry about where to source the next toner, ink or ribbon. So – here we are - the editor continuing where he left off about two years ago – now The Focus Times Leadership?Over many years of business ownership and even more working for managers or “leaders”, the Editor has come to the realisation that leaders are not made – they are born – and there are some common traits in the true leaders of our world – business and community leaders. Some thoughts. “It's hard to lead a cavalry charge if you think you look funny on a horse” – Adlai Stevenson “You do not lead by hitting people over the head - that's assault, not leadership” – Dwight D Eisenhower “I am a man of fixed and unbending principles, the first of which is to be flexible at all times” –Everett Dirksen “Inventories can be managed, but people must be led” – H Ross Perot “A leader must have the courage to act against an expert's advice” – James Callaghan “There's nothing more demoralizing than a leader who can't clearly articulate why we're doing what we're doing” – James Kouzes and Barry Posner “Most important, leaders can conceive and articulate goals that lift people out of their petty preoccupations and unite them in pursuit of objectives worthy of their best efforts” – John Gardner “The leaders who work most effectively, it seems to me, never say "I." And that's not because they have trained themselves not to say "I." They don't think "I." They think "we"; they think "team." They understand their job to be to make the team function. They accept responsibility and don't sidestep it, but "we" gets the credit…. This is what creates trust, what enables you to get the task done” – Peter Drucker “The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why” – Warren Bennis and finally - “Some leaders are born women” - Unknown | Industry News and Help DeskChoosing a Multifunction Device?Probably the major trend in office technology over the last few years has been the introduction of the multifunction device – the MFP, MFD, MFC, All-In-One etc. How do you choose the right device for your needs amongst the hundreds of possibilities available to you – and avoid being sold the wrong device by some commission hungry sales person you have found through your enquiries? 
1. The first thing you must decide is exactly what you will be using the device for – what is the main reason you are looking to purchase a device. The range of multifunction devices available can perform a combination of printing, faxing, scanning and copying – not always all of these. You may see devices offered as “seven-in-one” for example but this merely means the device will do one of the four major functions in multiple ways. Be careful! 2. The second decision you need to decide is the volume of each of the four major functions that you will using the device for. There is no point purchasing a product which is a fantastic printer but has poor faxing capabilities when the main thing you need the device for is fax with printing and copy as a bonus. 3. The third decision you have to make in the minefield that is multifunction is what technology you should choose – inkjet, laser or thermal transfer. This is perhaps the most important decision as the long-term costs of owning the device are dependant on toner or other consumable costs – the industry talks about TCO – Total Cost of Ownership. If you don’t know the answers, talk to Focus and we will help you find the right device for your needs. More about Focus Office Supplies – As part of Focus’ commitment to absolute service we believe that there are many segments of our market place. Why should we decide how you, our customer, does business? With this in mind it isimportant to let you know how we can offer our service. We have a telephone sales option led by Duilia Bergin – probably the most experienced and knowledge consumables sales person in Australia. If there is any ribbon, toner, ink cartridge or storage media you cannot find – call Duilia. We pride ourselves on being able to source the “hard to find products”. Duilia will call those of you who are happy to be reminded when you are likely to run out of toner or ink – we have the ability to monitor your buying patterns and understand when you are most likely to order next. Then there are those who don’t like to be pestered and choose to call Focus when they need office products. The third type of client we are keen to look after are those who choose to buy “online” and to that end we have developed an extensive website to satisfy as many of your likely needs as we can possibly offer. The address is www.focusofficesupplies.com.au – pay us a visi t you may be surprised. 
Next Month –Previously the Editor amused and challenged the l eaders of the FVBE Chronicle with a trivia quiz – awarding prizes to readers who were clever enough to answer correctly – next month that will start again – watch this space. Opt out? Finally, we understand that some of you may find this newsletter of little or no value from either an entertainment or information perspective. If that is the case please let us know by calling on (02)95534255 and asking to be removed from the newsletter distribution list. We will understand and I am sure that the Editor will not be offended. |
