Tag: Management

Too aggressive

June 28, 2026

A few weeks ago, the north side of Springfield, Missouri, experienced one of those 100-year hailstorms we hear of from time to time. Almost every home and business within a three-mile-and-then-some range has hail damage to cars, buildings, and anything that was outside during those few minutes.

That is the introduction to this topic because everyone in the area is being inundated with unwanted salesmen and unauthorized inspections. I know you want and need business. Stop and think for a moment, and you will realize that there is such a thing as pushing business away.

When I was operations manager for a bearing and power transmission distributor, I had to take up the outside sales responsibilities for a time. My district manager made calls with me one day and did not feel that I was aggressive enough for him. I think that was when he decided that I would never be the branch manager.

Shortly after that, our location had its best month in years, and when I received that report, he told me he had rehired a man who had deserted us, and he would be my new boss. That was when I made my decision to leave that company and informed my vice president.

I left there a few years later and returned to purchasing. This had me on the opposite side of the sales process. I made it a policy to avoid working with companies whose sales personnel practiced hard sell tactics. At each new position, my previous company was a supplier. Some pushed harder than I liked, and their portion of my business was reduced.

As I was growing up, one of the men at church was a car salesman. As a young man, I went with another friend to talk to him about a new vehicle. I was surprised that he was as kind and polite at the dealership as he was at church. I thought that I could do that myself when I was given a chance at sales.

He is the example that I chose to follow. I was trained by more than one company to be a hard sale salesperson, and I chose not to follow that instruction. I did not stay in sales for very long with those companies. I want to be the type of person that I want to deal with, not the people that I walk away from.

Aggression is not only used in sales. Managers often use tactics that make workers fear and despise them. Again, I chose not to be that type of leader in the businesses where I had authority over others. I was not perfect in all my management responsibilities everywhere I worked, but I tried. My recommendation to you is to attempt to curb aggressive behavior in all situations. I believe life will be better for you.

©Copyright 2026 by Charles Kensinger

Management

May 15, 2026

Some are leaders, and others are followers. We have heard this all our lives. If it is true. Which are you? That should depend on the situation you are in. At times, even the best leader should step back and allow others to take the reins.

Managers are leaders. The best allows others to lead when they show talents and abilities. I have often trained employees who eventually became department supervisors or managers. My management experience began with my first job while still in high school.

Does that seem unusual to you? I’ve gotten to know many leads, supervisors, and managers over the years who have started in the ranks and worked their way up in companies. You know that old saying, “The cream always rises to the top.”

The most important upper managers that you know of have most likely started at lower levels. What is the President of the United States? He is the chief executive. That means he is the top manager. He has lower management that works for him. Each Cabinet member also manages their staff as well.

Think about the people that you have voted for during the last few decades. Most of the candidates were governors, senators, and congressmen who began at lower levels of state government or even as assistants to others who worked in these offices.

The problems any business has can also crop up in government. Managers who try to bully their way through, around, or over employees seem to exist everywhere. I’ve noticed commercials on local TV for an attorney who is asking women to call her if their bosses are acting inappropriately

These are the worst cases of bad management, but there are a lot of poor managers out there in the business world. I would rather take some time to tell you what I learned from some of my best managers. Mr. Costello owned Dog N Suds on North Glenstone in the 1970s, and he taught me to treat everyone the way I wanted to be treated. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

Tom hired me as a salesman and promoted me to a store manager in three months. He then recommended me to be the assistant livestock manager at the wholesale company owned by the man who owned the pet stores. He and the livestock manager, John, then recommended me for my first purchasing position.

Gary hired me as a buyer and made me his purchasing supervisor with the intention of my taking his position when he moved from purchasing to another spot in the company. I learned from some of the best, and I have trained some of the best. Accept help and pass it on.

©Copyright 2026 by Charles Kensinger

I’m in marketing, you want management

February 5, 2026

I began my career as a full-time minister of the gospel in the 1970’s. I have been studying and learning my trade for over five decades. When I think about what I knew then, I am amazed at how little it was. As I ponder my entry into the presence of God, at the time of my death, in another forty or fifty years, I consider how small my grasp of who God really is. At that time, I will join those same people who taught me about him sixty years ago.

When I started my journey through God’s word, I was in my teens. My life of service and ministry has taught me a great deal. Years ago, a friend asked me why God did certain things. The question was about why bad things happen to good people. I did not know the answer. I still do not understand everything about Jehovah. My answer to these inquiries is the same as on that day. “I’m in sales; you want management.”

The ones who are in the upper echelon of every Christian denomination should use the same response. Even the Pope is a representative of Jesus Christ and not the head of the church. We forget that. We try to defend Yahweh and His actions. That is not our job. Our job is to explain what we find in the Bible. I do need to explain to you why things happen the way they do in our world today.

Those are the things that I am still learning from the scriptures. He tells us who He is and why He must work the way He does. My job is to listen to what He says and share those thoughts with you. My ideas are not original. Many others can tell you exactly what I am saying. I may express it differently from others.

Your job is to take what I and other ministers or scholars tell you and check the Bible to be sure we know the Lord the way He reveals Himself in the Word. You do not want to believe in Him because of incorrect information. One of the first things I must tell you is some of the things that He will not do when you become a born-again believer.

As a salesman in the secular world, my job was to promote the products I sold. My employer was wrong if he or she wanted me to lie about the advantages of those items. To be able to tell them what it would do and what it would not do, I had to study the information that was provided about it. I read specification sheets, technical data sheets, and catalogs. I even looked at items being used by customers and, in some cases, used them myself to understand how they performed. I have done exactly that for over fifty years with God.

You will not become perfect. That means you will continue to sin. I know some teach that if you cannot stop sinning, you are not really a believer. Read the Bible. It tells us that if you say you are no longer sinning, you are deceived. Jesus died for our past, present, and future errors.

You will have trials, and others will not treat you perfectly. This is the way it works with fallen humanity. I’m sorry it must be this way, but it just is. Christ can help us get through the tough times if we will let Him.

©Copyright 2026 by Charles Kensinger

A Positronic Christmas

December 16, 2024

For almost five years I was with Positronic Industries.  Starting as a buyer, before the first anniversary a promotion to purchasing supervisor came through. One of my favorite things about that job was the feeling of the company being a family. Not all the employees felt that way, though.

One of my favorite things was the annual Christmas party. A Hawaiian luau, a western theme, and Silver Dollar City were some of the themes and venues that we were invited to with one special person in our lives. Many of my friends from that time are no longer there.

The reason that I enjoyed working for them was the people that I worked with and for. I would have liked to have retired from that position, but the crash of 2008 meant that many of us were laid off during 2009 and following. I have learned much from that experience.

One thing is not to take anything for granted. I continued my career with two other companies after that time. I retired as a purchasing manager. My ministry continued with each of these companies. Now I hope I can share some other things I’ve learned over my fifty years in business.

Managers and supervisors often believe that their job is to tell those that report to them what they need to do. A better way is to work with the team that you lead and utilize everyone’s talents and expertise to be better at what you are tasked to do. My experience has been that ideas and concepts flow from each employee in varied ways.

I worked for one boss that seemed to be constantly in fear that others would be deemed more suitable for their position. Instead of openly utilizing each person and their abilities, they dismissed valid ideas and changes in procedures. After a few weeks these same concepts were introduced as the manager’s brainchild. By this technic, they claimed these as their own.

I’ve seen this method utilized in church and community situations as well. I believe a lack of self-esteem is at the heart of this behavior. Refusing to give credit where it is due causes some to stop sharing their thoughts. Why contribute when someone else accepts the rewards?

Criticism for the sake of attacking others is one more common occurrence. I’ve seen this from employees to management and in the converse. If we do not feel that we are respected and appreciated, we may attack someone that we see as a threat to us. This does not promote a unified front.

Have you been on the receiving end of this type of abuse? Recognizing why it is taking place can contribute to eliminating this problem. It does not usually help to accuse the offender of this practice. I have left positions on more than one occasion when the owner or manager displayed objectional behaviors or a lack of confidence in me.

I’ve mentioned many negatives and would like to leave you with the qualities of the three best bosses I have had in my life. The owner at Dog ‘N Suds, my first job, recognized the value of each of his employees. If someone had difficulties with certain tasks, they were aided in those areas. He also recognized those who simply did not try to learn, and they were allowed to find other employment.

Tom saw something in me during our interview that made him offer me a sales position in an industry that I had no experience with. After a few months, he promoted me to a store manager, recommended me for a job under another manager, and for my first purchasing position. He saw what I could be and supported my growth.

I accepted another job for a man that I openly told his boss that I would be working to move into his role. I was honest and thought later that my words were ill chosen. I have always looked for improvement in myself and others. When I join a company or organization, I endeavor to work in any capacity that I can.

I enjoy a challenge and rarely shirk added responsibilities. Gary recognized this and trained me to take his place when he had an opportunity to advance. My retiring from the workforce as a purchasing manager was a direct result of his tutelage.

Hard work, dedication to expanding your horizons, and helping others advance is what a supervisor, manager, or owner should do. I could give you more personal examples of others that have exhibited these qualities to me over the years. Take a few moments and think of others that showed you qualities that you have gained in your life.

Christmas is a time of sharing and remembrance. People have made you who you are. Some by their positive actions, while others impacted us to be different from them. I hope that I am one of the former and not the latter. Merry Christmas to you all.

©Copyright 2024 by Charles Kensinger

I’m in marketing, you want management

July 30, 2022

I began my career as a full-time gospel minister in the 1970s. I have been studying and learning my trade for over four decades. When I think about where I was then, I am amazed at how little I knew. As I ponder my entry into the presence of God, at the time of my death, in another forty or fifty years, I consider how small my grasp of who God really is. At that time, I will be introduced to Him by those same people who taught me about him sixty years ago.

When I started my journey through God’s word, I was in my teens. My life of service and ministry has taught me a great deal. Years ago, a friend asked me why God did certain things. The question was about why bad things happen to good people. I did not know the answer. I still do not understand everything about Jehovah. My answer to these inquiries is the same as on that day. “I’m in marketing, you want management.”

The ones who are in the upper echelon of every Christian denomination should use the same response. Even the Pope is a representative of Jesus Christ and not the head of the church. We forget that. We try to defend Yahweh and His actions. That is not our job. Our job is to explain what we find in the Bible. I do need to explain to you why things happen the way they do in our world today.

Those are the things that I am still learning from the scriptures. He tells us who He is and why He must work the way He does. My job is to listen to what He says and share those thoughts with you. My ideas are not original. Many others can tell you exactly what I am saying. I may express it differently from others.

Your job is to take what I and other ministers or scholars tell you and check the Bible to be sure we know the Lord the way He reveals himself in the Word. You do not want to believe in Him because of incorrect information. One of the first things I must tell you are some of the things that He will not do when you become a born-again believer.

As a salesman in the secular world, my job was to promote the products I sold. My employer was wrong if he or she wanted me to lie about the advantages of those items. To be able to tell them what it would do and what it would not do I had to study the information that was provided about it. I read specification sheets, technical data sheets, and catalogs. I even looked at them being used by customers and in some cases used them myself to understand how they performed. I have done exactly that for over fifty years with God.

You will not become perfect. That means you will continue to sin. Jesus tells us He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. I have learned that if you do not believe this, you are in trouble. If you miss the straight and narrow way He spoke of, you miss Heaven which is where He lives. Not following the Truth means you are following lies. Missing Life will end in eternal death.

This death is a complete separation from Jehovah. Have you felt an emptiness in your soul? Do you ever feel like you are spiritually dead? Our Lord said that we must be born again. That is because the human spirit died in the garden when the original people disobeyed God. You want a life with Him not death without Him.

©Copyright 2022 by Charles Kensinger