“There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.” – Edith Wharton
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The Berkshire Company / success / inspiration / growth / recovery / strength / nature / problem / challenge
“Courage is not the towering oak that sees storms come and go; it is the fragile blossom that opens in the snow.” – Alice Mackenzie Swaim
I love watching the first blooms of early spring. Tulips, daffodils, and crocus have been lying dormant for almost a year. When they make their appearance each April, it reminds me that warmer weather is on the horizon. The promise of more daylight, more time outdoors, and even more flowers.
Every so often, winter ignores the calendar.
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The Berkshire Company / success / inspiration / growth / recovery / strength / nature / problem / challenge
In previous posts on requests for proposals (RFPs), we’ve discussed the team, the process, and the reasons why RFPs work. It’s just as important to consider what is included in the actual RFP document. With that in mind, here are the five elements of an optimal RFP:
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Clear directions, with a single point of contact
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Distinct sections for each subject
- Provide answers to all vendor questions to all vendors
Industry Vendors / Technology / Strategy / Purchasing / The Berkshire Company / success / management / professionalism / process / problem / challenge / RFP
Real life situation: approximately 1 to 2 tons of material has to be moved.
There are no power tools, so the material has to be moved manually.
There’s only one person available to perform the work. Unfortunately, that person is an elderly person with a disability that limits how much they can lift.
Sounds like an impossible problem.
But it wasn’t.
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Leadership / The Berkshire Company / success / positive / inspiration / growth / optimism / strength / professionalism / problem / challenge
Several years ago, I wrote a post about the “Boomer Brain Drain” at the US Postal Service (USPS). The article talked about the growing number of retirements at the USPS, and the need to train replacements. The post is almost evergreen, as the points it makes remain relevant today. It seems we are constantly receiving industry alerts from the USPS announcing the departure of another senior leader.
These changes aren’t limited to the USPS. Each week, my LinkedIn feed includes another peer sharing their transition to retirement. When we send out volume emails, there’s always return messages with the phrase “unknown user”. More and more, friends and contacts are transitioning out of the industry.
At the same time, we are seeing a surge of new people entering the industry. Almost every major trade show and conference reported record numbers of first-time attendees. From young people starting their careers, to others making a change in professions.
Technology / Leadership / mail / The Berkshire Company / success / positive / inspiration / growth / kindness / optimism / strength / professionalism / networking
"To live wonder-smitten with reality is the gladdest way to live." - Maria Popova
As my friends and clients know, I have systems for tracking many of my activities. For books, I have two systems – an MS Access Database and posting on Goodreads. The database allows me to track different categories, quickly organize by title or author, and create the content for a page on my website.
To choose my “top books for 2025”, I narrowed my reading list to only those that I gave a 5-star rating on Goodreads. Many of the books I read were published years ago; sometimes many, many years ago. My tastes range from history to poetry to science to social commentary. And sometimes I read books that involve mail. (Note: I do read fiction, but rarely do any of those books rate 5 stars.)
In alphabetical order by author, here are the thirteen books I most enjoyed in 2025.
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Technology / Leadership / mail / The Berkshire Company / books / reading / learning / success / positive / inspiration / management / growth / kindness / optimism / strength / professionalism / information / artificial intelligence
“Wealth is not his that has it, but his that enjoys it.” – March 1736
As we close the 250th anniversary year for the US Postal Service (USPS), we should remember that it is one of the longest enduring government institutions serving our citizens. Almost every day, almost every address in the country receives a visit from a letter carrier. These visits are part of the USPS “obligation to provide postal services to bind the Nation together through the personal, educational, literary, and business correspondence of the people.”
Ben Franklin recognized the importance of an effective and efficient public postal service.
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United States Postal Service / Strategy / USPS / U.S. Postal Service / Leadership / mail / The Berkshire Company / learning / success / positive / inspiration / management / growth / strength / Ben Franklin / professionalism / information
“Reading makes a full man, meditation a profound man,
discourse a clear man.” – October 1738
“Generous minds are all of kin.” – March 1734
Ben Franklin understood the importance of networking. Whether building a printing company, founding a library, or creating a postal service, he was successful because he involved others. Significant achievements are never completed alone, but with the help of others.
The best way to connect with the people who can help you – networking. And how we define success determines how we network. A lesson I learned from my father, Bill Fallon, I’m sure Mr. Franklin would approve of my choice for a role model – Bill had a career at the US Postal Service.
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USPS / Leadership / mail / print / The Berkshire Company / learning / success / positive / inspiration / management / growth / strength / Ben Franklin / professionalism / information
“Little strokes fell great oaks.” August 1750
A constant theme in Franklin’s Almanack was frugality. When considering the above quote, think about always looking for discounts, or other ways to save money. No matter how small the savings may be.
When contracting for services, an oft-overlooked opportunity are multi-year contracts. Ask vendors for considerations if you extend a one-year contract to three years, or three years to five years. Add language to guarantee pricing – or limits to increases – for the length of the contract, including extensions.
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Operations Management / Strategy / Postage Rates / Purchasing / Leadership / print / The Berkshire Company / learning / success / positive / inspiration / management / growth / strength / employees / Ben Franklin / professionalism
For this month’s installment, we’ll look at two aphorisms from Richard Saunders:
“Observe all men, thy self most.” (August 1740)
“There are three things extreamly hard: steel, a diamond, and to know one self.” (January 1750)
In other words, we need to keep accurate records of volumes and costs. This is especially true in a production environment. We all want to improve ourselves and our operations. But you need to know where you are before you can make any changes.
Operations Management / Strategy / Postage Rates / Purchasing / Leadership / print / The Berkshire Company / learning / success / positive / inspiration / management / growth / strength / employees / Ben Franklin / professionalism
