During our Italy trip to watch our son, Michael, race at Imola in the Formula 3 Italia series for the PREMA Powerteam, we visited the famous Ferrari-owned racing circuit Mugello.  We spent some valuable "quality time" with Riccardo Benvenuti, the circuit’s marketing and media director.  We met Riccardo the first time in 2007 and we have made a point to go by and visit him numerous times.  He has become a fan of Michael and was impressed earlier this year when Michael set the new F-3 track record at Mugelo during a Formula 3 Italia Collective session.

In addition to supporting our son’s career aspirations, we take advantage of this time to spread the news worldwide about the value of the Performance Racing Industry Trade Show. International exhibitors are bringing exciting new racing technology to the Show in Orlando, and international buyers are most welcome visitors in any exhibit in the PRI Trade Show. It’s rewarding on these trips to find that the stature of the PRI Trade Show as the most important international racing trade show for motorsports professionals is so widely accepted.

Riccardo is a very nice man, sharing his time generously with us, and he does one heck of a job spreading the good word about Mugello. He’s a valuable contact point in our efforts to tell the PRI Trade Show story, and he’s also most educational in bringing us up to speed on the international racing marketplace as he is experiencing it at Mugello. PRI team members consider it important, in the US and around the world, to be out and about  "learning" all aspects of racing and what is happening in the marketplace. We wish to thank Riccardo for his time and hospitality in our visit to Mugello.

And we’re happy to report that after Michael’s two races at the Imola Circuit in Italy, along with 16 other competitors, he has climbed to the top of the Rookie Championship. If you wish to follow Michael’s adventures this year in Formula 3 Italia, you can catch up at www.mjlracing.com.

Steve Lewis, PRI publisher, is shown standing with Riccardo Benvenuti, the Mugello Circuit marketing and media director.  Mugello is a Ferrari-owned facility located in the beautiful Scarperia Valley about 40 kilometers from Florence, Italy.  Steve's son Michael Lewis will be racing at Mugello in the Formula 3 Italia series in October and currently holds the track record at Mugello for the Italian Formula 3 cars.

Here’s a photo of the Mugello race track’s layout.

Here’s the grand entrance to the famed Ferrari-owned race track at Mugello.

The Grand Opening of Roush Yates’ newest 40,000 square-foot performance products store in Mooresville, North Carolina, is on Saturday, July 23, 2011.

Doors open at 11:00 am and the festivities last until 3:00 pm. Food and activities will also be provided at this opening celebration.

For more information, go to www.roushyates.com or call 877/604-8077.

We got a reminder from Kerry Novak that Crower is holding its annual Customer Appreciation Day, including a car show with 120 cars, on Saturday, July 23, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. We wanted to help spread the news.

There will be dragsters, hot rods, low riders, Bonneville cars, oval track race cars and more. A ton of fun.

Here's the address: 6180 Business Center Court, San Diego.

Click here to get the pdf of the Crower flyer for the event.

You can catch up with all the Crower news at www.crower.com.

We'll put the racing industry against any other industry when it comes to customers service. Racing retailers, engine builders, fabricators and other racing businesses almost universally tend to go above and beyond to keep their customers racing.

However, if you want to take a few minutes to review and maybe rethink the customer service at your racing business, you may want to check these thoughts from Ed Hess, a professor at the University of Virginia’s Darden Graduate School of Business. He shared his perspective on customer service with us, and we thought we’d pass along his advice for your consideration. Hess has a new book “Growing an Entrepreneurial Business: Concepts & Cases” out by Stanford University PRess, available for sale at Amazon.com (Click here to purchase the book).

Here’s Professor Hess’ advice:

The U.S. economy is still in a deep funk, and for many small business owners that means business isn’t exactly booming. Forced to do more with much less, the small businesses that have managed to survive and even thrive during these tough times have recognized one important factor: You can’t always compete on price, but you can compete on service. And the best thing about great customer service is that providing it doesn’t cost you an extra penny. When your competition is scrounging for customers, you have to hold yours close, and that starts with great customer service.

Today’s small business owners need to understand that cutting costs will not save their business.  Remember, customers are concerned about their own financial security. When they walk into a business, they need to feel cherished and special. They need to be ‘hugged’ by great customer service. Customers don’t expect to get bottom-of-the-barrel prices everywhere they go, but they do expect to be treated with respect.”

Great customer service doesn’t just happen. It starts with employees who have been trained in the science of service.

Your employees will treat your customers as they have been treated by their leaders. Treat employees in a respectful, caring manner, and that will be transferred to customers. The business research done at Harvard, Stanford, Michigan, and my research at Darden Business School all finds that happy employees make for happy customers.

Many major companies, such as Southwest Airlines, UPS, Chick-fil-A, Best Buy, Yum! Brands, Room & Board, Starbucks, Ritz-Carlton, Levy Restaurants, Costco, Zappos, and Whole Foods, understand the importance of great employee relations. In the Best Buy culture, for example, customers are “kings and queens,” employees are “royalty,” and managers and leaders are “servant leaders” serving employees and customers. At Ritz-Carlton, employees are “Ladies and Gentlemen serving Ladies and Gentlemen.”

Today, not every business is getting customer service right, but not every business is getting it wrong, either. Fortunately, for any small business owner looking to improve his customer service, valuable lessons can be learned from both the good and the bad. Hess provides examples from his own experience and teaches what can be learned from the good and bad sides of customer service.

Learning from the “Bad”: 
Remember, disgruntled customers won’t complain; they just won’t come back. If you don’t give your customers the courtesy of taking the time to provide them with excellent service, they are not going to take the time to tell you how to improve your business. Remember, too, that in addition to not coming back to your business, unhappy customers will likely tell others about their bad experience. The ripple effect of just one bad customer service experience can be very damaging. Be sure your employees are providing consistently great customer service.”

Provide special training for frontline employees. The employees who interact directly with customers are essential for your business. “Their attitudes, communication skills, and style of service are what your customers are going to associate with your business. Make sure your employees are trained to handle the potentially stressful task of working with customers.

Compensate for mistakes. Never, ever shortchange your customers. If a mistake was made or some other circumstance is preventing you from providing the best level of customer service, find a way to make it up to your customer.

Provide solutions. Never make your business’s problem or an employee’s problem your customer’s problem. Allow your employees to have the latitude to provide your customers with solutions when they can’t satisfy a need.

Learning from the “Good”: Happy employees = Happy customers. Again, employee satisfaction translates to great customer service. Employees should cares about the company where they work. Creating that feeling in your employees will pay you back exponentially.

Always respond quickly. Your customers are busy. They have big concerns of their own. They don’t deserve to be left wondering what kind of service they are going to receive or when they are going to receive it. Even if it’s just a message to say, ‘I am looking into this for you,’ the customer will appreciate being told where they are in the process.

Make it easy to do business with you. Never make your customers jump through hoops to do business with you. Have a return policy that is easy to understand and that puts the interests of the customer first. Provide refunds quickly and efficiently.

Keep customers informed of what’s happening. When customers know what’s happening with their order, it reduces their anxiety. And when they’re less anxious, they enjoy doing business with you. Keep customers informed online. For example, instead of just leaving the counter area, you might explain to a customer, “I am going to check to see if we have what you need in our stock room.” Or if you’re handling a return and typing information into a computer, you might explain to the customer, “I’m just entering the date of purchase and the product number so that we can make sure we give you the maximum refund possible.”

Use technology to provide quick, efficient customer service. It’s the twenty-first century, and email provides us with the means to provide service more quickly than ever before. Small business owners might sometimes make the assumption that customers don’t like to be communicated with online, and for some older customers that might be the case. But by and large, I think people appreciate the ease that online communication provide. As long as you make sure your messaging is detailed and easy to understand, your customers will appreciate the quick service these technologies provide.

Make your customers feel valued. Understand that each and every one of your customers is special. As the late business guru Peter Drucker said: The sole purpose of business is to serve customers. Make sure your employees understand this, and that above all else they must focus on making your customers feel valued and appreciated. There is never a bad time to throw in a special perk for a customer, to shake a customer’s hand, or to provide a metaphorical hug with great customer service.

Today’s small business owners must understand that their business is not about ‘me’; it’s about ‘them’: your employees and customers. Making cuts to employee perks or customer service perks is not a long-term plan for survival. It might buy you the opportunity to stay in the game a little bit longer, but it won’t make you a winner. In today’s economy, you have to do everything you can to hang on to your customers and to encourage them to keep coming back to your business. There’s no better way to do that than through consistently great customer service.

You might not always be able to slash your prices lower than those of your competitors,” he concludes. “But you can make the experience of doing business with you superior to all others. Never be afraid to take your customer service up a notch!

Southern California summer heat welcomed the inaugural JE Pistons NMRA/NMCA West Coast Shootout, presented by Lucas Oil, over the weekend of July 8–10, but that didn’t deter the hardcore muscle car enthusiasts from turning out for the series’ first appearance at the Auto Club Dragway in Fontana, California.

For years I had read about the awesome NMRA and NMCA events in Race Pages and Fastest Street Car, respectively, which are put on by the ProMedia group, but they were always a few thousand miles away from the PRI offices in California. But this time I was only a short drive away from the Inland Empire track, so I took advantage of the close proximity.

For any horsepower aficionado, what a great place to see the latest Mustangs, Camaros, Challengers, Chargers, plus a number of classic muscle cars on the drag strip and on display at the Manufacturer’s Midway. I personally wouldn’t mind pulling into my garage with the little number that I saw in the Hurst Shifter booth. I was partial to the black Challenger (see photo below) while my son was scouting out the white Camaro next to it.

One thing that I noticed very quickly is that this is one fine and well-run event. I could not stop bumping into ProMedia President Charlie Harmon. He was literally everywhere making sure that each and every detail was taken care of properly. And the professionalism showed. Each and every ProMedia team member I came in contact with was first-rate. They kept the program moving steady and I saw many cars continue to make a number of passes down the drag strip throughout the event.

One treat for me was that I was invited to participate in the Media vs. Manufacturers True Street Challenge. Steve Wolcott, of ProMedia, described the Racers Against Street Racing True Street Challenge class, presented by TREMEC, as an event that “combined street-type racers with media and manufacturers, who all raced together for a good cause to promote taking racing off the street and putting it on the track...where it belongs!”

Over 50 cars participated. We took a cruise on the grounds of Auto Club Speedway (see photo below) to prove our cars’ street-worthiness, including several laps around the two-mile oval before lining up for three passes down Auto Club Dragway.

I’m already anxiously planning for the series’ return to Southern California next year. Maybe by then I can figure out how to get my hands on that Challenger!

We greatly enjoyed a visit to the PRI offices yesterday by Ryan Flaherty, national chairman of the National Auto Sport Association (NASA), which has 13,000 participants nationwide. The series offers one of the easiest and most affordable entry points into racing, and we at PRI are very appreciative of a series like NASA that transforms so many fans into racers, because that’s the beginning of sales of racing products.
 
Here’s an exchange from the NASA website forum that may not seem too exciting at first, but it’s a magical moment when a racer is about to be born…and sales of a helmet, driver suit, specialty lubricants, chassis tuning equipment, suspension parts, engine services and more are about to happen.
 
Question: Hello everyone, I just recently acquired a 1996 bmw 328is as was wondering if this would be a race worthy car and what classes are available for this particular vehicle, and what should i do first to start me racing. I live in Denver and understand there might be some programs or classes i can get involved with to help me start racing. any advice would definitely be appreciated.
 
Answer: Join NASA via the main website at http://www.nasaproracing.com. Find your regions website and check out the event calendar. Get yourself to as many HPDE events as you can in your car. While you're doing that, skim over the rules for the various race classes to see where your car might fit. I'm sure other people will chime in on specific classes. The class-specific websites will also help a great deal with resources for modifying your car to comply with race rules.

The HPDE program will get you the experience you need to drive on track at high speed. When you become proficient and you're ready to move on to racing, you can attend the NASA competition license school. You'll need a fully prepped race car for that.

 All this is explained on the main website.

 Good luck.
 
As Ryan said yesterday at lunch regarding entry-level and grassroots racers, “We need guys that are buying Dart blocks and putting them in their American Iron race cars.”
 
Neither Ryan nor Jeff Swoboda and myself can imagine a racing industry without all these enthusiasts, hobbyists and passionate amateurs.
 
Ryan suggested we look at just the amount of parts used up in NASA’s famed 25 Hours of Thunderhill event. “I bet people blow through $1 million in parts!”

Yep. That sure caught our attention.

Testing electronic fuel injection for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Kentucky Speedway this week was a pretty historical day. Dr. Andrew Randolph, ECR Engines technical director shared a brief Q&A interview with the race media.

YOUR THOUGHTS ON HOW THE TEST FOR THE ELECTRONIC FUEL INJECTION (EFI) IS GOING FOR THE FIRST TIME ON A NASCAR SANCTIONED TRACK: “It is going very well. We are setting the transient characteristics of the engine. That is how it works when you get into the throttle and out of the throttle because that is where fueling becomes a challenge is when you’re having rapid changes in the throttle position. That is what we are spending most of our time working on is the calibration for when they are letting off the throttle and getting on the throttle.”

HOW MANY SENSORS ARE THERE GIVING YOU THE READINGS FROM THE TESTING? “There is many sensors on this vehicle. Compared to a carbureted engine, there are in race, there will be an additional eight to 10 sensors, but for testing here, we have more than that. We have double that probably."

THE DATA ARE YOU ARE GETTING TODAY, DO YOU USE IT RIGHT AWAY TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE TEST OR TAKE MOST OF IT BACK TO CONTINE TO ANALYZE AND WORK WITH IT? “Both. We record data in such a way that we can go back and replay exactly what the engine saw here on the track. We can replay that on the dynamometer in a laboratory setting. We can replicate everything we are doing here in the lab with better sensors and better repeatability so we can look in depth at exactly what we saw that we think we can improve on.”

NASCAR’S GOAL IS TO HAVE A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD WITH THE EFI, WHAT LATITUDE DO YOU HAVE CONTINUE TO LOOK FOR MORE HORSEPOWER? “We are actually quite happy with the system because it has considerable room for invention; for science. Certainly there is room for people to do it better than other people. We would like to think that whenever we have an opportunity to excel, then that is what we will do.”

ARE THE COSTS SOMEWHAT OF A CONCERN WITH THE EFI PROGRAM? “You can look at costs in two ways. You can look at the dollars that it costs to implement the technology. But then you also have to look at the benefits that you derive from it and make a value judgment on whether it is a good thing or a bad thing to do. We are certainly in full support of it being a good thing to. It adds technical relevance to these engines compared to what is production on the street now. Every small block engine that is on the street is fuel injected and these are going to be fuel injected small blocks as well.”
 
SO IT PORTED FOR FUEL INJECTED LIKE A CHEVY ON THE STREET? “Yes, just like a Corvette. Port fuel injection is what all small blocks on the road in passenger cars are and that is what this is going to be. So it adds more technical relevance to what we do for the manufacturer. It improves the fuel efficiency of these engines and reduces emissions.”
 
DO YOU THINK THIS ADDS MORE MARKETABILITY AND MORE WIDELY APPEALING TO FANS? “It certainly makes it a lot closer to the production. They are called stock cars and it makes them a lot closer to what is stock and the engines that are sold. From that standpoint, there are probably are some people that will relate to it a little more.”
 
TALK ABOUT THE NEW EQUIPMENT YOU WILL BE USING FOR EFI: “It’s really interesting. Historically, we always have one engine tuner that goes with each engine with every car to all of the races. And that engine tuner, his talent or his skill, is to take feedback from a driver and convert that into a mechanical change that he might make to the engine to make it better. Now what we are having to do is take feedback from a driver and convert that to a software change on a laptop that then gets put into the engine to address whatever concern or whatever area the driver feels like can be improved. It’s really an upgrading of the skill sets and it is a kind of different approach to each weekend when you are at the track. How to get the most out of what we have.”
 
THE DRIVER WILL FEEL A DIFFERENCE? “Oh certainly and that is what we are doing today. It’s not necessarily clear looking at data on a screen what is good and what is bad, so, we have different drivers driving the car giving us their subjective feel of ‘yea, I really like that’ or ‘I don’t’.”
 
SO IT WILL BE DIFFERENT FOR EVERY DRIVER BASED ON THEIR STYLE OF DRIVING? “Yes, there will be. In very much the same way as cars are setup differently for different drivers now, it is very possible that calibrations will setup differently for different drivers.”
 
HAVE YOU HAD TO HIRE NEW STAFF? “No. We may in the end-up hiring one person But Earnhardt Childress Racing started participating in the Daytona Prototype Series a year ago and that is fuel injected NASCAR Grand-Am Series. One of our main reasons for choosing to participate in that series was to increase our knowledge of fuel injection and calibration and to upgrade the skill set of our engineers. We are taking the people that have been working on Daytona Prototype now and using them in the Cup program. We feel like that gave us a good head-start. So, no, we are not actively pursuing additional people. We are doing it with what we have.”
 
HOW MUCH DO YOU EXPECT TO LEARN BEFORE WE ACTUALLY GO TO DAYTONA IN 2012? IS THERE STILL A LOT TO BE DONE?  HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO LEARN A LOT IN THE SHOP OR DO YOU NEED MORE OF THIS VALUABLE TEST TIME ON TRACK? “Oh my goodness, yes. We have very sophisticated test facilities in the shop. We try to replace testing to a large extent with facilities that actually allow us to be more repeatable and more accurate in what we do. But, nevertheless, there are things that happen at a track. For instance, G-Forces on the engine and on the car as you go around a corner that you can’t do in a laboratory. The track time is invaluable to us. So, yes, there will a number of additional track sessions between now and Daytona. NASCAR is going to have probably two or three more in conjunction with events that they are sponsoring. But we’ll also be going to non-NASCAR sanction tracks and doing additional testing.”
 
WHAT WILL THE FANS IN THE GRANDSTANDS SEE THAT IS DIFFERENT WHEN THEY ARE WATCHING A RACE? WILL THE CARS GO FASTER? “No, NASCAR has selected components to keep the power level very close to the same as it has been. From a driver’s perspective, they should like this much more because it will be smoother so it will idle better, they’ll have more control when they are coming in and out of the corners because it will put more emphasis on their skill as opposed to managing variability of the engine. Things you used to see that maybe had a lot of ‘G-Whiz” value like flames coming out of the tailpipes as cars went around the corner, that is un-burnt fuel that is escaping the combustion process and leaving the exhaust. It is very inefficient but might be kind of fun to look at. That will probably go away. Should go away because now we have much better control over the fuel mixture and we shouldn’t get in situations where we are pumping un-burnt fuel through the engine.
 
“From a fan standpoint, they really won’t notice much difference, but there will a lot of difference inside the car. It won’t sound any different.”
 
CAN MISTAKES BE MADE IN THE PROGRAMMING THAT LEADS TO ENGINE ISSUES? “Hopefully this actually reduces the number of reduces the number of engine failures because by having improved control over fuel and spark, we should be able to operate the engine in a regime where it is much happier for virtually everything it does. Whereas when you have a carburetor, that is harder to do. For instance right now with the carbureted engine, if you get a piece of paper on the grill and the water temperature goes up, then if the driver isn’t looking or just doesn’t want to come in, then you can have engine failure fairly soon from overheating. What we can do now, because we are measuring water temperature, we can, as the temperature goes up, we can retard the spark or we can do things on the engine side that will reduce the power output of the engine and either make it where the driver wants to come in because the thing is going so slow or will protect the engine from failure.”
 
YOU CAN DO THAT DURING THE RACE? “Yes, that will be part of the calibration. It has a sensor in the water so as the water temperature goes up then some other control function of the engine will retard spark or will do something else to the engine to limit the performance as the temperatures rising to keep the engine from expiring. This happens automatically. This is the nice thing about having computer control of an engine as opposed to mechanical control.”
 

Here’s a quick behind-the-scenes moment at PRI: Greg Zyla, senior editor of Performance Racing magazine, has been a cornerstone piece of the publication’s strong editorial foundation for more than two decades. Greg writes our monthly Industry Insights feature, where he creates an in-depth Q&A with virtually all of the leading figures in the racing industry. Greg has a unique gift of being able to establish a friendly, down-home tone in the interviews while also getting the news like the experienced journalist that he is. Plus, Greg’s personal history as a racer, in addition to being a newspaper publisher, keeps the focus on the racer’s point of view regarding current events in racing.

The results are that Greg’s Industry Insights features are among the most popular articles in each issue, and a big part of the identity of Performance Racing Industry magazine.

We received a note from Greg yesterday that his talents as a racer and a journalist are transitioning nicely to the next generation. His 21 year old son, Tim, nabbed his first career IHRA Summit Series win at Skyview Drags in New York at the Skyview Northern Summer Nationals. “It was my 62nd birthday and he said he would win for my birthday present,” said Greg.

Below is a photo of Greg (left) and Tim with the trophy. And the next photo shows Tim at speed.

Greg also sent us a note of a car review written by Tim for The Spokesman-Review, and we were mightily impressed.

Our congratulations to Tim for wins on the track and on the page!

We at PRI have always believed that the racing aftermarket is one of the strongest allies a professional race team can have, especially teams that don’t have the biggest budget in a particular series.

In these especially challenging times, the smaller professional race team still needs the innovations necessary to win this year, but they also need to stretch their budgets. It’s our belief that the kinds of innovations and savings they seek are all on display at every PRI Trade Show.

With 1100 exhibiting companies displaying the latest advances in racing equipment and machinery in 3200 booths, it only takes a few strategic deals on new components to make a difference in the following race season’s success.

Here’s what the PRI Trade Show offers professional race teams:

Explore 700,000 square feet of competitive advantages.
Discover advanced engineering from the racing aftermarket.
Get the best advice to eliminate DNFs.
Find the best parts to stretch your budget and win.
Strategize with other racing professionals.
Seize this vital opportunity for smaller teams.
Go to the front of the pack in 2012!

Click here to register for this year’s PRI Trade Show.

Sometimes the 'people' aspect of running a racing business is the toughest part. We received some good advice about handling common 'people' problems in excerpts from the book, "The Benevolent Dictator: Empower Your Employees, Build Your Business, and Outwit Your Competition." It's written by Michael Feuer, cofounder of OfficeMax. We thought you'd enjoy reviewing them for any new solutions to an age old problem:

“Once you identify an employee who is good, but whose personality or habits might present a problem, you have two choices,” stated author Feuer. “You can simply get rid of the troublesome employee and risk the consequences of lost productivity. Or you can take the more profitable route and find a way for peaceful coexistence by learning how to deal with the performer’s shortcomings while taking advantage of his or her strengths.”

If option number two sounds better to you, then read on to learn about the three most common types of challenging performers, and how best to manage them:

1. The Prima Donna: He might announce a brilliant solution to a longstanding problem, or he might unfailingly woo the biggest customers. But through it all, your prima donna wants to be applauded, coddled, admired, and generally treated like a celebrity. This behavior consumes your time, disturbs day-to-day operations, and alienates other team members.

The Live with ’Em Solution: The easiest solution here is to put your cards on the table. Tell your prima donna how valuable he is and how grateful you are for his work, but also let him know that he’s a real pain to deal with, and that he’s approaching a crossroads. Ask what you can do to avoid future problems and stress that your door is always open—but make it clear that these behaviors need to change (or else).

“Make him a part of the solution by putting the onus on him to come up with a fix for a peaceful and productive coexistence,” advises Feuer. “Allow him to win, but on your terms, not his. Remember that most prima donnas are typically okay people deep down inside. Usually, their egos have been stroked too much in the past, or they’re hiding a major inferiority complex—or both.

“Sure, prima donnas require more of your time and attention, but the alternative is losing a high performer—potentially forsaking productivity and inciting some major anxiety. If you figure out what makes your prima donna tick, you’ll be a big step closer to neutralizing the annoyance factor while preserving productivity.”

2. Mr. or Ms. “It’s Not My Job”: Technically, this person isn’t breaking the rules. She does everything her job description says she should, and she does it very well. But when she’s asked to go above and beyond, expand her role, or pitch in on another project, she responds with, “It’s not my job.”

The Live with ’Em Solution: “Not everything an employee is asked to do is going to fit comfortably into their pre-determined job description,” notes Feuer. “But the fact is, a successful organization is a team effort, and sometimes people need to do more to help out.

“I have come close to firing employees on the spot for refusing to help on the grounds that the task at hand wasn’t their responsibility,” he shares. “Now, I make sure that every member of my team knows that ‘whatever it takes’ isn’t an option—it’s a requirement. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter if someone is an administrative assistant or a vice president—it’s all for one and one for all.

“If you’re a leader, it’s your job to make it clear in no uncertain terms that contributing to success—in any way necessary—is everybody’s job. Oh—and if you’re interviewing someone from a company that went caput, make sure that the interviewee’s attitude didn’t contribute to the downfall.”

3. The Perfectionist: Nobody can deny that your resident perfectionist is a hard worker. He makes sure every “i” is dotted and every “t” is crossed--every time. He’ll continue to tweak a report or project hours after someone else would have declared it complete.

The Live with ’Em Solution: Normally, an employee who thinks that a half-baked effort is unacceptable would be an asset. The problem is, when it comes to not accepting anything less than perfection, there can be too much of a good thing. As a leader, you must make sure that your employees don’t sacrifice too much tim--or end up failing to achieve anything at all--in a quest for the best.

“Don’t get me wrong--I’m not saying that you should encourage lackluster performances or tell your team that they shouldn’t worry about getting it right the first time,” Feuer clarifies. “After all, it can cost your organization quite a bit if time and energy aren’t used wisely. Remember that if you’re putting out a fire in a garbage can, you need only a few gallons of wate--not an entire water tanker!

“Try to help resident perfectionists distinguish between tasks that must be done to the letter, and those that can be done just adequately enough to move on to the next step or support another initiative. This is often a learned skill that can be difficult for people—especially those who are fearful of making a misstep--to embrace at first! Therefore, be very clear and cautious when you’re explaining what must be done…and how much time and energy each task is worth.”

“Remember that most major personnel problems within organizations get that way because leaders have ignored a series of smaller issues along the way,” Feuer concludes. “You should absolutely deal with your most difficult personality types—and watch out for budding prima donnas, perfectionists, and unhelpful types in the making! And always keep in mind that you aren’t marrying these employees. You just need to be able to occasionally dance with them.”

For information on purchasing a copy of "The Benevolent Dictator: Empower Your Employees, Build Your Business, and Outwit the Competition" (Wiley, 2011, ISBN: 978-1-118-00391-6, $24.95), go to www.benevolentdictator.biz .