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Iwas talking with one of my colleagues the
other day, after we had both been away
from the office at different meetings. She
was telling me about a marketing seminar
she attended, and her key takeaway was
that she needed to get out more and speak
with ASM members about their business
challenges. The seminar leader emphasized
the concept of NIHITO—“nothing import-
ant happens in the office.” This may be an
oversimplification, but the idea has merit:
Talking with people one on one, attending trade shows and seminars, and visiting
other businesses is vital to understanding the bigger picture, nomatter what indus-
try you’re part of.
During the past few weeks, I had the opportunity to attend a few memo-
rable events. One was an industry dinner for the Association of Women in the
Metal Industries, featuring TimTimken, president and CEO of TimkenSteel Corp.
He emphasized the importance of talented people to the success of a company.
“People drive progress,” he said. Timken also noted that one of the major chal-
lenges for companies is to keep the talent pipeline flowing, and that attracting
and retaining talent should be a top priority for every business.
On a similar note, Dave Spencer of wTe Corp. gave a great talk at the Center
for Heat Treating Excellence (CHTE) spring meeting on the value of networking
with peers. He began his speech with a laundry list of everything he had been
asked to speak about by Diran Apelian, founder of the Metal Processing Insti-
tute at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. But he said he couldn’t even scratch the
surface of this request in a 30-minute talk. So he spoke about the importance
of collaboration instead. He mentioned the key reason why people join CHTE
and other such consortiums. “We get together and talk about things we’re not
allowed to talk about because we like each other. We also have fun together,”
said Spencer. It gets better. He emphasized the importance of staying positive
and collaborative. “Try as hard as you can to be nice. And don’t talk down about
other people—we’re all trying the best we can.”
TheBrightWorldof Metals trade showquartet inGermanywas the next stop
on my NIHITO journey. The event included the GIFA, Metec, ThermProcess, and
NewCast shows, featuring foundry, metallurgy, thermal processing, and casting
technologies. With over 78,000 visitors from 120 countries visiting 2214 booths,
there was a lot to see, including several ASM member companies showcasing
their latest heat treating equipment. Beyond the block-long, two-story booths
featuring conference rooms and catered meals, fully functioning machinery was
on display. One company, ABP Induction, had a 50-ton induction furnace set up,
capable of producing 35 tons of steel in 40 minutes. The furnace was shipped to
a construction facility in Saudi Arabia immediately after the show.
My favorite part about traveling is talking with other people and learning
about their unique perspectives and challenges. People are a lot more candid
in person than over email or LinkedIn groups. While social media certainly has
its place, there’s no substitute for face-to-face communication. Let the power of
NIHITO work for you whenever you have the chance!
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YOUSAY NIHITO, I SAY NIHATO