Fall 2026 – ERA XCOM Digest

Another meeting? Yes — but one that matters

By John Guetens

We all know how important communication is. Whether personal or business, good lines of communication are essential to building relationships, exchanging feedback and developing understanding and trust.

One tool we promote within our organization at E-T-A is the cadenced one-on-one meeting between manager and employee. A recurring meeting provides an established, verbal line of communication that can be an invaluable tool for maintaining a connection with team members, especially those who work remotely.

A good one-on-one isn’t simply another status meeting. If every conversation becomes a review of tasks and deadlines, it quickly turns into another administrative obligation— and who needs more of those? Instead, it should be a two-way conversation in which both manager and employee participate. While business activity should remain a primary focus, there should also be room for broader topics, questions, ideas and even some personal conversation. The goal is to understand the person, not just the work.

I can speak from experience from both sides of the desk: as an employee meeting with my supervisor and as a supervisor meeting with my direct reports. For me, these regularly scheduled conversations have been an invaluable tool for developing mutual understanding and trust.

As a manager, I might come prepared with a few open-ended questions:
• What’s going well?
• What’s getting in your way?
• Is there something we should be talking about that we haven’t?
• What are you seeing that I’m not?
• Is there any additional support or resources that you might need?
• Or even…what did you do over the weekend?

For me personally, there are three important points of value these meetings bring.

First, they create a guaranteed opportunity to communicate. It’s easy to think you’re an accessible manager because you tell employees, “My door is always open.” But that still puts the burden on the employee to initiate the conversation. A scheduled one-on-one removes that hurdle.

Second, they create an opportunity to talk about something other than the urgent business at hand. Most day-to-day communication— whether verbal, email or Teams—tends to be transactional. A oneon- one provides an opportunity for broader, higher-level discussions that might otherwise never happen.

Third, the benefit goes both ways. The employee gets dedicated time with their manager, while the manager gains a better understanding of what’s happening with the employee and the business. Perhaps most importantly, both have an opportunity to strengthen a relationship that can otherwise become dominated by a steady stream of transactional, task-oriented activities.

There is no magic formula for how often these meetings should occur. Depending on the person and situation, they might be weekly, bi-weekly or monthly. At E-T-A, we use a bi-weekly cadence. What matters most is establishing a rhythm and treating that time as protected, free from distraction and frequent reschedules.

The manager has a responsibility to protect the time, listen, provide feedback and follow through. The employee has a responsibility to use the time—come prepared to participate, raise questions, share concerns and bring ideas to the conversation.

A one-on-one isn’t about having another meeting on the calendar. It’s about making sure communication doesn’t become something you only get around to when there’s a problem.

We’ve actually applied the same idea of a cadenced one-on-one as a line of communication between regional sales management and rep principals—a short, monthly scheduled conversation to simply touch base on topics relevant to the relationship.

If you’re on the fence about whether one-on-ones would bring value to you as a manager or employee, ask yourself this: How much opportunity do you really have for spontaneous interaction? The less opportunity you have, the more important intentional interaction becomes.

From mindset to movement: Putting ERA education into practice

By Lori Bruno, CPMR

In my last column, I shared a fundamental truth about our industry: curiosity is our superpower. Like Ted Lasso says, “Be curious, not judgmental!” But a structured framework is what turns that curiosity into revenue. We talked about ERA as the premier global campus for the electronics supply chain and why continuous learning is the ultimate hedge against obsolescence.

Now, it is time to put those principles into motion.

At the end of September, ERA hosted its annual Sales Training for Electronics Professionals (STEP) program. If our certified credentialing programs like CPMR represent the strategic architecture of running a business, STEP is where the rubber meets the road. It is our tactical, highimpact training ground designed specifically for the daily reality of field sales in electronic components. I am happy to say the number of people who attended STEP far exceeded my expectations.

Why industry education matters right now

We are operating in a market defined by rapid technology shifts, shifting channel dynamics and evolving customer expectations. The traditional sales playbook isn’t just outdated— it’s inadequate. Modern frontline sales professionals need more than product specs and pitch decks; they need sharp negotiation skills, modern prospecting strategies and the ability to articulate complex value across the entire manufacturer-rep-distributor ecosystem.

STEP, as well as the ERA Conference breakout sessions, were built precisely to answer that need. Over three concentrated, virtual days, STEP delivered live, practical modules taught by proven industry leaders and professional sales trainers. It offered concrete takeaways that reps, distributors and manufacturers can implement immediately on their very next sales call.

If you happened to miss STEP 2026, all nine session modules (plus archives dating back to 2021) are available on demand at era. org/step. Watch anytime, revisit whenever you need a refresh and take advantage of a $100 discount for ERA members.

Looking ahead to the 2027 ERA Conference in February? The Conference is all about in-person education. The keynote, general and breakout sessions will offer an immersive experience designed to dive deeper into core industry challenges—helping you optimize your rep firm, level up as a sales manager and sharpen your overall competitive edge.

Bridging the knowledge gap across generations

One of the greatest strengths of ERA education is its universality. For the early career professional, STEP, ERA Conference breakout sessions and ERA LIVE webinars provide the essential foundational skills and industry context needed to shorten the learning curve, build credibility fast and gain confidence in complex sales environments. Seasoned veterans can receive a vital reset—a chance to refine tactical approaches, adopt new digital selling tools and sharpen edge cases in customer engagement.

Whether you are onboarding new talent or recharging experienced performers, ERA education offers a shared platform where every level of the channel can level up together.

Make the commitment today

As your Senior Vice President of Education, I often hear leaders say, “We’re too busy right now to take time out for training.” My answer is simple: if you are too busy to sharpen your tools, you will eventually spend twice as much energy cutting with a dull blade.

Investment in your team’s practical capability isn’t an operational expense—it is a competitive strategy.

Block off the time, clear the calendars and commit to giving your team the tactical advantage they need as we head into the final quarter of the year and prepare for 2027. The market moves fast, but well-trained, highly adaptable professionals move faster.

Andiamo—let’s put learning into action

10 discoveries in 18 halls: Making the most of electronica 2026

By Tobi Cornell, CPMR

Every two years, the electronics industry descends on Munich for electronica—one of the largest gatherings of electronics professionals, technologies, manufacturers, distributors, engineers, salespeople and innovators in the world.

With thousands of exhibitors spread across 18 halls, the size of the show can be both exciting and overwhelming. You can walk miles of aisles, collect bags full of literature, visit new and familiar suppliers, shake hundreds of hands—and still may wonder on the flight home: Did I see everything I wanted to?

Here are some tips to making the most of your electronica 2026 experience!

Instead of simply asking, “Who do I need to visit?” ask yourself “What do I want to learn while I’m here?” There are so many exciting things to see! Plan in advance so you can efficiently move through electronica’s halls.

1. Go to Munich with questions!

Three of electronica 2026’s major focus topics—artificial intelligence, cyber resilience and energy efficieny—reflect just how quickly our industry is changing. But those broad themes become much more interesting when we turn them into questions.

• What does AI actually look like inside a product? We talk constantly about artificial intelligence, but at electronica we have an opportunity to look beyond generative AI and explore what AI means at the component level. How will AI affect the components that engineers select five years from now?

• How are we going to manage all this heat? More processing power, higher power densities, smaller packages, AI hardware and increasingly powerful electronics all create the same unavoidable byproduct: heat. That makes thermal management increasingly important. Gap fillers, thermal putties, graphite, heat spreaders, phase-change materials, advanced packaging and even liquid cooling are becoming part of a much bigger engineering conversation. The question isn’t simply, “Which material has the highest thermal conductivity?” It’s, “How are we going to cool the next generation of electronics?”

• What comes after today’s connector? Electrification is changing the requirements placed on interconnect products. Battery energy storage, renewable energy, data centers, industrial automation and other high-power applications require connectors capable of handling more current, data, signals and voltage while maintaining reliability and safety. At the same time, electronics continue to become smaller. That creates an interesting contradiction: more power, more data and more functionality are often combined now in less space.

• What new problems are SiC and GaN creating? Silicon carbide and gallium nitride power semiconductors are enabling smaller, faster and more efficient power systems. Faster switching can also create new EMI challenges. That means innovation in semiconductors can create opportunities elsewhere in the electronics ecosystem: shielding, grounding, filtering, absorber materials, thermal management and improved enclosure design. Sometimes the most interesting opportunity isn’t the new technology itself; it’s the new problem that technology creates.

• Is the home becoming an energy system? Solar panels were once largely standalone products. Today, solar can be connected to battery storage, smart electrical panels, EV chargers, home automation and the utility grid. The home is gradually becoming an interconnected energy ecosystem. For component manufacturers, that creates opportunities in high-power connectors, sensing, power conversion, thermal management, circuit protection and EMI.

• What’s happening inside the package? Advanced semiconductor packaging is changing how high-performance systems are constructed. Instead of assuming everything must live on one large monolithic chip, designers can combine specialized dies and technologies into highly integrated packages. That creates another set of questions around thermal performance, signal integrity, interconnect density, substrates, manufacturing and reliability.

• Is cybersecurity becoming a hardware problem? Cybersecurity has traditionally been viewed primarily as a software concern, but that line is increasingly becoming blurry. Secure microcontrollers, authentication devices, secure elements, connectivity modules and hardware-based security architectures are moving cybersecurity deeper into the physical electronics. As more products become connected, perhaps one of the questions we should be asking component manufacturers is: “How are you helping engineers design security into the product from the beginning?”

• What will 6G require? The industry is already looking beyond today’s wireless networks toward the technologies that will eventually enable 6G. That means opportunities in RF components, antennas, filters, high-frequency materials, connectors, sensors and semiconductor technologies. We may not know exactly what 6G will look like yet—and that is precisely what makes it interesting to explore.

2. Find the companies you don’t recognize.

Most of us arrive at electronica with a list of companies we already know and have scheduled meetings with. Consider also deliberately spending some time walking through startup areas and unfamiliar booths. One great question: “Which company here is solving a problem that the rest of the industry won’t recognize for another three years?” That unknown company may end up being the most interesting conversation you have all week.

3. The FUN part: Take the 10 discoveries challenge!

This brings me to a challenge for electronica 2026. This is a fun idea that will help us explore the show using a new perspective!

Try leaving Munich with 10 discoveries:

-2 technologies you had never heard of

-2 products you believe your customers will need (now or in the future)

-2 new applications for products you already sell

-2 emerging companies worth watching –

1 technology that concerns you – understand the threats as well as the opportunities

-1 technology that genuinely excites you

Let’s bring curiosity back to the trade show! The electronics industry has always been about discovery. Every connector, sensor, semiconductor, thermal material, power supply and circuit protection device eventually becomes part of something larger — something that solves a problem, creates a capability or makes an idea possible.

electronica gives us a rare opportunity to see many of those pieces in one place. Schedule meetings, visit your suppliers, meet your customers and attend forums. Walk all 18 halls—or at least try!

Also, leave some room in your schedule for curiosity: Turn down an aisle you hadn’t planned to visit. Stop at a booth with which you’re unfamiliar. Ask an engineer what problem they’re trying to solve. Pick up a component and ask why it exists.

When you board the plane home from Munich, ask yourself: What are the 10 things I discovered? Because in an industry changing as quickly as ours, the greatest value of electronica may not be seeing what we already know. It may be discovering what’s next.

ERA’s chapters are bringing the energy

By Ellen Coan, CPMR

What makes an ERA chapter? As I sat on the ERA COLT Quarterly Zoom call, I heard excitement from every chapter as members shared their events and the ideas that worked for them. In today’s world, those different approaches are what keep each day exciting. Our curiosity about the details sparked a great conversation that day. Many chapters are engaging NexGen members from all three legs of the stool—distributors, manufacturers and reps—at local events. Everyone shared what worked and what did not, from how to define NexGen for our industry to which events were well attended and which days and times worked best. The energy behind ERA’s programs to recruit, support internships and now mentor our peers is electric as we grow our technical sales teams.

Each chapter seems to know its local industry peers and taps into their presentation skills for local meetings — for example, Michael Knight for ERA SoCal, and Sam Richter or Dave Doherty for ERA Minnesota. Eddie Smith, ERA CEO, is always available for chapter meetings and has already visited many of us this year. Beyond continuing education, all chapters give back to their communities by supporting industry friends in their health battles, local Alzheimer’s groups, food banks or any nonprofit they can support.

The local chapter board of directors is unique to each region; some boards are small, while others are large and have very defined duties. Adding to that, each chapter’s national delegate has responsibilities defined by ERA National and serves as the liaison between the local chapter and national leadership. Delegates communicate in both directions: they bring messages about new programs and events from ERA National to the chapters, and they bring the collective chapter voice back to ERA National when they vote on issues.

Do not forget: COLT, ERA’s Chapter Officer Leadership Training, will take place virtually Dec. 1-3. There are so many testimonials from past trainings about the value chapters gain as they learn creative ideas and practical knowledge, such as member recruitment, how to host events, how to use the tools available on the ERA website and how to organize educational sessions. These resources help chapter leaders elevate chapter activities and networking opportunities.

Keep the excitement going as we share the journey forward in the electronics industry. Together, we are better!