People Matter ∴ Do Good

Lead a vivid life that does good

Author: Andrew (Page 2 of 43)

Compassion is the only acceptable response

29 April 2019 /

Compassion was the only acceptable response.Disappointed? Yes.    Appalled? Often.   Outright angry? Sadly.

This describes some of my emotions as I’ve read various opinions in the weeks following the Christchurch mosque shootings. Christians up in arms about the call to prayer; a Hamilton City Councillor suggesting we “move on”; criticism of wearing the hijab; Katie Hopkins ranting from the other side of the world; and off course Destiny church protesting across the road from the mosque.

Before you think I’m about to question your beliefs or opinions I’m not … so relax.

So, why was I disappointed, appalled and angry?

Because these comments aren’t what compassion looks like in action. Or what love does.

Compassion and love are so much more than pity or sympathy or even empathy.

  • Pity:   I can see you are suffering.
  • Sympathy:   I care about your suffering.
  • Empathy:   Me Too – I feel your suffering and grieve with you.
  • Compassion:   I’m here with you, beside you, ready to help. “You are us.”

So what does aroha or love in action look like?

Hint: Having all of the above!

∴

Yesterday President Trump said he had the “deepest sympathies” for the most recent synagogue shooting in the US. Compare that to how Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern responded. She acted with kindness and compassion and love and aroha. She showed love to the people directly affected and demonstrated compassionate leadership to the rest of us. If I was a victim connected with that horrible day I’d have wanted more than pity or sympathy or empathy. I’d have wanted the Prime Minister to show compassion and love.

Which is why I’ve been disappointed, appalled and angry.

Because compassion should always be our response. And if we can’t or aren’t prepared to really show compassion, probably best we shut up, keep our opinions to ourselves and stop criticising the people who are.

Action speaks loudly!

 

NB: At best I had empathy. Which is a challenge to me in and of itself.

We Just Go

28 March 2019 /

We Just Go It was one of those lazy wet Sunday afternoons when I received the call from a team member just “letting me know” her house was surrounded in water. What was heavy rain on one side of town, was a torrential downpour on the other, that forced this solo mum and her son from their home.

She was “just letting me know” and I didn’t need to come over, so I grabbed my 13-year-old son and we headed out anyway.

As we drove across town J asked me “What will we do when we get there?” I answered “I don’t know, maybe something, maybe nothing.”

Still inquisitive he asked, “Well if we don’t know if we can help, why go?”

“Because we Just Go”, I replied, “We may be able to help, or we may just give them a hug, but regardless, we don’t wait to find out. We just go!”

And when we arrived, we did give them both a hug. And we helped. And of course my teenage son bounced on a tramp surrounded by water, because that’s what boys do.

And we wouldn’t have if we didn’t Just Go.

∴

In times of crisis or tragedy or suffering, all too often I see people not know how to respond to the needs of others.

They don’t think they can help.

Or are concerned they won’t know what to say.

And they worry they might do the wrong thing.

So they stay.

But you can help. And the words will come. And the right thing is to be there.

So JUST GO.

10 great tips when applying for jobs online.

28 February 2019 /

The future of jobs is changing and so is the way you apply for those jobs.

6 years ago (a lifetime in technology) I wrote 14 tips to stand out when applying for a job. Well the way we apply for jobs and big data is changing the whole job seeker experience so here’s my latest tips:

Help the machines10 great tips when applying for jobs online

Computers and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are now doing a lot more of the screening and recommendations to companies of who they should employ.

  1. Create your ‘Machine CV’ | In the olden days when people used to spend 10 seconds skim reading CV’s it was all about standing out. Now almost every platform scrapes your CV and converts it to text so that AI can work its magic (Seek, TradeMe, coHired and most recruitment technologies do it.) Sadly your beautifully crafted, multi-column CV with info-graphics is not that helpful to AI.  The Solution: Have a Machine CV;
    • A well formatted single column CV in Word format (which currently gets the best results)
    • AI loves data, so time to add back in some of those words you’ve been deleting over the last few years. Particularly around the experience and responsibilities you’ve had. It will help you rank higher.
    • Keep pictures and images to a minimum.
  2. Answer Questions Honestly | More organisational science is being mixed with AI in the form of questions that are asked. If you want a job you love, answer them honestly. If AI thinks you are someone different to who you are, it will recommend you for jobs that won’t suit you.
  3. Respond Quickly | AI will process your information as soon as it is completed, no more waiting for a human. The sooner you get the information in, the quicker you will pop to the top of the list.
  4. Reference Checks | Your old managers are time poor and more reference checks are being done electronically. It’s now important to have both their email address and phone numbers. And AI is pretty good at spotting if you have provided dodgy referees by looking at IP addresses and domain names.
  5. Video Interviews | Both automated and human video interviews will continue to increase. Be prepared for them by making sure you are in a quiet space free from distraction. If it’s a 1 on 1 video call, make sure you are logged in and ready to go 5 mins early, so that you know the technology is working and you start relaxed.

Take advantage of Technology

Companies are using technology like crazy. You can too.

  1. LinkedIn Marketing | Is an opportunity to market yourself and to reach past technology directly to hiring managers. It’s never been easier to find out who key people are in an organisation to reach out and find out more about jobs. But be warned, find a relevant person in a relevant location and connect and ask some great questions. Reaching out to the CEO of Microsoft is not likely to get a result.
  2. Social Media Privacy | Public in social media means public. I personally can’t be bothered looking at your Facebook page, but many recruiters do, and more often technology grabs that data. So make conscious decisions about what is public and private across your social accounts.
  3. Job Data Privacy | You also get to control what happens to your data on job boards like Seek, Indeed, and Trade Me Jobs. Review it often if you are actively hunting for work and remove permissions when you are not.

Stay Human

You are human. You are beautifully uniquely you. Make sure you take every opportunity to show that.

  1. Create your ‘Human CV’ | Yes I know, I told you to have a Machine CV, but eventually you will meet a human, so have a great well-presented CV that appeals to them. They are great for making an impact by email or at interviews or even as supporting docs on platforms.
  2. Personalise your application | Take the time to investigate the company you are applying to. And craft your application specifically for the role and advert. Always put your best foot forward. When a human reviews what AI is suggesting they notice if you have put in the effort and personalised for their role and company. That goes a long way to making an impression pre-interview.

∴

Will machines completely replace humans in the recruitment process? Yes & No

Yes – Some big companies already have systems that fully automate the process.
No – Most companies will have a bunch of tools that help automate the process and real humans talking with real humans.

The big question: If a company dehumanizes me in the recruitment process, will they genuinely care about me as a human being when I get the job?

 

PS: Agoge and coHired are amazing places to work. We love technology and love people. Check us out!

Hindsight gifts insights, that improves foresight.

31 January 2019 /

Hindsight gifts insights, that improves foresight.Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but we are already one month into 2019.

So how are those goals, ambitions, dreams and resolutions going?

If you are struggling, maybe it’s because you aren’t using hindsight well.

 

Hindsight offers 20:20 vision

It is fair to say that last year did not all go as planned for me.

So at the end of the year I sat and reflected on each month, making as many notes as possible about what happened. I was reminded of some big wins, all the learning, and the amazing people I met. And of course I got to see what didn’t go that well.

I then looked for insights (ah-ha moments) and asked questions like “What did I do that made the biggest difference?” and “What do I need to tweak to help me achieve my goals?”

One thing I noticed was that changes late in the year meant I had fallen into a pattern of managing individuals rather than leading teams (which is not great for a CEO). Using hindsight helped me notice it and make changes to protect this year.

Hindsight if we take the time, actually helps us see and live into the future better.

Hindsight gifts insights, that improves foresight.

∴

We often think about hindsight as … “If I knew then, what I know today, I would’ve done things differently.”

Which is different from 20:20 hindsight which is …“What will I do differently today, from what I learnt from then?”

You have a fixed mindset and here’s how to fix it.

16 August 2018 /

Growth comes from the edgesI was attending a conference recently where the keynote speaker was talking about fixed and growth mindsets. He asked everyone who had a fixed mindset to raise their hand and naturally I did.

I was the only one!

Which is crazy because we all have a fixed mindset. In fact the majority of our beliefs and attention are focused on supporting our current world view.

Don’t believe me? Consider these topics… Climate change; immunisation; diversity; feminism; evolution; the government; raising kids; your boss; or even what AI will do to your job. I guarantee you, like me, that you have a fixed mindset in most of these areas. Which is OK, because we can’t be growing in every area, at all times.

So how do we transition from fixed to growth in an area of strong belief?

Learn at the edges.

Take an area where your mindset is fixed and learn or read or consider the complete opposite edge of your current view. Or if your belief is middle of the road, read at the extreme edges of both points of view. As you approach the edges with openness, your views and beliefs will shift. Often not to the edge, but almost certainly from where it was.

Growth doesn’t come from focusing our attention narrowly.

Growth comes at the edges.

∴

I wonder if the fact that I was the only person to raise my hand about having a fixed mindset, means that I was the only one who actually had a true growth mindset.

Because knowing where our mindset is fixed, is the foundation of true growth.

Our attention defines our beliefs

8 August 2018 /

“Cask wine still exists!” I was surprised to say the least. I had been eating lunch with friends and they politely informed me that cask wine was still a thing. Not convinced, because I’ve never seen it at the supermarket, I decided to check it out the next time I went shopping and I was expecting it to be tucked away in some obscure place.

Well it turns out… There is an entire shelf for cask wine, who knew!

It shouldn’t have surprised me, because they are over 20,000 different items in many supermarkets, far more than our brains can keep track of. So as we walk around looking for the items on our shopping list, our brains shut out all the clutter so that we are not overwhelmed and can focus on what we need.

Our attention is focused only on what we want to see.

Which is

a

BIG

problem!

In our everyday lives, we are constantly ignoring most things that are counter to our world view.

To make matters worse, we subconsciously choose to only read or learn or engage with books and articles and videos that support our existing views.

All that leads us to make judgements and build beliefs that are not based on a full picture.

They are based on what we choose to see!

To finish my wine story. I’m a low-level wine snob and generally buy international wine, which is right next to the cask wine (See photo). Cask Wine

It was literally right in front of my eyes. Every … time … I went to buy wine.

Where we focus our attention … is where we form our view of reality.

Even if it’s not real.

∴

Over and over again I have beliefs that are not based on fact. They are based entirely on where I historically focused my attention.

By not changing where I focus my attention, I become close minded.

Which doesn’t make me a great leader.

And makes me a lesser human.

 

Next week, big promise, I’ll share how ‘learning at the edges’ can help with our attention.

Waiting for change

6 May 2018 /

waiting for people to change can be frustrating - SQWaiting for somebody to change can be frustrating.

As a leader, friend or parent, you’ve probably shared greats ideas.

Encouraged them.

Coached.

Yet they’re still not changing, or if they are it’s far too slowly.

In our mind we wonder ‘why can’t they just do it!’

When it comes to seeing change in others, we are often incredibly impatient.

But when it comes to us, and our long road of changing life long habits.

That’s different.

We want people to be patient with us.

∴

Thanks to all those people who are patient with me as I slowly tweak my life for the better.

And sorry to those of you whom I expect to change immediately. I’ll try and be more patient, and I love that you aren’t giving up.

It’s not a priority if there are more than ONE

31 January 2018 /

It’s not a priority if there are more than 1It was only in the 1900’s that it became possible to use the word ‘priorities’.

For the preceding 500 years it was simply ‘priority’.

It was singular.

It meant the very first thing.

Something that must happen immediately prior.

∴

Do you ever have those days where you have so much to do, and you end up working on so many things that you never really get any of them done?

Try setting a #1 priority for each day.

Make it one thing you can hit out of the park. Something that will move your dream forward. Something that will give you a moment of pride when you complete it.

Then do that FIRST.

 

 

[NB it takes effort to think about your priority every day, and more discipline to do it, but the pay back is incredible. Do give it a try]

It is better to be present than give presents.

15 December 2017 /

It is better to be present than give presents. Thank you to the many people I’ve connected with this year, who gave me an unimaginable gift.

Thank you for the irreplaceable gift of your time.

As I head off for a short break tomorrow and I didn’t want to leave without saying Thank You!

Thank you for meeting, talking, messaging, listening, reading, coffee’ing and connecting with me. Thank you for encouraging, challenging, stimulating and evoking me.

My life is honestly so much richer because of you! And I wish I could list you all!

You were present.

You gave me the gift of your time.

Thank you!

∴

And as we head towards time with friends and family and then into 2018 it reminds me…

It is better to be present than give presents.

May we be ‘present’ this Christmas!

Aroha Nui

Could you fail 39 times?

20 October 2017 /

Would you give up on the 39th AttemptI learnt recently that WD-40 stands for “Water Displacement 40”. The 40 means it was his 40th attempt at developing the product.

The  inventor Norm Larsen had tried 39 times to find a way to displace water to stop rusting in the aerospace industry.

When he finally succeeded on his 40th attempt he created a product that has far more uses that just the problem he was seeking to solve.

WD-40 would not exist if he & his team of three had given up on their 31st attempt.

∴

I love that each time I use this product, the name itself, will be a reminder that sometimes failure upon failure is needed before success can occur.

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