I got grumpy with a Customer Service guy on the phone at Trustpower yesterday. I wanted someone to take ownership and they wouldn’t so I got annoyed at him. I wasn’t abusive, just frustrated and CEO type direct. It got me precisely nowhere! A few months back, I decided to move our home phone and broadband to Trustpower, … More Bad systems, lead to bad customer experiences!
With the exception of primary school, the first book I ever read cover to cover was when I was 27 years old. It was a Tom Clancy novel. The first business book I ever read was in my early 30’s, ‘The One Minute Manager’. My journey with reading really took off as the founder of … More Learning to read changed my life.
As arrogant as it sounds, if you ask me for help, I’ll most likely say No. I often don’t even give a reason it’s just, No. But it’s a great cause… No. You’re the only one who can help… (the only one, really?) … No. Last time you helped … I did. Sorry, No. Over … More The worlds most powerful question
The road ahead of us bends to the left and intersects with our small cul-de-sac which climbs off to the right. With our ‘L‘ plates front and back, and me in the passenger seat, I clearly instruct the first time driver “don’t cut the corner”. It is after all a perfect corner for cutting. My … More Why cutting corners matters!
Recently I was having coffee with a guy who had taken some advice I have given him and was raving about it. The funny thing is that he confessed to me that one of his team had given him the same advice a few months earlier and he had largely ignored it. Often our familiarity with … More Does familiarity stop you listening?
In my final years of high school I was labelled. I was average (to below average). I lacked discipline. I needed to work harder. It would have been easy for me to accept that story and have it define my life. What your schools, friends, colleagues and even family say about you is far less … More The story that shapes your life.
Last week I was out running with Jay tagging along on his bike. As I ran, a seagull became increasingly disturbed with my presence and finally started dive bombing me. We sought shelter under some trees and, once the bird was over it, we carried on. It is fair to say Jay was freaked out … More Does fear steal freedom?
‘Kinstugi’ is the Japanese word that describes the art of repairing broken ceramics with gold. This art form is wonderful in the way it takes something that is broken, destined to be rubbish. And restores it. With gold ! Once repaired, it is considered more beautiful for having been broken. ∴ Often brokenness from our … More ‘Kinstugi’ the art of turning Brokenness into Beauty.
Happy New Year! By now a few of you are 5 days into your New Years Resolution. While others, like me, are yet to set some as we come back from our summer holidays. Wherever you are on your resolution cycle here’s a thought … Resolution comes from Resolve. Resolve means to have a determination … More Re-solving the New Years Resolution problem.
“Yes I’ve put that in my ‘stuff up’ folder” was the reply as we discussed a small error that one of my team had just made. Now the error the person had made was on a task they had never done before, (ever!) and hadn’t been trained for, but they labelled it a stuff up. … More Take care of your brain
I’m sure you have heard the phrase “practice makes perfect” many times in your life. You may have even used it on your children or other people you know. Indeed if you want to get as near as possible to perfect in something, practice is the key. Usually at least 10,000 hours of it. But … More The downside of ‘Practice makes you perfect’
For those who know me, you will know one of my favourite (and at times most frustrating) questions is “How do you mean?” It’s a favourite question because it softer than “What do you mean?” and because it is a great way to find out exactly what the person is saying or thinking or trying … More Its the question that could change your life…
I was reading a study where people were given the opportunity to buy the exact same pain-killer, but packaged in different ways and costing different amounts of money. They then followed up to see which drugs worked more effectively, and discovered that the more expensive the drug, the better people ‘believed’ it worked. Think about … More The hidden power of belief
A number of years ago Bill Gates’ mother held a dinner party and invited both Warren Buffet (super rich guy) and Bill along. At the dinner party she ask what they believed was the single most important factor for their success. Both Bill and Warren gave the same one-word answer: “Focus.” Focus is one of … More 3 ways to stay focused on your goals
I hate running on a treadmill! Nothing does my head in quite as much as watching minute after minute tick by, while I stay in one place and move exactly nowhere. It’s funny how one minute can feel like a blink of an eye, but when things are moving slowly or you are watching a … More Do you have a minute?
