I was intrigued to find an alternative rich list published by Škoda. While it’s clearly a nice piece of brand marketing, the profiles - rich-listers in terms of family, health and community - were a good read, and the concept of how we measure riches and success was interesting to think about. The profile of … Continue reading Riches by Another Measure
No Assholes
After joining a new company, I initially nodded when I heard a colleague refer to the business’s “NA” policy - a reflex reaction borne from the corporate world of acronyms I had just left. The nod turned into furrowed brows when I failed to decipher the acronym. My colleague saw my confusion. “No assholes” she … Continue reading No Assholes
Hidden Figures
Set at the time when USA seemed to be losing the space race to Russia, Hidden Figures tells the story of 3 African-American women who made significant contributions to America’s space programme. It’s an enjoyable watch, with some great lessons too. Aside from the basic wrongness of the practice, the film made me think about … Continue reading Hidden Figures
Puzzling Diversity
A quote I noted from Sara Tucker's presentation at the NZ Wine Industry’s 2018 Bragato Conference paraphrased here: Diversity is represented by a puzzle’s different pieces. Inclusiveness is the completed puzzle. I love this imagery. The pieces aren't enough. The right culture, policies and practices are needed to bring them together.
Lion’s Flexcellence
Sara Tucker is External Relations Director for Lion - one NZ’s largest beer companies and a significant player in the NZ Wine industry through the Wither Hills brand. Her presentation near the end of the NZ wine industry’s 2018 Bragato Conference described the company’s efforts to provide a flexible, diverse and inclusive workforce - … Continue reading Lion’s Flexcellence
Better than Best
An esteemed academic recently told me off for describing something as best practice. He was kidding around with me on the semantics, but it was a good point. Best Practice is best practice today, but quite possibly there will be something better, one day. There can be good practice. There can be better practice. But … Continue reading Better than Best
More on Boss Lesson #10
No surprises. This has been a common theme I've experienced with several bosses, and Boards I've reported to, and one in particular who even warned me against planning a surprise birthday! The only bad news is late news, or worse, a surprise. If there's a problem, or if it looks like a problem is looming, … Continue reading More on Boss Lesson #10
More on Boss Lesson #9
Listen. This boss asked me to read the first part of a book called 'More Time to Think' by Nancy Kline. What he taught me was the power of intent, deliberate listening. Not listening to respond, but listening to give the speaker the time to shine. Trust me. This is worth spending some time on. … Continue reading More on Boss Lesson #9
More on Boss Lesson #8
People first. I'm not sure this person, if they read this, would know I learned it from them. I think that's because they do this naturally, and they do it so well it can't help be a lesson to others, even if not intended that way. Every phone call, every meeting, every personal interaction started … Continue reading More on Boss Lesson #8
More on Boss Lesson #7
She'll never be right. The owner of a company I headed is one of the most stimulating and interesting people you could hope to meet. He's world famous and highly respected in his craft but shuns the limelight (he much prefers shadow - sorry, 'in' joke). He also has high expectations, sometimes unreasonably high. I'm … Continue reading More on Boss Lesson #7
Agenda 