Can You Build The Team You Need To Succeed?

I have been lucky enough to play a couple of different sports somewhat competitively; basketball through school and in age group and provincial rep teams, and club rugby.  I have also enjoyed playing different sports socially - indoor netball, indoor cricket, cycling and more. 

While I am by no means the first person to compare sporting endeavours to business I nonetheless thought I'd share a couple of things I have observed about teams.

I really did enjoy my years playing basketball.  The teams I was part of were by and large well coached, drilled and practised.  The whole team worked hard to get one person free for that open shot.  Basketball, like most sports, is a game of numbers, averages and statistics, but put simply it is about someone getting into a position to take a shot while not allowing the opposition to do the same.  Every play, set move and action is geared to these two things.

A weakness in a team member's ability might be evidenced by throwing bad passes, missing too many shots, letting your opposite player get free for a shot or being out of position.  However, the consequence of these weaknesses is probably only losing.

Rugby, on the other hand, has a whole lot more to its team work.  Players need to bind a scrum, lift a line out jumper and return him to the ground carefully and join rucks and mauls correctly.  If they don't, teams don't just lose, players get hurt. 

And then there is a golf team.  It is an altogether different team dynamic.  It seems that, despite some strategy and tactics being discussed before each round, each player goes out and plays their best, the scores are added up, and they win.... or not.

What kind of team do you work in?  A team where people play their own game and add their scores at the end of the quarter or financial year?  Or a team where people are drilled and practised and work together to do the business?  Or a team where peoples' welfare, enjoyment and success depends heavily on their work mates?

Most managers and leaders talk about the need for their employees to work together as effective teams.  Yet many of those same people have no idea either a) what kind of team they need to support their business objectives, or b) how to build the kind of team they have figured they need.

All three team types are valid in their own context.  The question is, which is the most valid in your business, and can you build it?

Cheers!

Know Your Customers

It's true, the best technology is being built for consumers.   Like other in the tech world I constantly talk about the consumerism of IT.   All well and good, but what does this mean for the enterprise.

If you are serving large numbers of end user citizens or consumers you need to be able to provide them with a wonderful experience.  You have to know your customers and treat everyone of them as an individual with their own needs, wants and desires.  

There is lots of talk now about leveraging 'multi-channel' communications to improve 'customer experience'.  We are also hearing businesses talk about 'channel shift'.  What is channel shift?

Channel shift is when, as a business or government department, we make a conscious decision to shift our communications away from one channel and onto another.  They might do this for any number of reasons, but they can normally be distilled down to two fundamentals:

1. Improve customer service, and/or
2. Reduce cost of service delivery

But channel shift can also be customer driven.  Your customers just stop calling or interacting because you are not on the same channel as them.

One of the key examples of channel shift is the move from telephony to IVR (interactive voice response - you know, "Press 1 for...") to self service via the web.  I don't call my pay TV provider now, not until I have looked at their website.  And banking... what percentage of interactions do you have with your bank via the branch, telephone or Internet?  I imagine most of us step into the bank for less than 5% of our interactions.

Do you know your customers?

For a long time having a web page has no longer been enough.  Having a good web page is not enough.  Having a brilliant website is considered table stakes.  These days you need to also be in social channels, interactive TV channels, and possibly all the mainstream media channels to communicate effectively with your customers.  And in this day of consumer pull of content through services like Internet movies and music, not to mention TV on demand, they need to be able to transact with you any time from anywhere in anyway they please.

Using technology channels is fast, effective, low cost per transaction and, done well, customer intimate.

Here are some great thoughts to get you started and this promotional video from SalesForce.com is also a useful insight into the thinking of customers.

But the best thinking I have heard on customer intimacy was from the former head of marketing at Harley Davidson.  I heard Ken Schmidt speak at a conference in 2011 - a powerful presentation.  In this short clip he talks about customer intimacy in a language we can all understand.  I hope you enjoy it.

Cheers!

Babe Ruth's Secret and Government Investment in Business

I had a great afternoon today, where first hand I got to hear how the Government's investment in the private sector is delivering some staggering innovation in the primary products industries.

But what was Babe Ruth's secret, and how does it relate to gvernment investment in business in 2013?  Read on.

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is leading the charge through a programme known as Primary Growth Partnership, or PGP.   According to the MPI website, the PGP programmes "are primarily business-led and market-driven innovation programmes that work across the primary industry value chain. The PGP is about boosting productivity and profitability, and delivering long-term economic growth and sustainability across the primary sectors, from producer to consumer."

The government will match funding up to dollar for dollar, although in many cases industry is providing the majority of funding.

Why is the government investing?  In is their goal to help industry realise a potential annual benefit of $7 billion per year to NZ Inc by 2025.

Miraka, participating in PGP through Whai Hua.

One of the reasons I think this is such a valuable programme is that in was started with a long term objective in mind.  How often do we complain that the 3 year cycle of general elections can stop governments from working on long term strategic programmes of work?  Given the PGP initiative started in 2009, this is a case where the government has chosen to work on a 16 year horizon.

Today's presentation summarised 4 new PGP participants' programmes.  One was about doubling the value of premium beef products through the selective breeding of cattle to produce high value marbled beef.  Another was about producing high value immune enhancing dairy products for Asian and domestic health conscious consumers.  Yet another was aimed at improving the productivity of mussel farming through selective breeding (I didn't know that this industry, today, relies 100% on an unmanageable mussel breeding cycle), and the last focused on seed and nutritional technology.

There are many more PGP initiatives under way - 14 in total - and some are already starting to yield.

I was inspired hearing the Minister, Nathan Guy, talk with passion, and industry participants sharing their ideas and strategies for growing our economy. 

There are significant hoops for industry participants to jump through to access MPI funding, but these hoops, while improving the likelihood, still don't guarantee success. 

This is the kind of innovation we need from industry, supported by government.  I hope we celebrate the success of these programmes rather than focus on the one or two that may not realise their goals.

I do wonder how the public, no doubt influenced by a merciless media, will respond when one project doesn't come off?  Or two projects, or possibly even three?  

As one author has said, using an analogy from baseball, "if you want to swing for the fences, you have to be willing to strike out."  Babe Ruth broke 3 world records in the 1923 season.  Most home runs, best batting average and most strike outs.  It is no coincidence.

It is time we licensed our innovators, complete with government funding, to strike out from time to time.  We need them to swing for the fences.

Cheers!

Beer of the Month - September 2013

Last month I said I would move away form my preferred dark beer flavors and spend a bit more time with an APA.

As it turns out, it was a pleasure.  I wouldn't say I am a convert, but I did enjoy a good few pints of Tuatara APA.  Those in the beer community will know that this is not a traditional APA - it is not an American Pale Ale at all.  It is in fact a very kiwi APA, full name Aotearoa Pale Ale.

The story goes that they were getting underway with a good following for the American version, but ran into supply problems of the hops, so undeterred re-engineered the recipe with some hops found locally and voila, Aotearoa Pale Ale was born.

It goes down nice, particularly if it is not over chilled.  I enjoyed mine at Cuckoo Cocktail Emporium on the Wellington Waterfront.  Their website, to be fair, sucks, but on a fine Wellington afternoon, it is a great place for a cleansing ale on the way home.  I also stopped in at Bin 44, also on the Waterfront. Not as quirky as Cuckoo, but equally as nice on a fine afternoon, and they do have a much bigger selection of craft beers (Cuckoo has a very light beer selection).

For October, with summer just around the corner, I may have to sample some IPA's.  I am really not big on IPA's at all, but alas, one must not be stuck in a rut!

Until next time, enjoy a pint of craft beer, and as always please drink responsibly!

Cheers!

Cloud: Is It About Data Security and Privacy or Classification?

For many people in government, or even when just talking about government, cloud computing is something quite scary.  "Why," they ask, "would we put our country's information in data centre in another country?"

On the surface that seems to be a good question.  But is it really?  Or is it an excuse dressed as a credible question... a diversion that stops people focusing on the issue?

As I mentioned in a previous blog, we all use cloud all the time.  Many of the same people who hate the thought of using cloud in government use cloud services at home all the time.  They trust cloud providers with some of their most intimate details, yet they don't want the government to store, in some cases, the same information in the same cloud. 

I was therefore very pleased to drink coffee with a fellow IT professional who is, at the moment, working for a large government department.  He reflected back to me something I have been saying for months.

His organisation is talking about data classification, not cloud security.

The issue with citizen data and the cloud is not an issue of privacy or security.  It is an issue of classification.  The primary reason why the New Zealand public sector organisations can not yet fully leverage the benefits of true public cloud is because their data has not been  classified - they can't separate the sovereign data from all the other data. 

It is good to know that inside more and more public sector organisations data is being properly categorised and classified. The tidal wave of true cloud adoption will continue to build. The cost and performance benefits are just too great for NZ Inc to not leverage for cost savings, service improvement and competitive advantage.

Cheers!

When Did News Get Replaced With Infotainment?

We have no real mainstream news service in New Zealand anymore.  What we do have is organisations that provide information in a way that is supposed to 'entertain' us - it keeps us coming back for more and it's called Infotainment.

There is an old saying that goes along the lines of, "if you're not paying, you are the product being sold."


Why do news centric radio stations, web sites and free to air TV programmes need to entertain you?  Because they are selling you and they can only sell you if you are listening, reading or watching.  You are a statistic in their sales proposal's to advertisers.  And what keeps you listening, watching and reading?  Not real, investigative, detailed news, that's for sure.

Has any New Zealand news agency talked about the links between all the players in Syria?  Not that I have seen, but then I am ignoring them more and more these days (by the way, if you are interested, here is a really useful story from PolicyMic).  Instead we are being told over and over again about hundreds being killed while we wait with a sense of expectation and impending doom for the UN to hurry up and do nothing and for the US to once again intervene to save us all from tyranny.

I like the following picture.  It really does show us that what an editor chooses to include or exclude from a 'story' will ultimately be used by you and I to form our judgements about a situation.

Look, the soldier is providing water to a thirsty victim.  Or is he?  Perhaps he is just keeping the 'victim' alive long enough to be tortured for intelligence gathering purposes?  Or was a guy with a gun just walking by?  We may never know.  The point is the media an influence what you and I think simply by the way the represent the facts.

What if Brian Tamaki is not the highest paid preacher in New Zealand?  I suspect he isn't, but there is just no 'story' in a white middle class minister on Auckland's North Shore earning zillions from his 'flock'.  Nothing like a  a Maori boy from Tokoroa riding a Harley - that's news!   

What if David Shearer was the man for the job?  Why is Shane Jones the media darling of the Labour Leadership race?  From his time at Te Ohu Kaimoana one could wonder if he was running a sham of an organisation set up by well intentioned but nonetheless misguided legislation?  Has anyone asked why Te Ohu Kaimoana was set up when the Te Reo version of the Treaty makes no mention of fisheries?  Has anyone asked?  No, because as with Brian Tamaki, Shane Jones is good for selling airtime and web pages.

What is forming your world view?  Hopefully a little more than a cursory glance at Stuff or the 25 minutes of infotainment (including the very infotaining commercials) on free to air TV news before they get to the sport and weather.  To be honest, you'd get more information from The Civilian.  Check out this article  titled 'Equivilent of 13 White Men Killed In Egypt'.

It is a point well made and I suspect it will make you stop and think.

Cheers!


 

Beer of the Month, August 2013

A few days late getting this post out, so it will be short.

I enjoyed quite a number of lovely pints throughout August - hard not to when Beervana is in town!


My pick was the Parrot Dog Otis (ABV 6.3%).  They describe it this way; "Brewed with a generous lashing of rolled oats in the mash to achieve a silky smooth body, this deep black winter-warmer is perfect to sip on during these chilly evenings."

A couple of pints, once again at The Bruhaus, with another Wellington lad who enjoys a dark beer, @JOSNZ hit the spot nicely.

I can feel myself heading towards an APA or two this month - slightly out of character for this dark beer lover.

Until next time,
Cheers!

 

Spying Is, By Nature, Clandestine. Get Over It!

I just don't get the global uproar around PRISM and the local scaremongering about changes to the GCSB legislation.

Most of the arguments seem to be based on ignorance at best, or a conscious choice to ignore the facts at worst.

I can kind of excuse ignorance, kind of.  People don't know what they don't know, and that's OK.  There are lot's of things I am totally ignorant of - and to be honest, I'm OK with that.  I don't need, or want, to know every argument on every topic.  As exciting as it may be to you to know about the location of the last supper, that is somewhat boring to me.  On many topics ignorance is indeed bliss.

But I digress.  The truth is spying is based on what are often illegal practices (think MOSAD and NZ passports), is secretive but is necessary.  

The reality is anything you put out on the internet is open to be snooped on, by kids doing it for fun, thugs doing it for malicious purposes or governments for intelligence gathering.  It is my recommendation that if you want something to remain a secret don't say anything about it online.... anywhere.... ever.  

 We have seen Labour and National governments pass retrospective legislation during their times in power - you should assume that whatever you publish, say, save or store online will be uncovered at some point.

The real issue for me is the concept that NZ citizens will be found guilty without a trial.  But I need to do more reading on that before I comment much more.  However, I am alarmed at recent developments - this from Paula Bennett's speech in parliament last week:


"...Currently, it’s only when those abusive parents have a subsequent child and come to the attention of Child, Youth and Family that the child’s safety is assessed.  If Child, Youth and Family believe the child is unsafe, it has to prove that to the Court.  We will reverse that burden of proof. The parent will have to prove, that their child is safe in their care."

That is a bigger erosion of civil liberties than anything in the so called GSB legislation - guilty until proven innocent.   That is something to be scared about.  There are better solutions. Watch this space....


Cheers!

Why You Can't Ignore Amazon's Cloud

I really enjoyed the inaugural AWS Summit in New Zealand back in May.  It was well worth the trip to Auckland - if you missed it you can find the slides here.

Since the event my passion, for cloud generally and Amazon specifically, has grown exponentially.

As I have continued to explore just how true elastic computing can help, the arguments in favour have become more and more compelling.

I was well aware that AWS had a strong price reduction proposition.  What I hadn't realized was how much a philosophy and commitment to price reduction underpins their approach.  If you read through the AWS Economics Centre material you will see they have reduced the price to their customers 31 times since 2007.  That is almost 5 times a year, nearly every 60 days.

@Werner, Amazon CTO, presenting in Auckland in May '13.

The case studies from AWS customers continue to be enlightening and compelling.  The fact that Outsmart Studios has more than 25 million users playing their online game is quite revealing.  A small New Zealand company was able to leverage the power of Amazon's elasticity to only pay for the computing resources they use.  As usage escalated during peak times, the computing power automatically scaled to meet demand.   

I have also been heartened to hear and see many local government and central government organisations begin to explore how they can leverage Amazon's cloud.  Many have realised that they cannot come close to matching the security provided by AWS, and the issue of data sovereignty is an issue of data classification inside the enterprise, not security in an AWS data centre.

Government organisations that classify their data can find many use cases where AWS is the best option for hosting their systems.  As I said in a previous post anything you publish on the web is already 'out there', and could (I would argue should) be served from a public cloud provider.  You cannot beat them for price, service, availability or scalability.

Here's my stake in the ground.  Circa 50% of all business applications will be hosted, managed and supported by a public cloud provider before 2018.  That's 30+ years of history moved to a new paradigm in 5 years. Exciting times!

Cheers!

BYOD or UYOD

There is much said about BYOD in recent times, but I suspect the intent of BYOD is being lost in the debate.

The intent of BYOD may better be described as Use Your Own Device, or UYOD.  

There are plenty of reasons, good reasons, why enterprises are not keen to allow their employees to connect consumer or non-enterprise sanctioned devices to the enterprise network.  There are issues of virus and malware protection, data access and protection and architectural standards.

However, there is also lots of good reasons why you want to enable your stakeholders, including employees, customers and suppliers, to be able to transact with you regardless of their location, the time of day or the device they are using.  It could be as simple as web mail access, time sheeting, purchase order submitting or requesting leave.

In reality if you let people connect to web mail, or to your network via a VPN, from their home PC you are supporting users to use their own devices.

I wonder if the word ‘Bring’ causes the confusion and angst?  Users interacting with your systems either via VPN or internet pages are likely doing that on devices that are not enterprise sanctioned.  This issue for the enterprise is not whether or not it is happening, but how to provide great service in this environment, especially when your CEO wants to drive cost down and service levels up by leveraging the internet?

I suspect what you will need is a browser strategy - a plan to deliver every piece of information possible, and every transaction practicable, via a browser.  Once you have done that, users can use their own devices with ease and the concepts of BYOD revert to being nothing more than a fad we have passed through.

Cheers!

Why I Think #EQNZ Validates Cloud Computing

It was scary - the scariest earthquake I have experienced and Wellington's weekend earthquake did teach me a number of things.

Map courtesy of Geonet.org.nz

First an foremost it gave me the smallest sense of what the people of Christchurch, Japan, Haiti and other places hit by much larger earthquakes must have felt.  I wasn't 'terrified', and we didn't have a single piece of damage in our house, but it was real.  The kids were jittery for hours as were some of the adults we had visiting at the time.  For those who have lived through, and are rebuilding, after much more devastating events, I salute you.

Secondly, it was a good reminder that living in NZ, we all need to be prepared.  Thankfully we had just completed an audit of our supplies (school holiday task for Mr 12 and Ms 11) and were good.  Please make sure you have what you need.  There is good information available on the Ministry of Civil Defense and Emergency Management website.  There is no excuse for not being ready.

Business Continuity - Cloud Style
While this latest earthquake was not as big or devastating as others in recent times, it was enough to cause a lot of workplaces to be off limits while buildings were inspected and/or cleaned up.

My employer, Fronde, is a technology company specialising in 'cloud integration'.  Put simply we help other organisations leverage the goodness that is cloud computing and integrate that goodness into their systems, processes and operations, to transform their business.

Understandably we passionate cloud computing users.  And on Monday, with our office off limits, that was put to the test in a BCP context.  Different people in different roles have different needs, but most importantly, as a business we could still communicate - communicate with our employees, customers and partners even though our offices were closed.

Communication is the lifeblood of any business or organisation, and because we have not just our communication tools, but also our productivity, CRM and ERP systems in the cloud the majority of my colleagues continued to function remotely without any significant degradation in service.

Of course focusing on the health and well-being of our family, friends, neighbours and colleagues is paramount.  But once everyone is safe, keeping your business running in a time of societal stress is vital to your own economic security as well as the nation's productivity. 

You should look seriously at the security and business continuity benefits of cloud computing.  It saves dollars and makes sense.

Cheers!

Beer of the Month, July 2013

Welcome to my first note on my own choice of 'beer of the month'. This could be a beer I have tasted for the first time, one I have brewed or a commercial beer that is just hitting the spot nicely.

With the colder months upon us I have been drinking the darker beers (I tend to anyway, but especially in the colder months).  

I have found myself at Wellington's The Bruhaus more than once this last week, and to be honest, it has been a commercial beer, albeit from the UK that I have enjoyed the most.  Good old London Porter.  It is stronger than some NZ porters, but I have savored the flavor and the after taste.

I have enjoyed each visit to The Bruhaus - it is inviting, the staff are friendly and the beer selection is great. And what's even better is the food is great (I do like their beef burger).
So if you enjoy an easy to drink porter, drop in an have a pint on the way home.  Check out the map below to find them. 


View Larger Map

Please always drink responsibly.  We have so many good beers available in Wellington - it is worth taking the time to enjoy them. 

Cheers!

When Is BYOD Not BYOD?

I have had a lot of conversations about BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) in the last few weeks.  I have been amazed at just how strongly people feel about the issue.  Almost universally people tell me that BYOD will not work in the corporate enterprise, local government or central government.

It has been a topic of debate amongst colleagues and customers alike.

BYOD is not BYOD if all you are talking about is the device. 


BYOD is not about a piece of plastic, but rather it is about ubiquitous access to consumer or business information anywhere and at any time.   It has been said that giving employees remote access to your enterprise systems via VPN is in effect allowing them to BYOD.  Hard to argue... they are after all using their own computer device to connect.

BYOD is not just about your employees, but it is also about your customers.  

Governments and businesses used to provide kiosks for citizens and customers to access the internet.  Some still do, but more and more just provide free WiFi.  They do this because people walk in the door with their own devices - smartphones, tablets, laptops and even gaming consoles.

Move away from a device centric discussion people - move it to being about your customers (not just your employees) being able to access information or transact at any time, from any place, in any way.

Here's a prediction.  Schools and universities will start to phase out computer rooms and labs in the next 2 years.  They will never disappear, but there will be less of them.  You heard it here first!

Cheers!

Thanks Ma'a - You Saved Me Time

I was going to write a new blog today but there is no need.  After Ma'a Nonu's brain explosion over the weekend, I get to just say it again. 

Ma'a Nonu is not a leader.  For New Zealand Rugby to get the best from him he must be sent to the Crusaders where he can play with leaders. 

As I said in a previous post, there are leaders and players, and then there is Ma'a.

After a good turnout for the All Black's vs France series it only takes a week to revert to his usual ways.  Never forget, not all game changers are leaders.  Make sure people you hire to lead can in fact lead.

Cheers!

Ignore BYOD At Your Peril

Bring your own device (BYOD) is here. Not coming later, here now.

There has been much written about the consumerization of IT in the workplace, but in short, it refers to how the technology we use at home now drives how we want to work.

Our houses are full of smart devices - phones, tablets, laptops, and a myriad of other connected entertainment devices. We have a rich internet experience with online TV, gaming and the explosion of Music As A Service (think Spotify and Pandora) and Movies As A Service.  With such easy access to so much content at home consumers who, funnily enough, are also employees, are demanding more at work.  And the IT department is struggling to keep up.

How many of us have heard of, or experienced, executive magpies?  You know the people I mean;  the executives that pick up a new gadget duty-free while returning from a conference that, the next day, they want connected to their enterprise IT systems.  

With the explosion of BYOD, this is no longer limited to traveling executives.  It happens every day now as people expect to be able to use the technology they use at home, at work.  Every employee, customer, supplier, or partner of yours wants access to your systems on any device, at any time, from any location.  But, despite the exponential growth in BYOD, the real wave is building like a tsunami on the horizon. The next five years will see a whole new level of demand from your stakeholders. 

Why?  Because schools are leading the charge.  I was pleasantly surprised, and instantly awake when at the 2013 Wellington College open day the deputy principal made the following statement: "BYOD, "he said, "was the single biggest revolution in education - bigger than the introduction of the PC." 

Why is BYOD such a big deal in the classroom?  When a student has unfettered internet access on any device, anywhere they can find more information of a higher quality, more quickly.  They can visit discussion forums, find reference material and read opinion pieces.  They can ingest, digest and act on information in ways that we mere plebs will struggle to comprehend.

It is this push to have unlimited connectivity in the classroom that should serve as a huge wake-up call to businesses.

These kids are about to enter the workforce.  They are the grads you will be hiring in the next few months.  

And when you hire them they will demand a different, higher, level of service from your corporate services than the Gen-X or Gen-Y people you currently employ.  They will expect to have a wealth of information available, on-demand, at light speed.  They won’t delineate between internal and external systems.  To them it is just information – the source is not relevant.  

They will expect to work, collaborate and contribute at any time of the day, especially while sitting in boring Gen-X run meetings.  They will also expect to download a song or update a social media feed when it suits them.  They will expect real-time, frequent internal communication, and they will expect to be able to respond to it instantly.

Their connected worlds will blend into one. There won't be a work life and a personal life to balance, but rather just a life.  I life lived online.

And if you don’t allow them the access they crave on the device they desire you will lose them.  That could be a disaster for your business if it depends on hiring the best talent to fuel innovation and creativity.


BYOD is here now and if you are not prepared to take steps to harness the power it brings, your business could be just working out its notice.  Or worse still, it may already be dead.

Cheers!

He Should Stay 'Sir Douglas'

There has been a lot said of Sir Douglas Graham, even before the Court Of Appeal rejected his, and his fellow directors, appeal against their convictions. 

But in my opinion Sir Graham should not be stripped of, nor pressured to give up, his knighthood. 

Yes, he was found guilty of making untrue statements in the prospectus of a finance company  for which he was a director, but it should be noted that the Judge said at the time, "I am satisfied that the accused genuinely believed in the accuracy and adequacy of the content of the offer documents when they were issued" but "the alleged offences are ones of strict liability so the Crown is not required to prove any form of mental intent to distribute documents that were false or misleading".


Two things about Sir Douglas stand out for me:

1. According to Susan Wood on Newstalk ZB today, Sir Graham himself lost $2 million dollars when the finance company collapsed.  $2 million dollars is a lot of money.  He didn't fleece investors for $2m which he pocketed, he lost his own money.  Yes, he signed off untrue statements, but as the judge said, not to intentionally rip anyone off.   It was a mistake, a costly mistake, and he has been tried and found guilty and will be punished in the courts as a result.

2. Sir Douglas earned his knighthood by leading New Zealand into an era of unprecedented healing and reconciliation.  Our Nation's history includes some very tragic and regrettable events.  Events where people, citizens of New Zealand, were subjected to some horrendous crimes.  Executions without trials, property confiscation, and illegal imprisonment.  It wasn't always one way traffic, but in the end there were definitely winners and losers.  Sir Douglas was the man who lead the parties through a process that began reconciliation.  Apologies were made, forgiveness was given, compensation was paid.

Sir Douglas managed to achieve things that no previous Minister had been able to do.  He earned his knighthood by being a humble, honest and decent man working in the service of all New Zealanders. In my opinion he has failed as a director, and he will be punished by the courts just like his colleagues.  But the work that earned him his knighthood will live on for generations.  That fact can never be changed.

It won't surprise me if he does give it up, or it is stripped.  New Zealanders are all too easily lead by a sensationalist media that is looking for a headline, and what better than seeing a mighty man fall. 

I hope he doesn't give it up, and I hope John Key resists the demands of the merciless media who call for Sir Douglas's head.

Sir Douglas, thank you for what you did to help heal the wounds of our nation.  We are indebted to you.
 
Cheers!

What's Important To You? Probably Not Honesty.

A little over a decade ago I was lucky enough to have some time off before starting a new job.  I had a ball taking my two elder kids to school and kindy and had oodles of time to spend with our then new born.

I also took the opportunity to engage a life coach for just a few sessions.  It was someone I had met and observed as living life to the full.  Not 'crazy busy' full, more 'happy and contented' full. 

She taught me a wonderful technique for helping me get to the cause of any behaviour - ask 'why?' at least three times.  Why is this problem?  Why does answer to the first question make it a problem?  Why is that important to me?  She helped me use the technique to explore my core value - the one thing I really value and believe in above all else.

It started with what is important to you?  Why is that important to you?  And so on. 

What I learned surprised me.  The things I thought I valued, I didn't really value.  Material success, fitness, friendships and so on.  If I didn't know my core values, it wasn't surprising to subsequently observe that most people don't know theirs.  

One of the reasons I say this is because I believe you cannot live at war with yourself - you cannot act in a way that is not consistent with your vales.  The best example I can use is 'honesty'.  

Most people would say that honesty is a core value they hold.  Sounds reasonable, if not familiar.  We all hate being on the receiving end of a dishonest act, right?  Yet I wonder if we were to survey these people and ask them if they have ever taken a longer lunch than their employment allows, or left early after coming in late? A study by University of Massachusetts researcher Robert Feldman found that 60% of people lied at least once in a 10 minute conversation with a stranger.  Even more staggering was the average was 2.92 lies in that same 10 minute conversation with a stranger! 

In the 1950's USA it was estimated that 25% of women and 50% of men had engaged in an affair.  In 2012 a research project showed that 57% of men and 54% of women admit to an affair.  Furthermore 74% of men and 68% of women said they would have an affair if they knew they would never get caught.  Interestingly this dispells the myth that men are cheaters, and women are not, and backs up the study at Indiana University which showed that infidelity rates between men and women are virtually the same.

The numbers seem to prove that we, humans, male or female, are hardly an honest bunch.

But this blog is not about honesty, or infidelity, nor is about taking a moral position on these or in fact any matter.

What it is about is encouraging you to take the time to figure out what is important to you.  To understand what your core values are.  Take 20 minutes a week and sit and contemplate (and write) about the things that are important to you.  Then ask why they are important.  Then ask again why the answers to the first question are important.  Keep doing it until you can't answer, and there you will find what you value. 

As I said in a previous post, albeit about sales team performance, once you know what you value, you will understand how your beliefs have been formed.  And from your beliefs you will understand better why you feel the way you do about certain things.  And once you can decipher your feelings, you will be better placed to understand why you behave the way you do.

And importantly, you will be able to make changes.  Changes that will make your world, and indeed the entire world, a better place.

If you'd like to read more on this topic and how it relates to problem solving, here is a useful article called "An Introduction to 5-Why".

Cheers!