If they act for you, they are you.

A lot is said about values and how important they are to your brand. They guide your actions and tell those you interact with, including of course your customers, the behaviour they can expect from you.

We all know how important it can be to stand by what we say and often it can be the little things that can undo a lot of good work, for example, saying “we care about our customers” and then not returning phone calls.

So if we all know it, why am I writing about it?

What concerns me is that sometimes we engage contractors to act on our behalf but don’t ensure that they adhere to the same expectations that we place on ourselves. I’ve seen this often over the years but what brought it to mind now was how two different recruitment companies acted.

As I’m busy ‘looking for opportunities’, it is interesting to see how organisations treat applicants. Some make you want to work with that team while others make you glad you didn’t get the role. In those cases though, it’s on their heads, so be it.

Recruitment companies are different, when they fall below expected standards, it’s not just their reputation that suffers. If you engage a company that treats applicants as numbers and the whole experience is very transactional – then that is how you too behave. You must own that perception

In future, a rejected applicant who was treated as an unnecessary bother by a recruitment company may be the key decision maker with a potential customer organisation. What will they remember about you?

Remember, if they act for you, they are you.

No wonder it was fun

Recently the National Operations Manager gave us some insight into what he saw that the role as Area Manager for the Census really entailed:

Recruiter

Relationship manager

Health & Safety officer

Engagement specialist

Sales and marketing rep

Logistics specialist

Chief financial officer

Site manager

Social justice warrior

Counsellor

Inspirational speaker

Problem solver

Cat herder

Looking back, he is right. So many hats over such a short period of time. No wonder it was fun.

A wee reminder

As I’ve been off-line for so long, I thought I’d just re-share the support I can offer you. With things a bit quieter for me, now is a great time to get in touch and have a good old fashioned “chin wag”

The Bounce Programme
Think of this as having a sounding board, coach, mentor and motivator rolled into a single cup of coffee.
Sounding board: a person you run things by, or someone you turn to for advice.
Talk to me about your ideas, or issues – let’s explore them together.
– Test your ideas and theories
– Nut out solutions to the issues you’re facing
– Speculate on a new future
My aim is to explore and reflect your thinking, to add to it and then to help you plot a way forward.

Read more

Business Anarchy
Don’t become beholden to the old way of doing things or a prisoner to antiquated systems and processes. Together let’s liberate your thinking and disrupt the status quo.
I can help you develop management systems that will work for you, in a way that fits with the culture and values of your organisation.

Read more

I’m back…

My current journey with Census is coming to a close – and what a ride it’s been.

Living and breathing absolutely nothing apart from work for three solid months during the field period. Working with an awesome team, people who really to care about their communities. Travelling around the mighty Maniapoto – country folk and those in small towns are the real NZ. Doing something that actually matters.

I’ll probably write more over time but, for now, I’m back…. 

Question, argue, debate

Over the weekend I had a quick flick through the first notebook I used to jot down ideas for blogging, a book and of course thoughts around purposeful business.

One fascinating thing for me was right from the word go, I was interested in the opposing theories around starting a business. What comes first, the product or the journey?

The first page had two sayings, (all kitted out with my original branding – a weasel would you believe):

“If you want to be your own boss, that’s not a good reason to leave. Maybe you are the next Mark Zuckerberg but being an entrepreneur isn’t a lifestyle choice. It’s the result of having an amazing idea. Do you have one?”

“Dream big. Start small. But most of all ….. start.”

Of course nothing is black and white, or mutually exclusive. Side-gigs, contracting, partnering with an existing business, the list of options goes on and on. Throw in risk comfort levels, financial backing, personal situation etc and the potential situations are limitless.

Personally I love opposing views – and those that know me will also be aware that I often take on a devil’s advocate stance, or argue for/against both sides of an argument (who says I like to argue?).

Reading those quotes again reminds me of two fundamental rules for business:

  1. There is no model or approach that works for everyone – listen and find the right answers for what you want to do, at that time and in your specific circumstances
  2. Question and debate everything  – even with yourself.

RIP Queen Elizabeth II

Leadership takes many forms and today we mark the passing of a quiet but dignified leader. I think we saw a lovely example of how some leadership roles are more about guidance than ruling.

Copied from Facebook, here is a lovely poem to say goodbye to a lovely regent…may she rest in peace

Phillip came to me today,
and said it was time to go.
I looked at him and smiled,
as i whispered that “I know”

I then turned and looked behind me,
and seen I was asleep.
All my Family were around me,
and I could hear them weep.

I gently touched each shoulder,
with Phillip by my side.
Then I turned away and walked,
with My Angel guide.

Phillip held my hand,
as he lead the way,
to a world where King’s and Queens,
are Monarch’s every day.

I was given a crown to wear
or a Halo known by some.
The difference is up here,
they are worn by everyone.

I felt a sense of peace,
my reign had seen its end.
70 years I had served my Country,
as the peoples friend.

Thank you for the years,
for all your time and love.
Now I am one of two again,
in our Palace up above.

Rest in peace Queen Elizabeth II. Your duty is done Ma’am 🇬🇧🌹

Don’t call the experts!

Experts are great at developing steady, progressive changes. By building on today, they can massage tomorrow. I would argue however, if we want transformational change, the experts should be the last people we send in.

The dictionary describes an expert as “a person who is very knowledgeable about or skilful in a particular area”. At a practical level, we can also think of them as “someone who has studied and/or experienced doing things to a very high level – in the current or previous manner”.

Basically, the experts built our today – and they know it very well.

Should this make them the ‘go to’ people when we want to imagine a completely new way of doing things?

The lived experience and knowledge of the experts can be invaluable for implementing new methodology, but we need the dreamers, the generalists and the passionate to map out the new world.

The dreamers imagine tomorrow and can speculate on what it could look like. This speculation then needs to be defined by practical people who have an open and excited mind. They need to crystalise and test the thinking to create a plan to move forward.

Once we have this plan, send in the experts. They will question, redefine and shape the plan based on their learned knowledge and skill. Let them develop proper specifications and then build the outcome imagined by the dreamers.

I’ve listened so now I’m standing

Well, I’ve taken to plunge and I’m standing for the Cambridge Community Board at the local body elections.

While I’ve always been interested, I hadn’t seriously considered standing before (those that know me will be fully aware that any sort of self-promotion doesn’t sit comfortably with me). So what changed my mind?

Quite simply, several people for whom I have a lot of respect for suggested that I could add value.

I was born in Cambridge way back when we had our own maternity hospital in town. I went to school here, as did my children. I’m proud of this town and even though it is growing quickly, it is still my home and I love it.

Being involved in this type of role fits so well into my basic philosophy of “being a better ancestor”. I want this to be a great community when my grandkids come along, but also a great community for when my grandchildren’s grandchildren are here.

No pressure but from three-year terms, we need three generational planning!

he’s running…

A new inductee to induction…

Over halfway through a six-week training/induction programme with Stats NZ. I’ve never had such an educational and long lead in time when starting a new job and it’s very different.

Technically this is probably the perfect way to start a new job and certainly the research shows that a proper onboarding programme can make the world of difference to new employees.

Getting to know your colleagues and the subject matter prior to leading a team is probably very wise, especially when all the staff will also be new recruits.

Previously I’ve always just been thrown in the deep end – and to be fair, it’s probably the way I like it. Bit of confusion, bit of crisis and lots of unknowns. Finding your way around and making contact with key people is half the fun, especially if there’s some urgency to what you’re doing. Having said that, I definitely know that this is the wrong approach (my brain says structure but my heart loves a bit of chaos).

Not every organisation could allow the time for such an intensive induction, nor have the resources to provide it – that’s one of the advantages working for a government agency that is embarking on a very significant project.

The team at Stats NZ have done a great job organisation this and it makes me wonder why SME’s don’t take onboard some of this thinking. Sure not to the same extent, but it’s an area we should be thinking about more.

One of the things that can be done in common, and another thing Stats has done right, is the leaders spending time to repeatedly share their passion and purpose. If  nothing else is retained by the new staff, they should at least come away with that emotional buzz.

The great bunch of new Area Managers