Captain Fantastic

Hi,after weeks of resisting the temptation I finally gave in and bought some of the local homemade apple crumble (not as good as Mums of course) and a yard or two of hokey pokey ice cream ! Hey lets face it Ive endured a lot for a bloke lately and it was high time to spoil oneself !! The fact that this brief indulgence will add a week to my recovery exercise program was quickly forgotten as the icecream melted slowly into the steaming hot crumble hmmmmm even some left for another night …hey someone has to do it (make that two weeks exercise!). We have had a huge ruggers week…and why not we have the best teams in the world here so no reason not to immerse ourselves. It started with a special treat, tickets to a couth and cultural evening attending the play “I George Nepia” about the legendary All Black fullback and one of my favorites from the famous 1924 All Black Invincibles tour. We were then joined by Richie, Dan, Fitzy, Zinnie and Grizz (our life size cardboard ‘rent a crowd’ replica’s) to watch the current AB’s demolish and exorcise the French Tricolours and celebrate Captain Fantastic Richie McCaws 100^th game in the black jersey! Not to be outdone the mighty Warriors then snuffed out the Melbourne Storm to qualify for the NRL grand final next weekend! Crikey, life doesn’t get any better and lets face it, even if you are not into sport chances are heaps of people you know are and you can be assured on the back of these victories they will be ‘Upbeat’ just like you this week!

I hope you had a good weekend with family and friends and like me eventually remembered to put your clock forward, roll on those balmy spring and summer evenings!

Go the mighty AB’s and the New Zealand Warriors……it is our time, Cheers Jonesey

Harry the loyal ‘Upbeat’ hound also enjoyed his serving of apple crumble and hokey pokey!

“Real leaders are ordinary people with extraordinary determination”

I was inspired and motivated watching Richie McCaw play his 100^th game for the All Blacks on Saturday night. He has become a great leader in his 10 years as an All Black, most as captain. He was presented with a special cap to mark the occasion by another former captain Jock Hobbs. The thing that made this truly remarkable milestone even more so was the fact that Jock Hobbs was lucky to even be there given the battle he has been raging in recent years with dreaded leukeamia.Jock showed the same strength and determination to be present as he did when he led the All Blacks himself. I found he added emotion and humiliity to make the occasion even more memorable.When he and Richie hugged each other I doubt whether there was a dry eye the length and breadth of NZ.

I was moved to consider the importance of leadership both on and off the field.

I believe great leaders are made not born and that leadership skills are developed from a young age by the people we are exposed to. Obviously our parents have a lot to do with it as do our extended families and friends. Teachers, role models, mentors,team mates and work colleagues all play their part in shaping us as people. The sports field is certainly a great place to develop strong leadership traits that can then be transferred into the work place and community, names like John Graham, Wilson Whineray, Wayne Shelford, John Kirwan, Sean Fitzpatrick and Steve Price to name a few. The best players and /or workers don’t always make the best leaders and it does take an extaordinary amount of determination and strength to lead , mentor and be a role model to others. In my experience the best leaders are in fact ordinary people like you and me and there is no reason why any one of us couldn’t aspire to be that person,here are Dale Carnegie’s 10 ways to be a leader….1)Begin with praise and honest appreciation, 2)Call attention to peoples mistakes indirectly, 3)Talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person,4)Ask questions instead of giving direct orders,5)Let the other person save face, 6)Praise the slightest improvement and praise every improvement,7)Give the other person a fine reputation to live up to,8)Use encouragement, 9)Make fault easy to correct,10)Make the other person happy about doing the thing you suggest…..We are all born with the ability to lead, the rest is hard work and good luck…Just do it!

No i in TEAM

                                                      

Edition 108 Monday 19^th September 2011

Hi, crikey, you wouldnt have had to be too quick or flash to keep up with this Jones boy over the last week! I forgot what a huge impact and effect anaesthetic has on the body post operation and paid the price somewhat! Every mother I know has made the point about there being no pain like that of chidbirth but I reckon I got within a whisker of that elusive barrier as the anaesthetic cruelly deserted me. Anyway staying with last weeks theme there was no point in moaning no matter how strongly my man patient instincts were urging me to do so. I was motivated, inspired and amused by the great feedback I got from ‘Upbeat’ readers relating to the importance of not taking good health for granted. Then I read an incredible story on the weekend  about Ian Winson who lost both legs below the knees after the recent Onehunga gas blast. He made his first public appearance since the accident officiating at a marathon that he foundered. He is due to be fitted with prosthetic legs shortly and hopes to walk part of the course next year. The thing that impressed me was his comment to reporters “Sure Ive been angry and said why me? But theres always somebody who’s worse off than me. I’ve got a lot to be grateful for.” WOW, says it all about life really.

Thanks again for your feedback, support and good wishes, it is appreciated and enjoyed.

Even if you are not a ruggers supporter I hope like me you are getting into the spirit of our very own RWC 2011. I am enjoying the coverage and in particular the passion, pride and teamwork the so called minnows or minor teams are bringing to the competition.

I hope you all had a fulfilling weekend with family and friends enjoying all that is good about our great country. take care of your health, have an awesome week, go the mighty AB’s.

Harry the loyal hound has enjoyed the extra attention this week but is over all the moaning

“Coming together is a beginning; Keeping together is progress; Working together is success.” Henry Ford

With the buzz and excitement of the Rugby World Cup on at present I am reminded of the many similarities between the sport and business worlds.

One of the key things that we can relate to is the importance of ‘teamwork’ in both these environments. As Henry Ford reminds us in his quote above, initial selection or recruitment is a beginning but staying together and working together as a team are the keys to success.As all Coaches and Managers will tell you this is particularly hard to do unless all team members are fully committed to the cause.

One of my favorite quotes on teamwork comes from the book ‘Born To Win” written by veteran America’s Cup skipper John Bertrand. This quote says it all about commitment required to any cause..

“My team will be totally involved in my own entire reason for living-to be respected and admired by your peers. I want them to be assailed by the feeling that the only thing in the world they can never do is to let each other down.

This is how I perceive we will achieve our goals through being a fantastically tight team. A team of people who will go to the wall for each other, inspiring, covering,supporting helping out everywhere, each backing up the others, watching each other through the difficult areas, each ready to jump in and help to slave away at what is necessary. We need a team of people who will push themselves until they feel they are going to collapse. And then they will go back and do it again and again. Not because they have to but because they want to. Because the prospect of letting their team mates down is so utterly, so humiliatingly unthinkable.”

Wow, no wonder Australia II won the Americas Cup in 1983 with that level of commitment. Imagine if we could get the people we work with to feel this way about their jobs and the company, hmmmmm.

“The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team.” John Wooden

Under the knife!

                                                      

Edition 107 Monday 12^th September 2011

Hi,things have a habit of eventually catching up with you no matter what, you just dont think too much about it especially when you are younger and care free!. I played a bit of footy in my younger days and never had too much concern about my health, safety or well being as I played hard week in and out. Those playing days however attracted a number of injuries along the way and although not life threatening they were eventually career limiting. Unfortunately it doesent always stop there and the older we get the more we have to look after ourselves. The up shot for me last week resulted in the necessity for some major spinal surgery. I am pleased to report this Jones boy made it through another marathon session under the knife and writes to you this week from the road to recovery. My message is the same as that after my first major surgery and that is that our health is a precious gift and not something we can afford to ever be arrogant or complacent about. It is not until the care free way we treated this gift earlier in our lives eventually catches up with us that we realise how precious the gift of good health truly is . Take it from me ,as much as we like to think we are we are definitely not invincible so take care and look after yourselves. I hope you all had a relaxing weekend with family and friends.Exciting times for the country, roll on RWC 2011, go the mighty AB’s……………….. Have a great week……………..cheers Jonesey

Harry the ‘All Black’ hound is glad his dog footy career was injury and alcohol free !

“Its not what happens to you, it is how you react to what happens to you that counts”

My time in hospital was a real eye opener, it reinforced to me that no matter how bad we think things are there is always someone worse off than us.

I met plenty of people in this position compared to my situation over the last few days.

Going in I thought I was hard done by and why did this have to happen to me?. I also thought I was in more strife and pain than anyone else but I had my selfish attitude changed by a group of courageous people who were suffering a lot more than me.

Not only were they older and more frail but they were undergoing far more serious and life threatening surgery yet the way they were approaching it was nothing short of remarkable.

They were grateful for the opportunity they had been presented with and they were determined to seize it with both hands. To them the aftermath, the pain and the recovery time was totally worth the second shot they were getting at life.

The messages for me were strong and positive ones including;

• Life is a gift, make the most of every minuite.
• Good health is a gift, never take it for granted.
• Its not what happens to you it is how you react to it that makes the difference.
• Don’t moan about your lot, there is always someone worse off than you.
• Its not all about you, embrace, help and support others.
• We are the lucky ones others don’t get the opportunities we have , for some it is too late.

No matter what happens in your life there is always a clear message or lesson, incredibly motivating.

“When someone says “life is hard”, ask them “compared to what?”

Who me Officer?

Hi,early September is always a cool time for this Jones boy with a birthday and Fathers Day in close succession. This weekend was no exception with these two occasions happening on consecutive days !! Two days of pure indulgence and getting my own way…life doesn’t get any better! A motorbike cruise into some favorite city haunts including a visit to the newly refurbed Auckland Art Gallery was a highlight (check it out).Toastmasters impromptu speaking skills saved the day when I was required to explain to a police patrol dude why I had found it necessary to drive briefly on the wrong side of the road in Queen St !! Rather fortuitously I was let off with a warning although being disowned by my totally unimpressed pillion passenger was punishment enough!. Nothing has the potential to spoil your day more than that sinking feeling when you see the blue, red and white lights flashing and hear the siren. A lucky break $150.00 instant fine birthday present from the Government after some quick talking and sincere apologies to pillion and police ! (it was my day afterall !).  

I am one of the lucky ones for whom Fathers Day is still a two way street where I get to enjoy being a Father but also still have the chance to visit my Dad to recognise his huge contribution to my life. It is vital we say thanks to the important people in our lives as often as we can before we are no longer able to. To this end I hope all the Fathers out there were visited, spoilt or made the most of the occasion to catch up with family and friends this weekend. Roll on RWC 2011, go the mighty AB’s……………….. Have a great week……………..cheers Jonesey

Harry the loving canine son of the grumpy man said happy birthday and fathers day by digging up two of his favorite old bones and presenting them to me…thanks bud !

“Support, engage, educate.” CCINZ mission

I was lucky enough to spend time again with the highly professional Contact Centre Industry team at their annual conference recently.

Sponsors, exhibitors, suppliers and members all with a clear commitment to continuous improvement came together for a day of sharing, learning and networking.

It was a pleasure to be involved with such a diverse group that represented the cutting edge of an industry that has made big strides forward in recent times.

Some of New Zealands largest companies, organisations and government departments were represented. Many of these have contact centres with over 50 ‘seats’ taking 100s of calls from existing and prospective customers per hour per day.

I was particularly interested in the recent trends and statistics that were presented from surveys done on customer service levels . Even with the rapid convergence of technology and social media a whopping 71% of customers still prefer to deal in person with a contact centre operator.

This further reinforced my long held view that our success in life is largely dictated by how effectively we communicate face to face or person to person with each other. The most successful contact centres therefore are the ones where staff are well trained to communicate effectively, have a can do customer culture, team spirit, and strong ethics. They have quality staff who get regular recognition and they consequently have a low staff attrition rate.They have a strong recruitment process that allows time to identify and attract people who have the best fit with their business culture.

This is a recipe not only for the contact centre industry but for any business; clear effective communication,culture,teamwork and regular recognition,all working to produce satisfied customers, repeat business,referrals and vital new business.

Thanks again to CCINZ conference supporters for a timely reminder of the importance of effective communication with customers, a simple yet powerful ‘must have’ for any employee or business!

“If we don’t communicate effectively with our customers someone else will.” Jonesey