Diamond in the rough!!!

         

 

 

Edition 249 Monday September 1st 2014

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi, it was a week out of the box,one worth bottling, marketing and selling!!.The crazy thing is it didn’t seem like I did anything different. Maybe these weeks come to those of us who are ‘upbeat’ more often than not and rather than being flashy we do the basics well and just keep plugging away!

The highlight of this flirt with utopia was the discovery of a diamond in the rough at the Council transfer station (yes of course the highlight was junk related!!). I was there late in the day taking a photo of some equipment when out of the corner of my eye I saw an amazing toy tow truck(photo) in the scrap pile. I bolted across the yard and dived full length to save it from the jaws of the CAT loader!! Safe in my arms I reassured Tommy(his new name) the tow truck he was going to be alright.Crikey what a find I was over the moon and initially thought Fletcher would like Tommy but by the time I got home I had decided he was mine! Some research reveals my new best friend is an antique pressed steel Triang toy dating back to the 1950/60 era!!!.Tommy has done well to last but he is now retired safe from two year olds up high on our book shelf!

 

Fletcher says; we may think Tommy is retired and safe up high but he has informed us he is smarter than the average parent so watch this space!! We may also think Tommy is the bomb but he reckons no match for ‘Izzy’the rocking horse(photo) from a reputable second hand store not a tip!!!

 

Today is random act of kindness day !. We have talked before about the need to make this a regular daily feature rather than irregular. Last week I had bizarre double kind act with the same theme,parking tickets! 1) I gave a spare hour on a ticket to a traffic warden and told her she could choose who she passed it to. She was a lovely person who immediately gave it to a guy she was about to ticket which got him off!! 2) Then that evening I gifted the thirty minutes of parking left on my ticket to a lady waiting for my park.Wow those random kind acts both made me feel good!!

So your challenge today and every day is to include a random act (or two) of kindness toward someone else.It will make you feel so good you will want to make it a habit rather than a one off!

I cant wait to hear how you got on,have a great week and don’t forget Fathers Day ! Cheers Jonesey!

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon September 1st is nature's way of saying, 'Let's party!

“Success demands singleness of purpose.”Vince Lombardi

 

Continuing the theme above last week was a gem for business.I attended a number of events that turned out to be valuable for networking and marketing our company and our points of difference. When the opportunity came to speak off the cuff at these functions(which it always does) I was poised and pounced boots and all!Wow that felt good too! From attending one function I was invited to another the next day that proved equally as productive and beneficial. I couldn’t believe how many people I knew at these events… crikey I need to get out more!!

It proved conclusively to me I don’t do enough of this and need to do more. There are people out there moving and shaking in our industry and related closely to it and either I don’t know they exist of vice versa.

I was also lucky enough to be invited to attend a special leadership event which featured the reading of poetry by some outstanding leaders .The poetry was to express the metaphors each of the leaders had chosen to depict their leadership style. It was unique and inspirational. The event featured the culmination of over two months hard work by the participants as part of a leadership degree.

My mentee, Rhonda Tongipau did an amazing job on her metaphor ‘The Anchor’. Congratulations to Rhonda and her eight colleagues for an outstanding and emotionally moving evening.

These events define us and make the things we devote our time to worth doing unconditionally!

 

Confidence is contagious. So is lack of confidence.Vince Lombardi

A week can be a long time in.......

         

 

 

Edition 248 Monday August 25th 2014

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi, they say “a week can be a long time” in relation to anything really(especially between a good and bad haircut!). I guess two things it applied to in my world last week were rugby and politics! Lets take ruggers first, I know the world doesn’t revolve around the All Blacks or a game but crikey she was a hard road after the disappointment of Sydney having to wait a week for normal transmission to resume at the ‘Garden of Eden’ Saturday night which it thankfully did…… with bells on !!!

Then there is Politics ,now I don’t know about you but I am over the obsession the media has with things other than policy. Sure things can and do get murky and personal but surely there is a need to focus on the bigger picture like who has their finger on the electorate pulse re major issues.No wonder our younger generation and many others don’t bother to vote it is all too hard to figure out what anyone stands for when the media is so focused on sensationalising playground scraps!

I am officially over Whales, Blogs,.Coms,Tweeting twits,and obsessive compulsive journos!!

 

Fletcher says; he hasn’t laughed so much as when he planted the partly eaten cupcake and wrapper in my ‘Bob the Builder’ hard hat! Needless to say it had the reverse effect on me when discovered after wearing the hat on a building site meeting last week!!

 

Wow the sunny weekend was a welcome change from the recent great rains and cold (I know us Jaffas don’t know what cold is etc). I hope like us you managed to get out and about with family and friends to make the most of it. It gets better as daylight saving is just over four weeks away Yay !!

On that positive note I hope you all have a happy successful and safe week ahead….Cheers Jonesey!

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon the world at 48 does revolve around the All Blacks!

 

 

“A great leader’s courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion,not position.”John Maxwell

 

As a member of our Toastmasters Executive committee I am required with my colleagues to attend Toastmasters (TM) Leadership training.

This is a workshop featuring a number of break out sessions designed to cover the various roles on the executive committee to assist newcomers to the TM leadership pathway.

Attendance is compulsory and counts toward an achievement point to distinguish the clubs annual performance…..in other words you need to lead by example through your attendance!

In over twenty three years of TM membership I have been on the executive for over half of these so you would probably excuse me if I wasn’t that thrilled about having to attend yet another leadership training! Now because I am human I will admit this thought did cross my mind however because there is no ‘I’ in team I made the effort to attend!.....Yay President Clinton !!!

Well…….I am glad I did because it was a huge buzz to be exposed to so many young enthusiastic people venturing into the great unknown of TM Leadership for the first time. I was energised by the experience as I was able to assist a number of first time Presidents with some useful tips and advice. I also learned some new stuff from interacting with the group I was lucky enough to meet. We exchanged email addresses and have formed a Presidents networking group designed to assist us to share more info and experiences. What an amazingly enlightening evening, I came away totally motivated and empassioned which proved to me yet again why I keep coming back for more from this organisation that keeps on giving over and above what I give to it.

Why not find about for yourself by contacting your nearest club, sisit www.toastmasters.org.nz

 

“Leadership is influence.” John Maxwell

*555

 

 

 

Edition 247 Monday August 18th 2014

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi, driving a marked car has had a significant effect on me.Sure it was hard at first accepting there was room for moderation,tolerance,patience and goodwill for my fellow motorists but after numerous calls and emails to our office I eventually accepted the inevitable, yes, I had a problemJ.

I am pleased to say ‘had’ as I have been ‘clean’ of complaints for months and now actually notice and comment on others bad driving. I am not ashamed to admit that I have called the Police *555 line a few times to register concerns about some examples of bad and dangerous driving I notice!

By doing this I guess I am letting others know that just because you don’t drive a marked car doesn’t mean you can drive badly or dangerously and get away with it. It’s a bit vigalante and random but I figure if it saves an acident, injury or even a life it will be worth it, yes god does move in mysterious ways doesn’t he….who would have thought I could be responsible for improving others driving habits!

Fletcher says; he was happy to have aced his recent Plunket tests weighing in his 950mm frame at an impressive 17.75kg whilst continuing to  prove smarter than the average bear at everything else!!

I am excited to report the discovery of a couple of new second hand (pre loved junk/treasure) shops recently and it is only  going to get better! From next year Council inorganic collections will see materials collected from ‘behind the gate’ rather than the berm, sorted and available for resale from suburban treasure troves,and it gets even better because the proceeds will all go to local charities! One thing I have learned the hard way and a golden tip for all  budding treasure hunters is if you see something you like and want,buy it then and there, don’t leave it to think about it or try to come back because I can guarantee it wont be there!!! “You snooze you lose” as a treasure hunter!!

Stay cool after school with family and friends, take care and have a good one…….…… Cheers Jonesey!

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon the new inorganic collection from ‘behind their gate’ will be a bit of sport! They cant wait for those poor guys to arrive ‘behind the gate’ at 48!!

 

“Not returning phone calls is the severest form of torture in the civilized world.”

Marissha Pessl

I spent heaps of time on the phone prospecting last week. Now if ever there is a thankless part of the sales process it is the sales cold call or follow up phone calls!

Not for the impatient or disorganised the sales phone call needs to be meticulously thought out, planned and executed. After many years of attempting to perfect this call I have decided the only way is to set aside time where nothing but these calls are made.You need to be in your own space not driving or in a busy office or café. You need to be focused and single mindedly committed to win.

Often you don’t get to talk to the person you are seeking so a short well worded message needs to be left. It is essential the message provides a quick intro and enough info to motivate a reply.

The reality is that 90% of prospect calls/voicemails go unreturned and have to be followed up. The exception is the courteous and timely return call. These are rare and glow brightly in the lonely dark of a typical  sales persons day. The return call makes sales life worthwhile and motivates me to keep going knowing that the one sale in ten attempts needs nine no’s before the elusive number ten becomes a reality! Crikey she is a tough road to the sale but a response is a pure adrenaline shot!

Getting a return call regardless of outcome or an appointment is a buzz and has a positive flow on effect. It makes me show more empathy for people calling me and motivates me to be better at returning calls and letting people know where they stand not guessing or feeling ignored. It doesn’t take a lot of time but allows both you and the caller to move on with the sales process or other stuff. So how about returning all your messages same day this week and making someones life a lot more pleasant….it will make you feel better too and give you more time for doing business!!Just do it!!!

 

“People who are funny and smart and return phone calls get much better press than people who are just funny and smart.” Howard Simmons

Crikey !!!

 

 

 

Edition 246 Monday August 11th 2014

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi,crikey happy birthday Fletcher Jones where did that two years go?I can honestly say there hasn’t been a more important or monumental twenty four month in my life! Game and life changing to say the least where I have finally met my soulmate, had another precious child and got married to name a few moments of truth in that time!Wow enough to keep me young(and a little bit weary eyed!!) J.

A strategically planned long weekend gave Christine and I time out on Monday to celebrate her birthday in style spending all day together while Fletcher was at daycare!! It was a cool day full of quality time and fun, well worth taking and making time to do specially….yay.

Fletcher says; he is glad his Mum went for the ‘large’tramp birthday option and that it fitted into the backyard at 48 (just)…..dont be surprised if he charges neighbourhood kids to use it!(see attached).

A cool party at daycare mid week and a low key family day on Saturday stretched Fletchers second birthday out as far as the abundance of chocolate mud cake and cupcakes would go!...hip hip hooray!

I can remember going to the Civic theatre as a young and not so young kid and always looking up fascinated at the stars twinkling on the ceiling in a startlingly realistic imitation of the real sky.I can also remember travelling away up North selling all sorts in my early sales days and always staying out at Ahipara on ninety mile beach just so I could hear the west coast surf as I fell to sleep and again when I woke up! Now I count my blessings that I can experience both these amazing things every day at our home on the west coast with my new wife and our family!

We know we are lucky for this privelege and for so many other things like our health and our happiness so we think it is important to take time out with each other making the most of our lives. I hope you make time to do the same because it is simple to do and well worth it.

Have a great time with family and friends and a big week ahead…….…… Cheers Jonesey!

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon they should be allowed on the tramp…no fee or question!

 

“Precision in dress is the neurotic refuge of the perpetually insecure.”

G.Bruce Boyer

Thanks for the feedback about last weeks article on dress……it was good to hear that you feel the same way about business dress standards and that you also make an effort to ‘buck the trend’!

Now something that may not thrill you but could revolutionise your thinking is that often we run out of time and don’t get to iron a shirt to wear to work! Now this has the potential to create havoc however I have been experimenting and can confirm that if you put an unironed shirt on at 7am by 9am you will not be able to tell the difference. Most of us in Auckland have approx a one hour commute so we only have one hour to survive before no one will notice. Think of the time saving slaving away on Sunday afternoons with the iron,yes you heard it here first in the trend setting sizzle!

Whilst on the subject of dress and appearance we are currently recruiting and I am less than impressed with the standard of dress candidates are presenting themselves in!

Crikey if ever there was an opportunity to dress to impress surely this is it?....but alas not in my most recent encounters/experiences.

Let me say that if you are thinking of applying for a new position that you need to take a pride in how you present yourself if you are lucky enough to interview for that position!

Another piece of advice if you are looking and currently have a job, don’t resign until you have secured a new position. I have met a number of people lately who have left their jobs in the belief that they would secure new roles quickly but havent! I have learned it is tough out there even getting an interview so be careful and if you do get to first base make sure you are well dressed and prepared, it is competitive out there and you need to be the best you can be…believe me!

 

"The best way to appreciate your job is to imagine yourself without one." – Oscar Wilde.