The Batchelors

         

 

 

                                                                                       Edition 328 Tuesday 26/04/16

 

 

 

 

 

Hi,in a BIG first my son and I will be ‘batching’ it this week as Christine heads away for the week to familiarise herself with a number of Scenic Hotels around the South Island!Yes it is a tough life but someone does have to do this arduous task and along the way experience all the tourist attractions as part of the deal.I on the other hand have been exercising flat out for three and half years for this moment,me Vs the kid for 4 days who will last the distance,watch this space!!!(see attached!!!)

Fletcher reckons;his new All Black kicking tee will give him more distance and accuracy something lacking from his game of late!He also reckons he will do his best this week to look after Dad but has asked Mum to leave full instructions and to have her phone on and handy at all times!!!

Anzac Day is always a time to reflect on just how lucky we are that some extremely brave men and woman didn’t hesitate to fight and die for their countries and ultimately the freedom and honour of future generations like us….lest we ever forget or not be eternally gratefull!

I hope you had a supercool long weekend catching up with family and friends and have a great short week ahead………..Cheers Jonesey

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon Police dogs are legends,lest we forget Police Dog Gazza!

 

 

“Perfection is not attainable but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence”.

Vince Lombardi

 

When you operate a business involving vehicles and equipment you know things can and will go wrong at some stage.

When you work in that business with other people you know there will always be a ‘human’ element that may, can, and does go wrong from time to time.

In a couple of recent examples,both the above combined to various degrees and I have ended up in the middle of the aftermath

faced with questions/ decisions?

How far would you go to make sure a customer gets service?

In both cases I am pleased to say I have not hesitated to get personally involved to assist and retain our customers.

In the first case I am assisting to rectify the service issue to ensure a planned event that didn’t proceed last week does this week.I guess it was also a bit of a wake up call for me in that I probably should have been more involved in the first place anyway!!!Hmmmmm Ok point taken!!!

The second instance saw Fletcher and I head across town to empty a wheelie bin on Sunday after our customer was promised it would happen on the Saturday but didnt.

We emptied the bin into the back of my car and headed for the local Transfer Station in what turned out to be an exciting Father/Son Sunday outing.

It was made even more exciting and rewarding when the owner of ‘Delish’cup cakes made sure we didn’t leave without a gift pack of six of his biggest selling cupcakes!!

Needless to say they were ‘delish’ and he didn’t have to ask these hungry rubbish men twice we were in like Flynn and left feeling a bit sick afterwards!!!

So in both cases ‘going the extra mile’ for our customers certainly made a huge difference and whilst solving the immediate service issues it also went a long way to securely retaining their business.

I guess the key to making the effort is to then identify where the service issues were originated and why and to working hard with those concerned to ensure there is no repeat.

Anyone can be a busy trouble shooting fool or an ambulance at the bottom of the service cliff but it takes a special person/company to learn positively from their mistakes…….Go Jonesey!!!!!!!!!!!

 

“Customer Service is not a Department its everyones job.” Steve Job

Builders crack!!

         

 

 

                                                                                       Edition 327 Monday 18/04/16

 

 

 

 

 

Hi,I have never been busier at the moment however that didn’t stop me taking some time out to accompany Fletcher on a Kindergarten trip last week.I have promised myself that these opportunities will take priority over all else and I am glad I have. We had heaps of fun together on our mini farm trip and even managed to take responsibility for and look after one of his mates as well!

Fletcher reckons;farming looks pretty cool although Dad looked like a typical ‘Townie’ in that environment especially when the Ostrich spat at him and the donkey chased him!!!Mums home made packed lunch was the clear highlight of the day for Father and son!!

On the ‘even funnier side of life’ I was on a building site last week resplendant in my hard hat and high viz.The Builder dude Project Manager I was with was preoccupied with a blob of brown,sticky stuff on my hat and thinking the worst he had to ask….”hey bro what the hell is that on your hat”?On closer inspection I was relieved to discover it was chocolate icing off some ‘Batman’cake thrown there in the back of the car by Fletcher the day before!The look on the guys face was priceless when I scraped it off and ate it!!!!Crikey that was funny,I couldn’t tell the story without cracking up :).

I hope you also got the opportunity to have some laughs at and with yourselves.

Have a good one and keep the feedback coming, it is all good….……….Cheers Jonesey

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon old dogs can and do learn new tricks.

 

 

“Do one act of kindness every day and change 365 lives(366 this yearJ)”.

 

 I saw a cool story last week that resonated closely with me for a number of reasons.

It was the story of a Father who had written to the local paper complimenting their rubbish truck driver for making a difference in their sons life.

The story goes that his two year old son is fascinated by the rubbish truck and always races out when he hears it coming on rubbish day.The story was motivated on the back of the driver taking the time to acknowledge and wave to the boy and say hi to him.The story is entitled “The small things that make a big difference” and it couldn’t be more true.

This resonates with me for a number of reasons, firstly I also work in this industry and our company has drivers in trucks wioth the same opportunities every day. Secondly I have a young son equally as fascinated with rubbish trucks who does the same thing on rubbish day!Thirdly many years ago when I was working for another company I was asked by a little boys Mother to send information to her son about rubbish trucks and equipment.I then organised for this boy to visit our company and ride in a truck. Our driver also let him sit in the cab once when he picked up their rubbish bag. This little boy is now a man who drives a rubbish/recycling truck and who is doing the same thing for little boys who look on fascinated just like he did……..how amazingly cool is that!!!!!! I am also his facebook friend and linked to his favourite ‘Waste truck and equipment’ sites!!!!

I was pleased to see how these small acts of kindness make such a huge difference to people and clearly influence them positively for the rest of their lives.

I take my hat off to anyone taking the time to make an experience extra special for others(especially kids).They could so easily drive past without acknowledging them like many others.

I felt proud to be in an industry recognised for making such a difference.It reinforced for me how small random acts that don’t cost money or a lot of time by one can make such a huge and noticeable difference to another.

My goal therefore is to make a difference daily with random acts of kindness….give it a whirl!!!!!!!

 

“Be the reason someone smiles today”.

"Walk through 2 to land 5'"

 

 

 

                                                                                       Edition 326 Monday 11/04/16

 

 

 

 

 

Hi,imagine taking some time out daily to do absolutely nothing?Well that is what I had suggested to me recently so I did!Once I got over the guilt of doing something for myself instead of others it actually felt good.It only has to be 15-20 minutes but I thoroughly recommend you try it.The rules are simple,no phones, no computers or anything to do with work.Just chill and do nothing,I guarantee you will enjoy the feeling of freedom and serenity….keep up with the Joneses to destress the soul!!

Fletcher reckons;Superheroes rule and he has the Batman underpants,skin fitting top complete with cape plus the mega grip gumboots to prove it.Spiderman gets a bit of a look in with cap and back back as a close second….crikey both were around in my day and still going strong saving the world!

We caught up with a big slice of our extended family at a 40^th birthday this weekend on Waiheke Island.Events like this always reinforce the importance of family coming first above all else and make us feel extremely lucky to live in such an amazingly beautiful City!

If you are planning a trip to Waiheke then make sure you check out Cable Bay Vineyard& Restaurant!

On the funnier side of life I somehow managed to run into a supermarket trolley return barrier at 1km per hour damaging not one but two doors! Then St Johns bless their souls sent me a bill for my recent Ambulance ride which I attempted to pass on to my caregiver without any luck!

Remember to take some time out and laugh out loud at yourself often….……….Cheers Jonesey

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon dogs are super heroes with attitude!!

 

 

“You just cant beat the person who wont give up”. Babe Ruth

 

I heard a great saying last week from a boxer being interviewed about an upcoming fight;

“I am prepared to walk through 2 to give 5”.

For me it said a lot about all aspects of life both work and personal.

We all experience setbacks but know we must keep going if we want to eventually succeed.

In life this can relate to relationships, partners, kids and families!

In business this can relate to ventures,career highs and lows ,failures and successes.

It made me reflect a bit on what it meant to me and why.

No matter what I thought about both personal and work related I kept coming back to the same conclusion and that was another saying”Pesistence breaks resistance”.

So we have the boxer who by persisting and taking some punches(setbacks, pain,failure)along the way knows he will eventually get himself into a better position for (success,victory,advancement).

Then there is us….and if you are anything like me you will find it hard to stay focused and ‘Upbeat’ all the time………..So,that being the case, how do we walk through 2 to land 5?

My thinking is to make sure the lessons from receiving the 2 are used to land the 5.

So its all about avoiding the pitfalls and roadblocks having been there and done that rather than having them continually hinder or block our progress.

Relating this to a recent business example I was able to see that I am doing this sub consciously having learnt a valuable lesson with one customer I then used to my advantage with another.

Relating it to a recent personal example I also learnt something from a recent Toastmasters competition that I will use to my advantage in future contests!

I guess we need to be conscious of mistakes we make and how to ensure we don’t make them again going forward. For some this can and does take a little longer than others.

I hope this has raised some awareness for you and wish you the best of luck dodging the 2,minimising the damage so you are prepared and strong enough to land the 5!!

 

“We are made to persist,that’s how we find out who we are”. Tobias Wolf