Gone fishing

                                                                                       Edition 407 Monday 27/11/17

 

Hi,coming to you this week hot off the press on return from our overseas weekend holiday.On island time and loving it from the Waiheke vehicle ferry! 3 days away feels like 33 as we count our lucky stars for being able to use our family holiday home on Kennedy Point, Grand Central, Paradise Island!I guess it is also one of the benefits too of not being committed to saving souls at Muriwai beach via the nipper brigade and being able to run away with the family!

Fletcher reckons to have any chance of catching fish you need to smell like one so we all took his advice and got right into it baiting hooks,unhooking, and cleaning our catch(see pic)

Something funny about fishing is it doesn’t have to be that hard especially when you know the skipper of the local mussel barge!We managed to coordinate with the local green lipped mussel harvest and fish in the processing wash from the barge Boom Boom!

Talk about making life easy after all ‘they’ do say you should “fish where the fish are” and ‘they’ would be absolutely right (this time at least!!).

There is nothing better than hunter gathering and fresh fish for dinner thanks to  our generous skipper Matthew and first mate Aleisha…..look out ‘Boats for Sale’ here we come!

I hope you had a relaxing weekend and are planning a good xmas break…..Cheers Jonesey.

 

Kate Henderson reckons an Island retirement sounds like a relaxing plan!!

 

 

“Creative isnt the way I think ,its the way I like to live”.Paul Sandip

 

Interesting thing about having a complete break this weekend was how many ideas I had!

Switching off signalled an unbelievable release of creativity and left field thinking.

Without the pressure of work and needing to be places at certain times my mind also eased back and some random but reasonable ideas flowed.

 It was exciting to talk them out, write them down and plan how we could implement them.

Some were work related but others were from nowhere but resonated with us both.

We are both looking forward to a longer break over Christmas/New year to allow us to commit more relaxed thought process to our base ideas.

There are people I have read about that try to take quality time out daily to do nothing but relax and think. They find this assists with providing them creative time to incubate ideas.

Most of us are moving at such a pace that we dont have time to stop and think at all.

We also don’t plan regular breaks or any time where we can actually get off the roller coaster and slow down a bit.

This weekend has reminded me of the importance of doing this both for me and my family.

Life is too short to be on full throttle for too longer periods.

Just like the outboard motor that powered our fishing boat this weekend you cant run forever without servicing and more petrol.

That servicing and fuel must come from taking regular time out, something we all need!

So…a timely reminder for us all coming into the festive and holiday season.

Don’t you be that person who works through so everyone else can have a break!

Make sure you plan to have time out and watch those ideas flow as you reflect and relax!

Don’t sit there and nod…..do something about it NOW before its too late!!!

 

 “Creativity is intelligence having fun”. Albert Einstein

 

“You were born an original,don’t die a copy”. John Mason

Hindsight

        

 

 

 

                                                                                       Edition 406 Monday 20/11/17

 

Hi,I like the first line of New Zealands ‘Fair Play Policy’.”Take part for the fun of it –not just to please parents or coaches”.Good advice so we took it after last weekends ‘Nippers’ beach meltdown (involving Father and Son).There is plenty of time to be a lifeguard and no point unless said lifeguard actually wants to be there heart and soul.There are things I promised myself I wouldn’t do as a parent second time around and worrying about small stuff like this was one of them……….so onwards and upwards happier and healthier as a result!

Fletcher reckons there is nothing better than making cup cakes with Mum, licking the icing spoon and bowl and then tucking in to them while they are still warm Yummmmmmmm!!

Something funny about parents having so called quality time with their kids is they always seem to be on their cell phones?I leave my phone in the car or at home but never cease to be amazed how many don’t,once again the benefit of hindsight second time around?

Updating 1…..the tree still stands and is now flowering bright red early for Christmas Yay.

Updating 2…..the ears and hearing are totally recovered so no more excuses!!!

I hope life is ticking along nicely for you too as we count down to another well earned break and family focused festive season….bring it on, have a good one…..Cheers Jonesey.

 

Kate Henderson reckons she misses the boys but is ‘living the dream’ all the same!

 

 

“Don’t burn bridges, the person you throw under the bus today could be driving it tomorrow”.Glenn Shepherd

 

You have probably heard the saying…”don’t burn your bridges”.

I was reminded of the importance of taking good notice of this advice.

Firstly an example of not heeding this message came back to me when members of our team approached a large customer for their business recently.

This was a customer I had fallen out with in the past and even written a letter to the CEO after taking offence to the way in which I was treated.

This backfired and I lost the business and any respect the customer may have had for me.

Fortunately time heals and we are once again in the mix with a good shot at the business!

Moral of that story is it is not about me, give it your best shot and “don’t burn your bridges”.

Secondly an example with a better ending……..

I met with a former colleague last week who is our new contact with a large customer.

He is someone I worked with closely and successfully in a former role.

The importance of never burning bridges with this person was reinforced to me as we discussed the huge amount of new business they will represent for us in the coming year!

So what goes around comes around and whilst it might seem like the best thing to do at the time more often than not reacting aggressively is not the way to go.

The key I have found over years of hot headedness is to not react immediately but to take time to evaluate any response before making it.

Whenever I have done this I have changed my mind about how I would respond.

This works much better than having regrets for flying off the handle without thinking.

So my advice is most industries are small and interrelated in some way.

People have wide networks or friends and business contacts so it pays never to burn bridges because you never know who will end up where and how much power they will have !!!

So be kind to each other out there and that kindness will have a way of coming back x 10!

 

“Don’t do something permanently stupid just because you are temporarily upset”.

We will remember them.

 

                                                                                       Edition 405 Monday 13/11/17

Hi,thanks to all you ear specialists out there for the ear full of thoughts and your many additional favourite remedies provided after last weeks moan!!I managed to resist the temptation to spend a small fortune on additional potions and reverted instead to a specialist used in the past.She scolded me for being so silly and prescribed some stuff that fixed me up in a couple of days,moral of the story ‘stay with what you know bro’!

Fletcher reckons the fact that he spends more time falling off his bike than actually on it is all part of the learning process!School,sports day,swimming lessons,nippers and bike riding all providing ample reason why having enough energy and staying onboard are often a bridge too far….a little more compassion from the head Coach at 48 would be good too!

Something funny happened when I lost my credit card whilst out bike riding with Fletcher (in my pocket with phone to buy a surprise icecream enroute!). After retracing our trail and having no luck I was about to leave the carpark and noticed the sun glinting off something on the ground which unbelieveably turned out to be my card?!Lotto ticket here I come!

We shared a cool time with Mum and Dad on the 11^th minute of the 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month celebrating/commemorating the Armistice Day ceasefire ending WW1.

Dad is a Korean war veteran and we were particularly honoured and proud to be invited and able to join him and fellow veterans at a moving ceremony on Saturday 11/11/17.

I got the distinct feeling that these guys would probably put their hands up again given half the chance!! Well done Jimmy Jones you are and will always be my hero.(see pic).

I hope you have someone that motivates and inspires you too…..Cheers Jonesey.

 

Kate Henderson reckons Oscar Henderson and Harry Jones are her Hero’s RIP !!

 

 

“And you will succeed,Yes!you will indeed (98 and ¾ guaranteed)”.Dr Seuss

Do you remember you first day at School?

Chances are you probably don’t but if you do it will be because you had someone who made a good job of looking after you and showing you around.

You possibly remember it for other reasons because it was maybe traumatic and scary!

Inducting new staff members is no different and can make a huge difference to a newbie!

I was reminded of this last week being responsible for employing and inducting a new member to our team.

Typically I havent done a great job in the past and have relied on others or even the new person to take the initiative which is selfish and unfair!

This time I am pleased to say I have made an effort to develop a plan that provides a comprehensive introduction to our company and the new role.

The key to this has been me committing personally to making time to ensure this happened!

When you think about it, changing jobs/industries/professions is one of those ‘moments of truth’ we hope we don’t have to face too often in life.

There will be elements of doubt that they have done the right thing and possibly some anxiety about the new role and company.

It is therefore important to allay any fears and dispel any anxiety from day one.

That is the vital role of the person/persons responsible for looking after the new employee!

So just like our first day at school sets us up for our entire school life our first day at work sets us up for a happy and successful career so it is important we all play our part!!

 

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”.

Nelson Mandela

Doctor Google !!

                                                                                       Edition 404 Monday 06/11/17

 

Hi,I havent wanted to moan about it but I have been having a terrible time with my ears.They seem to be almost permanently blocked or infected!I havent swum for nearly 6 weeks and frankly I am a bit grumpy bordering on bitter and twisted about it!

So when my caring sharing wife googled a natural remedy for my ailment I didn’t hesitate to give it a crack.Crushed garlic was wrapped in gauze and held in place in and on both ears by tape overnight.Unfortunately while the thought was touching and appreciated the smell nearly killed me and the remedy had the reverse affect making things worse L

Fletcher reckons the house still smells like a French Restaurant kitchen and that he nevers wants  to eat anything with garlic in or on it ever again.

Something funny about this whole ’ear’ affair was looking like an All Black lock forward with tape and gauze on and the tape was so sticky and tough it didn’t want to come off!

‘They’ say nothing beats Wellington on a good day and ‘they’ would be right as I was treated to another cracker last week(love the Airport too!).I am pleased to report a far less stressful trip all round I never cease to be amazed and entertained by the stories Cabbies can tell!

As long as our Pohutukawa survives I will never complain ever again about my weekly yard sweeping missions.I apologise weekly to our tree and promise to do all in my power to save her whilst never speaking to our ‘Johnny come lately know it all’ neighbours again!

I hope you had an eventful week too and look forward to yet another…….Cheers Jonesey.

 

Kate Henderson reckons garlic does have magic healing qualities if used correctly!

 

 

“Quality is not an act it is a habit”.Aristotle

 

Last week at Napier Airport I bumped into a good bugger I used to work with.

He went out of his way to stop and chat and he made a point of recounting his fond memories of the weekly ‘Monday Morning Motivator’ (now ‘Upbeat’) newsletter.

I managed to crank out 99 MMMs before some know all Aussies thought they knew better.

As a result of an acquisition the company we both used to work for became part of a larger one and he was now in a senior role within the new entity.

I couldn’t help thinking how well he had done and that good buggers like him always do!

As we talked I realised that a number of other colleagues from the old company had also worked their way into senior and influential positions in the new and larger company.

For me this was an interesting parallel to an acquisition I was part of where a larger company (the red team) took over the smaller company I was part of (the blue team).

Like a lot of similar takeovers it was hostile and there was no love lost between the teams who had been fierce competitors before the sale.

In these situations where larger companies are the buyer there is typically an arrogance or right that is exercised over the smaller company being acquired and this was no exception.

The blue team people like me who survived this ‘occupation of France by the Germans’ type of approach to the merging of the two companies actually did ok in the new regime.

Slowly but surely the blue survivors kept their heads down and worked themselves into senior and influential positions in the new and improved red team.

This and my chance meeting with my fellow colleague last week proves that good buggers will always rise to the top no matter what challenges they face.

It also proves that there is no place for arrogance and complacency in business or life!

 

“Quality means doing it right when no one is looking”. Henry Ford