Opportunity endorphins!!

 

 

 

                                                                                       Edition 268 Monday February 9th 2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi,the good news is my calf muscle strain is fully mended, the bad news is that means jack given my opposite knee has now given up the ghost!Crikey being an ageing elite athlete is no bed of roses as I can still no longer run and am now tasked with trying to get the knee sorted…talk about grumpy!!!

I have had to get creative by devising exercise that doesn’t involve  impacting my knee.At this point I have swum and cycled half way to Aussie as I desperately crave the endorphin rush exercising provides.This type of injury mercilessly exposes the real reason I am a runner….so I can pretty much eat what I want….no running =no carb/calorie credits= fat grumpy old man!!!

Fletcher says; at least you have still got your leg dad, hmm out of the mouths of babes…the truth!

Since I have been driving a marked car I have had to modify my driving habits which frankly has been a good thing for me and all who travel with me.I have progressed to the point where I actually receive waves from other motorists thanking me for my courtesy!!YES you did read correctlyJ!!!

Talk about feel the fear….I am in a lotto syndicate at work that started off with six members and is now down to three after someone left and a couple pulled out. I am petrified that if I ever pull out the syndicate will go on to win big!Now I am not normally supestitious but there is no way I am bailing!

We had a cool long weekend catching up with stuff around the house with a long overdue makeover for the garage/mancave/gym/dog bedroom!We even managed to play tourists for a day on the harbour, stopping at Devonport for a delightful pub lunch and a relaxing afternoon on the waterfront.

I hope you had a cool Waitangi weekend with Whanau and friends,………..Cheers Jonesey!

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon they deserved more say in the garage makeover plan!

 

 

"In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity." Albert Einstein

 

Wow if you reckon there isnt many opportunities floating around, check these out;

• A chance meeting on a Muriwai walking track has lead to Christine embarking on a ‘book a bach’ management career. She is looking after a local rental bach and has had enquiries from others wanting her to manage their properties too.As a spin off guess who is the lawn mowing guy….yep and not a bad low impact way to exercise the dodgy knee…..crikey win,win and win!
• The TGS young business entrepreneurs I was mentoring are taking their business idea further with some of the team buying out the others, introducing new lines and planning to grow and develop their business frist year out of school……WOW (wonder if I can get some shares??)
• Our business provides portable toilets through a sub contractor.I first met our subbie by chance and we agreed to work with each other. He has now become a personal friend and our portable toilet division has expanded ten fold into our most profitable division!
• I had to make some hard calls recently with customers over dust and shavings waste.Out of that bad news came some good news in the form of an innovative alternative for the product. Another business I work with is able to process the material into animal bedding and firewood pellets.This is an innovative sustainable alterantive to landfill and also solves our air bound dust issues…None of this possible if I had not proactively sought alterantives to landfill.
• I noticed recently a guy I went to school with is now the head of the National Speakers Association.I rang him to congratulate him on his appointment and to catch up.Turns out he has a lucrative speaking opportunity for me with one of his customers at a conference in Christchurch.Imagine if I couldn’t be bothered calling him….one good turn leads to….another!

 

“A man who misses his opportunity, and monkey who misses his branch, cannot be saved."

The F word !!!

 

 

 

                                                                                       Edition 267 Monday February 2nd 2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi,crikey it aint half hot Mum!I was a reluctant de-humidifier convert but pretty happy cool camper  now!.Hey heres another cool idea,keep a couple of glasses in the freezer for drinks.It adds that chilled edge to any beverage and all the more thirst quenching, you heard it here first! While I am on a roll how about a waterproof pad and pen for recording all those ideas in the shower?And Christines favourite a self toothpasting toothbrush?Lets face it everything invented in the world successful or otherwise had to start from a simple basic idea(in the shower perhaps?).How many of us have seen something new on the shelf and thought,’I thought of that once’ or maybe ‘I wish I thought of that’I encourage you all to let your mind run riot regularly who knows what will happen or come of it?

Fletcher reckons;he has come up with a revolutionary new way of staying clean and germ free.He gets Harry and the Hendersons to lick him daily(without any prompting).Their saliva contains a cleansing healing component that he reckons will keep him well…..smarter than the average bear!

I had a panic attack recently when I was half way to work and discovered I had left my cell phone at home!Crikey I felt naked,exposed,and cut off from the world without it.It was a weird feeling and made me realise how much we rely on our phones day to day.It is my watch,my newspaper,my email, my text,my calendar,my diary,as well as being my phone.It was scary to think I needed it so badly and felt I couldn’t do without it. I did an about turn and went home to get it.A one hour false start but sanity and access to the world returned once back in my hot little hand.Sad but true!

I hope you all had a great weekend with family and friends and that you make the most of the upcoming short week and the Waitangi long weekend. Have a good one,………..Cheers Jonesey!

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon they should be charging for their secret cleansing brew!

 

“In school they call it Bullying but at work they call it Upper Level Management.”

 

Should it be a sin to have fun at work? I say NO WAY and appeal to all those who believe the answer to this question is YES to reassess and modify your view.

I was exposed to a number of instances recently where I observed people who were attempting to have fun in their work place stopped by those who felt it wasn’t the time or place.

Is fun or open enjoyment at work time wasting and distracting? Again in my view NO WAY in fact it has been proven in a number of work place surveys that happy workers =happy company=happy customers.Surely this also means that the more happy and fulfilled staff are the more successful the company is?What ever happened to the timeless adage “Our people are our most valuable asset?”

Another of my favourites is;”If you love your job you will never have to work a day in your life”.What say you hate your job? then obviously the opposite applies but other things also happen.You tend to try to keep your head down and do enough to stay out of trouble without going to any extra lengths to get things done.You get a mediocre,below standard performance from staff who are too scared to have fun or step out of line. Companies with this work environment have a high staff turnover and don’t move ahead because their people are not encouraged to contribute openly to the growth and development of the business.The management and leadership of these businesses is lacking and tends to focus on looking for things going wrong rather than recognising and rewarding people for their ideas and the things they are doing right and consistently,refreshingly well.

Dare I say it ,having fun is a big part of allowing people to express themselves and a suppression of that natural desire is not condusive to getting the best from that person as an individual or collectively as part of a team.My message to you is to make sure you have fun at work and if you feel you cant then maybe it is time to think seriously about finding somewhere you can!!! Good luck!

 

“As long as you're having fun, that's the key. The moment it becomes a grind, it's over.”

Raw and Essential!!!

         

 

 

                                                                                       Edition 266 Tuesday January 27th 2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi,happy 175^th birthday Auckland, City of Sails!!!!What an amazing weekend for Jafa’s to celebrate in style.We spent more time outside the house than we did in it. Our scooby Doo new BBQ was put through its paces as Alfresco everything was the go at 48.We had scored the brand new 4 burner BBQ still in the box at the red shed for a hundy(less 66%)one large dent to lid but not to chefs ego!!

All things considered Auckland is a special place on the planet to live and we are lucky to live there!

Fletcher reckons; he is ready to move up to the next size outdoor pool especially after having to share it all weekend with Mum, Dad, Harry and the Hendersons….crikey who is the kid here!!

Speaking of Harry and the Hendersons after hearing heaps about the ‘Raw Essentials’ raw food diets for dogs we have embarked on a trial run for Kate, Harry and Oscar!The bulk processed bags of dog food have been replaced with raw foods like rabbit,beef,lamb,chicken,duck,tripe in special measured portions.After just a week the change is noticeable with Kate in particular looking,feeling and moving a lot sharper.Harry and Oscar have a new lease of life whilst the grumpy old man considers secondary employment or additional mortgage to finance these new delicacies!

I have used my outstanding natural talent as a house painter and the good weather to get some paint on some dry thirsty window frames lashed for years by the unforgiving Tasman!!Thankfully the heat from the sun is so intense any external painting has to be completed between 7-9am(bugger J).

What is it about “Total fire ban” and “Swim between the flags” that people don’t seem to get as many continue to ignore both endangering themselves and others…courtesy of Muriwai rescue services!!

I trust all Auckland Anniversary long weekend recipients had a great time with family and friends and that all others had a good Monday.Roll on Waitangi weekend,have a fun week………..Cheers Jonesey!

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon they are raw,essential,and worth it!!

 

 

“What we learn only through the ears makes less impression upon our minds than what is presented to the trustworthy eye.” Horace

Following on the feedback theme from last week I was a customer of a new Mega Mitre 10 recently.

The new franchisee/owner has invested a significant amount of capital into his new venture. He has provided employment for heaps of locals and a significant DIY resource for the weekend warrior.

As a customer I like good service so I always notice when I receive some….and when I don’t!

The Mega Mitre 10 Group have a lot of initiatives around customer service and one of them is an online feedback survey for customers to complete after their visit.They provide an incentive by way of a $1000 store voucher for one lucky survey scribe!

I visited twice in two days and filled out surveys both times(pick me).

What I noticed both times was that there was no concious effort made to ‘meet and greet’ customers.

To me the ‘meet and greet’ directs the first impressions of any business and dictates to a large and important degree how the rest of the visit goes.I actually reckon having someone responsible for meeting and greeting is a worthwhile investment for any business.

Imagine being met personally in a non threatening way and then directed to where you need to go.

Investing in staff to do this would pay itself off plenty of times over in repeat sales and word of mouth advertising for the business!!We have a duty to tell people about our customer experience.

I eventually found what I was looking for and met some helpful people along the way and some not so but nothing to rave about so I didn’t.I trust this feedback assists this business to improve and I look forward to going back again to see if it has and to hopefully pick up my voucher for a grand!!

 

“Always roll up the sleeves on your shirt. It gives the impression that you're working, even if you're not.”Ashton Kutcher

Muriwai time!!

         

 

 

                                                                                       Edition 265 Monday January 19th 2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi,happy new year,I hope 2015 has started well and continues to get better.Crikey what an amazing run of golden weather to match anything from recent memory and to rival the endless summers etched into my childhood memories. We are lucky to live at the beach so our home morphed into our holiday home as one brilliant timeless day blended into another.Muriwai time has no master or deadlines, when you are tired you sleep, when you are hot you swim and eat icecream, when you are hungry you picnic/ BBQ,when you are energetic you play or exercise,when you are thirsty you open the bar,very relaxing,very cool, very kiwi and the only way to go.We love holidays and where we live!

Fletcher reckons; Christmas was a blast but it’s a bit rough of Dad and Mum expecting him to good for the next 365 days to ensure Santa returns for Christmas 2015!!Crikey give us a break!

A pulled calf muscle painfully reminded me I am another year older and that rest is an integral component of any exercise program.Yes god does move in mysterious ways and yes elite athletes like myself do have to listen to their bodies and do as they are told.I am lucky I have an understanding wife who opted for compassion rather than for the racehorse remedy(although tempted at times!!).

Exercise, work/life balance and family feature high on my list of priorities for 2015.Rather than try to set myself a whole list of resolutions, goals and objectives I decided yet again to set myself one task for 2015….to be better than I am now at everything I do in these and other areas of my life. This is not a one off task but one that applies to everyday of my life....I cant wait to be better !!

I hope you all had a relaxing Christmas and New Year break with family and friends and that like me you are ready and raring to go again for what promises to be a year as big and bright if not more so that any in the past. It is and will be exactly what you make it and I believe that by approaching it with a positive ‘Upbeat’ attitude you will have more than an even chance of succeeding in all you do.Have a great week…………….Cheers Jonesey!

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon life is a beach holiday 24/7 and rest is a daily highlight!

 

“ Measure your success not on the level of profit you’re making today, but on the level of the referrals you’re getting today.” Mark Hunter…’the sales hunter’

 

‘Word of mouth’ is the cheapest and most effective form of advertising. I experienced this first hand prior to Christmas when I received a referral and won a subsequent business opportunity from it!

I was lucky enough to have the chance to present and share experiences with the learning and development team of professionals at IAG Insurance.In an interactive and lively session we  challenged each other to think innovatively and strategically about different approaches to achieving outcomes for our customers.I gained a huge amount from the session and will especially benefit from the objective and intuitive written feedback from the team at IAG. There is nothing more valuable than being evaluated by your peers, it is the gift of growth and as such vitally essential for my future personal development as a presenter and sales professional.

Two key things from this for me;

1)Always give and ask for referrals. If you get good service then let people know about it.If you give good service then ask for details of others who would be interested in your service or product. You will be pleasantly surprised how willing people are to pass on this information….give it a crack.

2)Always ask for feedback on anything you do for or with others.How else will you know how you are doing and what you need to do to improve? Evaluation/feedback is rocket fuel…give it a crack!

Footnote; Speaking of feedback, my feedback late last year about the poor customer service I received from a hire company resulted in that company apologizing personally and reimbursing me fully. Big thanks to the management and staff at Hirepool for this acknowledgement and apology!!

 

“Feedback is the breakfast of champions.” Ken Blanchard