The RAOK Challenge

         

 

 

Edition 208 Monday October 21st 2013

 

 Hi,wow what a week it has been on the Jones roller coaster ride this week! A ghastly gastric bug stopped Christine in her tracks on Tuesday so I dutifully assumed the role of activities director with Fletcher for the day. Christine was appreciative of the rest and I returned to work Wednesday for a rest after an unbelievably fun but very exhausting day in the zoo!!

Speaking of Wednesday I ran through a bunch of blue bottle jelly fish in the early darkness on the beach. I didn’t realise I had done this until I felt a stinging sensation on my lower leg later in the shower. The affected area then swelled and broke into an angry rash which degenerated into an open broken skin wound…..as if that wasn’t bad enough I then experienced  fever and nausea from the evil jelly fish poison that had obviously entered my system….crikey !!! Then after battling the Blue fever and to top off  the week I contracted the ghastly gastric bug from Christine on Friday for a weekend spent in close proximity to one very important little room of the houseL.Harden up Jonesey!

Staying close to home proved to be a blessing in disguise as we explored a couple of local spots with Fletcher which were cool fun. He is fixated with birds at the moment so the local Gannet Colony was a special treat combined with a visit to the local park rides and the wild west coast black sand of the beach and he was made up ! Often the simple things closest to home are the most enjoyable or rewarding…….love where we live Daddy !!!! J

I competed in a Toastmasters competition on Saturday and was lucky enough to win the right to represent Auckland at the upcoming National final in November,fiercely competitive and proud of it!

In my fragile state I was in bed before the All Blacks played on Saturday night !!! so we managed to hang out till 10.30am Sunday to watch the boys maintain their unbeaten run for the season….legend.

Yay , Labour Weekend approaches and we have leave booked Friday to make it a four day bonanza.

I hope you had a great weekend with family and friends and that you also have a relaxing long weekend planned to spend with those closest and most important to you……Cheers Jonesey.

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon they, like our shoes, are comfortable. They might be a bit out of shape and a little worn around the edges, but they fit well. Scooby Doo !!!

 

“Unexpected kindness is the most powerful, least costly, and most underrated agent of human change.” Bob Kerrey

I was parking in town last week and a guy came up to me and gave me his parking ticket that still had almost an hour left to park on it…..it was a small gesture that helped and meant a lot to me!It was a “Random Act Of Kindness” (RAOK) that served as a timely reminder how powerful these simple inexpensive gestures can be. The thing I like is how they benefit both the giver and the receiver equally and the diffreence they can make to both.

RAOKs are spontaneous acts of generosity that don’t have to be done and generally are not noticed if they don’t happen but have a huge effect when they are performed. They can be as simple as opening a door for somebody or even saying please and thankyou where most people let it slip past these days…..simple little disciplines in our daily lives, again sadly missing from most.

Last week inspired by this RAOK I was moved to provide my services as a mentor and volunteer to present at two industry forums on behalf of customers. None of this I was contracted or expected to do but all that I was happy and motivated to do and as a result of doing !! Unselfish and unsolicited yet unbelievably satisfying !!!

Your challenge this week is to become a RAOK performer,your chance to shine……”Just do it” Cheers.

 

“What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?”Jean Jacques Rousseau

Thumb and dumber

         

 

 

Edition 207 Monday October 14th 2013

 

 Hi, I accidentally cut myself with our large carving knife recently. It started to fall off the bench so I instinctively tried to catch it( that was bright). I am still trying to figure out why I did that, maybe with my form, it would have carried on to stab me in the foot or something!! Anyway I managed to cut my thumb slightly right on the end . I doubt there would have been more blood had I cut the thing off altogether. Anyway the point is that during the healing process my thumb was painful and I couldn’t believe how many day to day things I do that involve the use of my thumb (eg;try doing the buttons of a shirt up with a sore thumb …..agony!!)…..dont we take so much for granted regarding our health, we need to be more careful and aware,in my humble and painful view!

Continuing on the health theme I bent over to pick up something last week and the seams of my work trouser bottoms decided enough was enough and gave up the ghost. It is a little unfair to blame the seams when it would be fairer to point the blame at the extra strain they may have been under lately!. I would love to tell you it is because of the further development of muscle thanks to the gym however,sadly that is not the case. Yes the battle continues and no matter how much one may exercise one  still has to watch what one eats so why doesn’t one??,hmmm diet starts tomorrow!

Fletcher file; one of our fears was realised last week when Fletcher,who spends a lot of time with Harry and the Hendersons, was discovered eating some dog biscuits !! Now not only does he think he is a canine he has also taken a liking to their food. Whilst the opportunity to save some money on the food budget was tempting we had to draw the line and instruct him eating dog biscuits was a no no J

Dad is recovering slowly at home under the watchful eye of the best nurse in the business @ #21. We are a thoughtful lot though as the sign on the back of Dads boat trailer many years ago lays testimony to, it read “ 13.5 metres to pass, do not worry if you cant pass……at least you are keeping up with the Joneses.”J and on that note, have a great week!……Cheers Jonesey.

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon dogs' lives are too short. Their only fault, really!!!

 

“Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and it annoys the pig.”

 George Bernard Shaw

 

Some sizzling snippets from the week that was;

 

• I always carry business cards and hand them out whenever I meet anybody business or personal.They are a great way of getting your message out and providing all your information. Imagine my embarrassment when one of the recipients actually read the card I gave him and noted it didn’t have my name on it ! Seems I had been inadvertently handing out one of my colleagues cards for most of the week !
• Due to a recent acquisition I have some new staff in my team. This presents me with a great opportunity to review my performance to ensure any habits, familiarity or laziness are eliminated from my daily efforts to manage and motivate my team. It is a reality check on the level of professionalism I bring to my role and a reminder to set an example at all times.
• Further to my note last week about accepting opportunities to present to industry groups or associations I did exactly that this weekend. A colleague and I presented to the Association of Wall and Ceiling Installers (AWCI) about our recent plasterboard recycling initiatives. This was as a big thank you to several customers who are members who are supporting our initiative.
• How about that Green Gorilla exposure on “The Block NZ” We were not just pretty faces and bins we actually recycled 40% of the waste off the program!!  Legends !! Go the extra mile!!

“I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig, you get dirty; and besides, the pig likes it.” George Bernard Shaw

Valet to the Stars!

         

 

 

Edition 206 Monday October 7th 2013

 

 Hi,our very own blackbirds are nesting in our letter box, daylight saving jet lag is over and the bbq has had its first serious work out…..ahhhh there is warmth in the air and a spring in the step with another iconic kiwi summer in prospect. Also time to tackle the lawns and outdoor chores that have been on hold during the winter months. After a huge day outdoors on Saturday we treated ourselves to a hot bath, mainly because Auckland were getting kicked by Wellington in the footy ! Crikey that was amazing, our poor bath, ignored for so long in favour of the quicker less soothing shower, our aching bodies promise to savour you on a more regular basis!

 Thanks for all your messages re Dad, I am pleased to report that his surgery went well and he is recovering well. A reconditioned heart, a lot to be grateful for and even more to look forward to.

Fletcher update; our little man is so funny, if he is up before I go to work and when I get home he will either select a pair of shoes for me to wear or put them away for me after use!!(see attached photos). He is growing like a weed and developing personality and character features that Christine and I either claim or deny is linked to us depending on how cute or obnoxious the trait might be!! J

One of our older boys,Mark is home currently from the UK and it has been cool to catch up with him before he heads off to experience and write a new chapter in his seamingly never ending OE adventure. “May the sun always be on your back and the wind always be on your face” ,go well son.

Wow, how about that All Black game against South Africa, the stuff All Black legends and folklore are made of. I can remember watching as a wide eyed kid years ago with Dad when legends of the past like Colin Meads (playing with a broken arm) and Bryan Williams (who mesmorised the Springboks with his magical side step as a 19 year old) etched themselves into the history books forever.

I hope you had a relaxing spring/summer weekend with family and friends and that you have an awesome week ahead, not long now till Labour weekend J……Cheers Jonesey.

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon some days you're the dog; some days you're the hydrant.

 

“Customer service is not a department, it’s everyone’s job.” Sam Walton

 

We have recently secured a recycling service supply deal with a large chain store. We will be supplying 30 stores in the Auckland area which is very cool and a great coup for our company.

As part of the roll out I had to call each store to make sure they knew what they were getting, when and what they had to do and what to expect from us in return!

The thing that amazed me was the difference in phone answering, service and attitude from one store to the next. They ranged from super receptive and enthusiastic to mildly interested to couldn’t care less. It proved to be an interesting independent customer service observation exercise which while unintentional did provide a useful insight into how the stores were tracking in these areas.

I was faced with an equally interesting decision to make…..did I ignore what I had observed? or did I mention it to my contact and pass on the information/assessment for their future benefit?

I chose to share the info and observations I had made as I believed it would enhance our relationship with our new customer as well as benefitting them with targetting training and development needs. In other words or ‘sales speak’ a win/win outcome for all parties.

Luckily I was right, my customer was appreciative and asked me to present my findings to one of their Managemet team meetings for the benefit of all Managers…..amazing, I couldn’t believe it !

So an awesome outcome was achieved from taking the initiative derived from something initially unrelated but eventually super relevant and mutually beneficial.

I believe we are surrounded by opportunities like this every day, we need to ‘get better’ at recognising these and to then make the most of them!!!....Good luck, keep your eyes and ears open!

 

“We won’t complain. We just won’t come back” Mr & Mrs Customer!!!

YAY !!!!

         

 

 

Edition 205 Monday September 30th 2013

 

 Hi, the last of the birthdays during the Joneses birthday season is fittingly my Fathers on the 28^th. These birthdays are always special as Dad reckons he was born at midnight so the celebration should be a two day affair over the 28/29 September!! This weekends event was certainly special and different as our family assembled in his hospital room complete with cards, presents, cupcakes, chocolate cake and bubbles (compliments of his biggest and most loyal supporter my beautiful Mum). Crikey I don’t know how much of it we were legally allowed to have in there but it didn’t matter to us as the most important thing to us was Dad!

It was a bit surreal as Mum gave the first public speech I have ever heard her do and the rest of us mixed and mingled with Dad in no doubt this was indeed ‘his’ special day which was cool.

It is times like this that I regret not having made a bigger effort to be closer to my brother and sister or that I havent visited Mum and Dad more often. It is also times like this that I realise saying family is important to me is one thing, doing something about it is another thing altogether !! I guess I am lucky that I still have a family and an opportunity to do something about that regret.

Dad is booked to become a member of the open heart ‘zipper club’ on Wednesday so very cool for his family to be together prior to this life enhancing surgery,wow isnt life a wild roller coaster ride!

Speaking of roller coasters what an amazing few weeks it has been following Team NZ’s fortunes in San Francisco! I don’t know about you but it all got too much for me and I had to stop watching and just got text updates from Christine. I couldn’t bear it and was left totally gutted and flat at the end of what had been an amazing journey for the counntry and especially the team in San Fran. I know everyone will have their own opinions and heaps of them but for what it is worth I am proud of the team, I think it was money well spent and I would do it all over again in a heart beat,so its out there.

Yay the All Blacks, Yay daylight saving and Yay another exciting week ahead, have a good one! Cheers Jonesey!

Harry and the Hendersons  feel very strongly that they should always go with us in the car, in case the need should arise for them to bark violently at nothing right in our ears !!!!!

 

“No one has a greater asset for  their business than a persons pride in their work.” H Ballou

I saw an amazing thing last week……a local road is getting a much overdue conversion from gravel to tar seal. There are workmen, diggers, rollers, tip trucks and graders everywhere. The weather has been all over the show and all the gear is covered in dirt but I saw a truck driver out cleaning the body and cab of his truck with a rag while he waited to be loaded. I couldn’t help myself and asked him why he was doing that? He asked me ‘what I did for a crust?’ I told him I was a ‘professional sales person’ (I like saying that!) to which he said “do you clean your car ?” I said yes and he said then I clean my truck for the same reason! I am proud of what I do and the state of my truck reflects who I am and how I feel about that and what I do……I thought OMG how true is that !!!

I clean my car regularly because I want to set a good example to my staff, I want my customers to think I am proud of my company and what I do so the appearance of my car is an important part of maintaining that image. I feel privileged to have a company car (even if it has a Gorilla on the side of it) and I think it is important I treat it like I would if I owned it. Funny thing is I feel better  about myself and my company and its services when I am in a clean car!!

I didn’t stop there I cleaned my shoes, ironed my shirts and even purchased a couple of new ones because I was so impressed with what I saw the truck driver doing.

Pride in appearance and pride in vehicle cleanliness both reflect to others what type of person we are and what is important to us.I believe this sends an important message to people about us and our companies before we utter a word or provide any service or product.

Thanks to Doug my new friend the truckie for a timely reminder about the importance of ‘pride’ J

“We know that America thrives when every person can find independence and pride in their work.” Barack Obama

In a heartbeat

 Hi,if someone tells me to take it easy I usually ignore them and go twice as hard out! Seldom have I listened to my body preferring to take the ‘she’ll be right’ approach to most injuries and ailments. I was guilty of playing footy when injuries weren’t right and as a case in point have continued to train over the last three weeks with a chest infection opting for the ‘sweat it out/break the fever’ cure rather than the ‘rest and recover’ approach!

I believe this behaviour is sort of thanks to Dad who was and still is exactly the same today in his 80’s!! So it was not a surprise for me to learn late last week that he had been admitted to hospital  experiencing breathlessness and chest pains after a week at their Waiheke retreat where he had been over doing things! Crikey , tell me about it, this,not three months after dodging a bullet from a near fatal car accident ! Talk about having a charmed bullet proof life, if he was a cat he would have well exceeded the nine so called lives they are allocated, years ago!!

After observation it appears the expert smart money is on valve replacement surgery where all going well with the rest of the body the new valve has the potential to see this caped crusader hit triple figures……..god give the rest of us the strength and patience,we love you Dad!!..hang in there!!

Talking about health and living longer, a smoker friend of mine revealed he has managed to kick the habit which is a huge achievement but not as BIG as the annual saving calculated at nearly $9000!!!   The final word on living longer this week goes to Winnnie the Pooh who  said  “ If you live to be a hundred years old I hope I pass away a day sooner so I never have to live without you”…….that perfectly sums up feelings about true friends and family for me !!!

I hope you had a relaxing weekend with family and friends, have a great week, Cheers Jonesey!

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon if you think dogs can't count, try putting three dog biscuits per dog in your pocket and then give each only two of them.

 

“Yesterday is a canceled check; tomorrow is a promissory note; today is the only cash you have - so spend it wisely.” - Kay Lyons

 

There are 148 hours in every week, if we are lucky we will sleep for approx 56 of those and if we are unlucky or disorganized we will work for approx 60 of those or maybe 50 if we are on to it! You don’t have to be an Americas cup scientist to realize this isn’t a lot of time in the scheme of things.

We are all surrounded by time thieves who have nothing better to do but steal time from us.

A perfect example of this was a meeting a colleague and I had last week that ran for 4 hours!! Yes 8% of an organized work week or 6.6% of a disorganized one, in any ones terms a big slice of time! The thing that made it worse was it was pretty much a waste of that time when related to the value it added to our business. We learnt some lessons that are relevant for all meetings; 1)Keep any meeting to 1 hour max,2)Set an agenda for all meetings and stick to it, only add extra items before the meeting starts not during or at the end, 3)Before setting the meeting ask yourself “Is this the best use of my time”, could we do this over the phone or via email? 4)Follow up all meetings with minutes and an action list with deadlines. I am sure there are other ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts’ but this was a good wake up call re time and its value for us. I guess the important thing is we are committed to learning from it and putting in place measures that will ensure it doesn’t happen again.

Time is such a precious commodity!!.....use it or lose it !!

 

“Time is our most valuable asset, yet we tend to waste it, kill it and spend it rather than invest it.” – Jim Rohn

'Upbeat'

         

 

 

Edition 203 Monday September 16th 2013

 

 Hi, Spring is an exciting time as daylight saving and the long hot days of Summer approach. Inevitably the days are not the only things getting longer as the ‘to do’ before Summer list also starts to grow. Whilst that can be daunting it is also exciting as you build the list and start to tick the boxes as the tasks are ‘knocked off’ one by one…….hmmmm sounds easy enough. Well it sort of did till we took time out this weekend to compile our ‘to do’ before Summer list! It was exciting to visualise us achieving our goals yet hard to see the spare time required! So like that chap who posed the question about “how to eat an elephant?” we decided that we will consume our list one ‘bite’ at a time. Project ‘Summer 13’ is officially underway with the soft launch being the list completed this weekend and the harder version being the two physical projects per weekend till Christmas starting next weekend!..watch this space as “The Block” moves to our shack at Muriwai !!

Wow,big sporting weekend @ 48 with plenty of action, drama, blood, sweat and some tears. Speaking of tears given Fletchers impressionable age and penchant for repeating what those around him explete we have introduced a gold coin fine system to discourage swearing especially during close sporting encounters ! The proceeds are going into Fletchers BNZ piggy bank and ultimately into his Kiwi saver account !!! Needless to say after this weekends events and the subsequent stream of non compliant language he has done nicely out of the deal. Swearing = being lazy and is not a good look, time for the grumpy man to get more creative with vocab !!

From the ‘Upbeat ‘ file….Last week I heard the word ‘Upbeat’ used a number of times which always brings a smile to my face. I was prompted to visit the personalised plate website to find that someone already has the plate ‘Upbeat’ but that if I parted with a mere $899.00 I could have several other versions using numbers  instead of letters! !hmmmmmmmm,better buy paint instead!!

I hope you had a relaxing and enjoyable Spring weekend, have a great week ahead, Cheers Jonesey!

 

.Harry and the Hendersons reckon dogs can teach Fletcher fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down!!!

 

“Monday you can fall apart. Tuesday, Wednesday break my heart. Thursday doesn't even start. It's Friday, I'm in love.” The Cure

Most people I know are more ‘Upbeat’ and happy on Fridays than any other day of the week.

The Friday mind set can be counter productive as there is a tendency to perceive that people don’t want to see or talk business with anyone on a Friday given they are on the weekend wind down.

This applies especially to my profession ‘sales’. If I had a $1 for every time I have been told by a colleague that there is no use calling on a customer on a Friday (especially after lunch) I would be a wealthy man. This is a dangerous perception and one neither we or our colleagues can afford to have.

To give you a good example I was able to call on three customers last Friday afternoon. In two cases I had arranged appointments without any hassle and in the third I called in to close a deal I have been working on for some time. In all cases my customers were pleased to see me and happy to talk.

The myth that everyone is winding down for the weekend on a Friday is exactly that, a myth. If you think that no one wants to see you on a Friday or that there is no business to be done on a Friday then you need to have a Stephen Covey style ‘Paradigm shift’ and change your mindset. The fact that people are more ‘Upbeat’, happier and expectant of a cool weekend makes them easier to do business with. Fridays are BIG business days and maybe the reason they are is because a large number of your competitors arn’t out there,preferring instead to waste time in the office and finish early to get a flying start to their weekend !!! Believe me, Fridays are BIG for business, I bet if you focus on making this the case you and your company will benefit….good luck, have fun on Fridays!

 

“Monday you can hold your head. Tuesday, Wednesday stay in bed. Oh Thursday watch the walls instead. It's Friday, I'm in love.” The Cure

Team NZ

         

 

 

Edition 202 Monday September 9th 2013

 

 Hi, from as early as I can remember the Ranfurly Shield has always had a special magic for me. At Primary and Intermediate school I can remember interhouse rivalry for summer and winter sports  trophies and I guess the Ranfurly Shield struck me as being the same thing in the real world! The sheer excitement of challenging, the euphoria of winning as challenger or holder or conversely the desperation and disappointment of losing as challenger or holder,Ranfurly Shield games have magical ingredients that often produce drama, events, games,outcomes and key players that are legendary and become folklore for generations to come.

Speaking of which,WOW!!!!,. what a month it has been with firstly Otago winning the shield off Waikato after coming so close on so many occasions previously, in fact their first time with the ‘log o wood’ for over 50 years, then losing it 7 days later to Hawkes Bay who hadnt seen it for even longer!!! And then Counties taking it from Hawkes  Bay a record shortest tenure time of 6 days later to secure the Shield for the first time in that unions history since coming in to being in 1958 !!!! If you or someone you know  hasn’t been affected or captivated by this amazing series of games then you need to tune in and get blown away by ‘shield fever’.

As a player my two greatest memories were of being involved in shield games. The first in 1979 when as an under 21 player I played the curtain raiser to the Auckland v Counties game at Eden Park. The crowd swelled to 50,000 by the time our game concluded and the atmosphere was electric. The second was 1986 when I was lucky enough to play in an actual challenge for North Harbour against Auckland again at Eden Park and again in front of nearly 60,000 people!! Yes a long way from Primary and Intermediate School sports challenges but as fiercely contested and celebrated afterwards……great memories and testament to the game that is woven so deeply into the fabric of our society. The last month has been an enjoyable and motivating return to my rugby womb!!!

Hey how about those America’s Cup sailors and the mighty AB’s !!, capping off an amazing weekend of sport for ‘Aotearoa’ land of the long white cloud……be proud Kiwi’s….life doesn’t get any better !!! Cheers Jonesey!!.....stop press, and our Equestrian Eventers at Burley…..YAY.

 

Harry and the Hendersons reckon“why keep dogs if you are going to bark heaps yourself?”

 

“It usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech.”

 Mark Twain

I was lucky enough to represent our Toastmasters Club at an Impromtu speaking competition on the weekend. I was even luckier to have things go my way well enough to win that competition!!!

Yes I am competitive and yes this was a huge thrill and an honour to compete successfully at this level. Impromtu speaking is just one of the many skills I have worked hard on a fortnightly basis to get ‘better’ at in the many years I have been a member of a Toastmasters club.

Any success is never an overnight thing, it is usually the culmination of many hours hard work honing skills and techniques to produce a consistent quality performance….ask any golfer or goal kicker!!!

My goal in 2013 is to ‘be better’ at everything I do so my choice to become a Toastmaster over 20 years ago has enabled me to continue achieving my objective this year in the many areas that this organization benefits members…..visit www.toastmasters.org.nz to find out more !!!!!

As Toastmasters we are taught to listen so we can evaluate and provide objective feedback to others. I often evaluate non- toastmasters and provide advice and it is my opinion there are plenty of people who would benefit from being better communicators including prominent figures who talk often in public. The only way to get better at anything is to work longer and harder at it,good luck,go for it!

Victory is sweet however this doesn’t guarantee photographers will catch your best look(attached)!

 

“There are only two types of speakers in the world. 1. The nervous and 2. Liars.” 

 Mark Twain