tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22365579530549215412024-03-13T11:12:36.556+08:00Mining MummyAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00428263701301068849noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236557953054921541.post-69136372240485085772013-10-12T17:25:00.000+08:002013-10-12T17:52:37.122+08:00Only poor leaders knock back flexible work <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yep - that's right. If you've ever knocked back a request for flexible work from one of your employees, I'm suggesting that you take a long hard look at your own leadership skills.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've been sitting on this post for a while now. Slightly fearful that there'll be an exception I hadn't thought of; a role requires exactly the same person to be physically present for exactly the same hours every week; a job so important that how it's performed can not be altered in any way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have not found a single example and yet, every week, I hear another story about talented, smart and hard working employees being knocked back for flexible work. It makes my head explode. There is absolutely nothing wrong with those seeking flexible work and a whole lot wrong with their leaders.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A quick study of most effective leaders will show that they are strong in the following areas:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Problem solving</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Establishing deliverables</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Holding employees accountable</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Leadership of flexible workers requires EXACTLY the same.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Good leaders work with their teams and follow decision making processes before determining an outcome. If an employee has a small child at kindy 3 days per week or is studying nights, they work together to plan a roster that suits both. Great leaders understand the best outcomes can be win-win and problem solve to get there. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Establishing deliverables</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Good leaders are clear on what is required of their team. They plan, budget and deliver whatever good or service is expected from them. They know how to express their deliverables to their team. They know what their team is working towards and they don't need to be physically present for every step in the process. They understand employee strengths and allocate work based on these strengths and availability. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Hold employees accountable</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Good leaders will recruit, develop and train their teams to deliver. When employees are not delivering, they will be appropriately managed. A good leader measures performance based on behaviours <b>and</b> delivery, not where the person was working from or what days they worked. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Requesting flexible work arrangements put a huge onus on the employee to state: where and when they will be working; what time they will turn up and depart; how they will hand over work; how they will manage collaboration and team work; and how they can be contacted for surprise jobs... </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yet I have NEVER heard the same requests made of a full time worker. It seems that many leaders will let Sleepy Jones rock up day in day out, keeping his chair warm in the corner, watching the clock all day and barely delivering but the edge he has is that he is physically present. F..I..V..E L..O..N..G D..A..Y..S P..E..R W..E..E..K...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Skill-up leaders! </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next time a smart and hard working person comes to you for flexible work, consider your own leadership capacity before saying no. I'll certainly be asking what's wrong with you and your role such that you can not handle an employee with flexible conditions and I'm sure there will be others too!</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00428263701301068849noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236557953054921541.post-12557217296493216962013-09-19T12:45:00.002+08:002013-09-19T12:52:05.693+08:00Leadership lessons from pirates<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It be here!</span><br />
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<a href="http://ghergich.com/illustrations/talk-like-pirate-day/" target="_blank" title="Talk Like A Pirate Day"><img alt="Talk Like A Pirate Day" height="400" src="http://ghergich.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/talk-like-a-pirate-day.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
<a href="http://ghergich.com/illustrations/talk-like-pirate-day/" target="_blank" title="Talk Like A Pirate Day">Illustration by Ghergich & Co.</a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love September 19. I'm glad that we celebrate ye pirates of olde. They were snappy dressers, bird-loving, mis-understood amputees of the high seas. International talk Like a Pirate Day, ITLAPD (that's today), should not just be about faking a bad Irish accent (were pirates even Irish?), brandishing a cutlass and drinking tankards of ale though...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We can learn a lot about leadership from these salty sea dogs. If Mining Mummy was a pirate (or leader), this is what I'd do.</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Be brave</b> - Have ye ever met a shy pirate? Nope. Nor 'ave eye. Pirates get amongst it. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Mutter unintelligibly</b> - Pirates excel at bluff. When you have no idea where the closest landfall is or what went wrong on your last project, just try something like: "Me 'n' Muskit Ball Jim drug our sorry keesters out t'th'ship'n'had us a grand great adventuaaarrr! We almost had t'keelhaul Mad cap'n Knockboots f'r gettin inter th' grog behind our backs!". Say it while deeply focussed on your spy glass (or plans etc). You wont be bothered again.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Learn the language </b>- Know your bung hole from your keel haul. One keeps the rum in and the other results in a barnacle induced death. These days leaders have to be up on a vast array of TLA's and buzzwords, that are no less perilous.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Use hand gestures </b>- If you earnt that hook, use it. Should your arms be intact, show off your watch or rings. Either way, the bling and movement distracts smarter listeners from deconstructing your unintelligible mutterings. (I'm not calling Kevin Rudd a pirate, but,... he's got hand gestures and unintelligible (musings) sewn up. The <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-30/the-many-hands-of-rudd-gifs/4924468" target="_blank">double dead spider</a> is worth a look.)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Look after your reputation</b> - Pirates understood branding about 500 years before everyone else. They knew what they did well and they delivered! Ok so it was death, robbery and worse but by simply raising their flag, everyone knew what they were about. Know what you are good at and stick with it!</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Enjoy ITLAPD. I'm off for a rum.</span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00428263701301068849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236557953054921541.post-60142084696731587212013-07-22T20:36:00.001+08:002013-07-22T20:36:45.117+08:00Been muddled up with someone else?<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The funniest thing I read today was about Ernst and Young's <a href="http://www.afr.com/p/national/rude_shock_as_ernst_young_rebrands_F7itB0EQQo8LpUNUxGFzQL" target="_blank">rebranding effort</a>. So a multinational advisory firm goes and pays a branding firm gazillions of dollars to... officially name their organisation after a saucy Spanish mens homoerotic picture magazine. Their cock-up (so to speak of course..) was in not doing their branding 101 homework. I'm not an expert but ... I'd have probably <i>googled</i> my new brand before putting it out there...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm sure there is some embarrassment at EY over this but imagine the humiliation of the poor mens mag. Now anyone googling them is going to be directed to an accounting/advisory/consulting firm. Oh the horror...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Being far smarter than the marketing bods at EY and the branding company that just extracted their money, I did an internet search on my business name before launching. It appears that no one has thought of putting the words 'miner' and 'diversity' together yet (shocked anyone?) so I'm safe. Of course, I'll be on the leading edge of a massive trend so I trademarked and grabbed the domain names quicksmart. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think <b><i>Diversity Miner</i></b> is a pretty neat name... Being a miner that's into diversity and all... It's tempting to shorten it to DM though when I am writing reports etc so taking a lesson from our dear friends at EY, I <b>did</b> google the abbreviation and here is what I found:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">DM is also short for:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Adamsite - its an organic compound used for riot control. (Bet you didn't know that.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dark Matter - makes up one quarter of the universe.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Depeche Mode and Dark Moor - 80's synth pop right and Spanish heavy metal. (Seem to have the spectrum of musical genres covered there.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dungeon Master - C'mon D&D fans. You know exactly what this means.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Diagonal Method - a mathematical proof of the uncountability of real numbers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Difference due to Memory - an event related potential differentiating between later remembered versus forgotten items.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All seems fairly innocuous... Even a little bit cool for the geeks out there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>And then I discovered</b>....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>D</b>ungeon <b>M</b>onitor - a safety official at BDSM parties.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'll leave you to look up BDSM in your own time (best not to do it at work). Rest assured that I am pretty sure you wont find any accounting/advisory/consulting firms from your search.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00428263701301068849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236557953054921541.post-65628811244710000742013-05-12T20:24:00.001+08:002013-05-12T20:24:44.360+08:00Something new for my resume?<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've done some crazy jobs in my life. When I was 8, I picked beans for 10 hours one Sunday. Bent over the North Queensland red dirt, in the blazing sun for 10 hours, I managed to get severe sunburn on the patch of skin exposed between my 'choose life' hyper-colour shirt and my denim short shorts, an incredibly sore back and a days pay of $7! That's right. $7. I'm still a little outraged about it today. My parents encouraged their farming friends to enslave us.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Between school and uni I looked for less back breaking, more sun-smart ways of earning a dollar and spent most summers packing mangos. Remarkably, I still love mangoes despite the sap burns, varicose veins and industrial deafness I now have from long days spent standing over the top of sorting machines pushing the good manges forward and the bad ones into a bin behind me. Which, by the way, is the reason you will NEVER see my imbibe a mango juice...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For $10 an hour, I then offered my fingers to the gentle tapping of a Mitre 10 till. The woman who offered me the job thought I'd be good on a till because I wanted to be an engineer and therefore knew how to use a calculator??? Her logic, not mine... Working in a hardware shop was fun for a while. Strangely it's the only job I've been asked for a 1000 screws. (roofing of course .. tut tut ..). After a while I got sick of giggling when sorting the plumbing supplies into male and female categories or adaptors!!! Don't get me started on using the shop intercom system for prices on grease nipples... </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At uni I took a job with a catering company. First they put me in a food prep area where I had to distribute platters of grossly overpriced, soggy chips and prawn cutlets to the boxes at Manly Oval. We all know that rugby league fans are not too discerning but the platters were horrific and I swear I picked up more chips and prawn cutlets off the ground than what was loaded on-the platters originally. Oh and to add insult to injury, I had to wear a short black skirt and white top. Ghastly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thankfully, the catering company was quick to notice my lack of finesse in a short skirt and my inability to manufacture a smile of 'yum yum here comes your expensive catering' when entering the box so they put me on the hill. Best job ever! I got to walk over the grassy slopes of Manly Oval yelling "2 buck beers". Men would swarm, (ok stagger) over, hand me sweaty coins in consideration of lukewarm Tooheys that I'd been carrying around like an ice cream vendor at the movies. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then there is 20 or so years in mining... That's the topic of many other blogs... In summary though, very similar to my formative roles - still filled with sweaty blokes, sunburn and using a calculator. Only paid a lot better.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On Friday I found a job even more demeaning than being a child slave, mango sorter, screw counter and beer seller at the footy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I modelled. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh the horror. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It wasn't even for charity.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was because I can't say no. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The night before I hardly slept and wondered if it was too late to:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">go on a diet</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">shape my eyebrows</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">buy spanks for my hips, thighs, tummy, back, butt ... do they do the fadoobadas?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">get a new hairdo</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">some cosmetic surgery - nothing major - just eye lift, wrinkle filler, dermabrasion and liposuction.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sick with fear, I ate a pulled pork burger, drank a glass of wine and consoled myself in the fact that the organisers had kindly set me up with a make up artist for the event. Perhaps she'd have the make up artistry to make me look less middle aged, middle sized mining mum and more long luscious catwalk vamp...unfortunately no.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The details of the event are too raw to share but let me confess that it involved:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">leggings</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">oversized jumpers</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">multiple changes in a storeroom with women I barely know </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">tantrums ... mainly mine... </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">strutting along, to the right, pivot, to the front, smile, pivot, strut left, swinging jacket over shoulder and strutting off</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I did this sober. Ok I had a glass of ridiculously cheap sweet sparkling wine before hand. Just to settle my nerves. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That night, well after the event, with nerves settled, comfy pants and shoes, I did a bit of reflection. Maybe it wasn't so bad? Maybe I did look like a groovy mumma? So I took some selfies of me doing my very best blue steel...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nope... No chance... My agent has been told to divert the calls back to Jennifer/Giselle/Renee. I'm sticking to mining engineering, consulting</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> in diversity, charm and witty banter.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00428263701301068849noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236557953054921541.post-37953724942252448952013-05-05T12:32:00.000+08:002013-05-05T12:32:42.958+08:00School holidays<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They are nearly over. Phew. In less than 48 hrs, I'll be back in the glorious routine of making lunches, dropping off, picking up, reading stories, bathing and putting to bed. My 'bad mum' performance anxiety will be over. Bring it on.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I used to love school holidays. When I was a kid they were great. Of course. As a grown up without kids, they were great. I always knew when NOT to plan a holiday or go to the shops. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, as a Mum, they terrify me. They give me performance anxiety. 15 whole days of entertaining and I fail dismally. Well according to my kids I fail. They gladly helped with a list of things I have NOT done for them this break:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We didn't make pop lollies... I don't know what they are either.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The eldest didn't get to the zoo.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I didn't download Harry Potter until day 13.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We didn't go on a family caravanning or camping holiday (thank goodness!)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I didn't buy them a pet kitten, pony, fish, hermit crabs or guinea pigs!</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Never mind that they had their body weight in babycino's and ice creams and saw about 47 episodes of Deadly 60). They have forgotten about the good things...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I made the mistake of taking notice of the things my friends (and their peers) were up to. Oh the guilt. We didn't go near a museum, science centre or animal park. I had a half hearted attempt to organise a play date but it fell through. So what did I do? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I let them be bored. Yep. In fact I encouraged it. Most days. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No craft, no tv, no me. Just each other to amuse. I'd like to think that this was great development for their imaginations. That they came up with creative games and thoughts to stimulate their little brains. That they built cubbies, tree houses and rafts. Just like Huck and Tom...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately they didn't. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There were moments of sweet togetherness but they came down to a shared love of Peppa Pig and only one ipad charged up. The rest of the time they could be found torturing:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Each other,</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Me or their father,</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The dog</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Or all of the above.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I took them on a walk once and they found a tree in the river. I found a coffee. It was win win for a few minutes and I took a photo to prove it. For a few precious minutes the school holidays were brilliant!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00428263701301068849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236557953054921541.post-69364318161383561372013-04-21T21:08:00.001+08:002013-04-21T21:08:11.020+08:00Performance reviews<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tuesday will be my last official day with Rio Tinto. To every one of the many people I have had the pleasure of working with since graduation, thanks for the laughs, education and experiences. I'm moving on with wisdom and excitement shaped by knowing all of you. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rio was a brilliant company to work for and like most large organisations, they have all the policies, procedures, benefits, rewards, systems, processes to manage their huge workforce. Note the word 'manage'... Wedging a workforce into the confines of these rules is probably a necessity. There are 1000's to cater for, constantly changing regulatory environments and a vast array of roles. Outside the loving arms of Rio (and most other large organisations) you start to miss having a rule book to play by. There is one procedure I wont miss though... Not one bit...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Performance reviews...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even writing the term fills me with unease. Over my career I have given far more reviews than I received. It doesn't matter which side of the table I sit, I find the experience completely disengaging. Here's why:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The distribution curve. Doesn't it simply force you to keep a few underachievers on your team? For every poor performing employee, you theoretically (and practically in many cases) are entitled to reward a high achiever? Then you simply tell everyone else that they 'meet expectations' .</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Great organisations can't afford to hold on to poor performers or demoralise the vast majority who are doing every thing you want (meeting expectations by definition).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Studies have shown that organisational and quality improvements are poorly correlated with individual performance assessments. In fact, some studies have shown a detrimental performance in quality . So it begs the question: if individual performance ratings are not positively impacting the bottom line, could there be a more motivating process for engaging employees?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Giving someone a number once or twice a year that is completely aligned to their pay rise and bonus promotes an environment of ticking boxes, working to pre-defined KPI's and lacks the creativity and flexibility we actually want from our teams. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Self rating is no-win: If you rate yourself poorly, your leader is likely to leave you low, question your ambition and save some high scores for distribution among the squeaky wheels. If you rate yourself highly, your leader has to spend the whole conversation dredging up work you did not do well to knock you down a few points.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They are one sided. Your review depends on the view of your leader. His review depends of the view of his leader and so on. At no stage, does the vast majority of the workforce get to evaluate the performance of their leaders...</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don't get me wrong. I firmly believe in individual accountability. I want to see financial reward for hard work. I just happen to think that there has to be better ways of dealing with the humans in our organisations. So I did some research...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This time last week I had not even heard of a little Australian IT company called Atlassian. From what I have read and seen of this great team, I've become a fan. Their 5 values speak volumes and I get excited about a future where other, larger organisations think like this:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So what did Atlassian do about Performance Reviews?</span><br />
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<li><span style="color: #404040; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">They kept the constructive bits of performance reviews like specific meetings to discuss performance and threw out the un-constructive bits around ratings and distributions curves.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #404040; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">They stopped paying performance bonuses and instead pay top market salaries for the brightest and hardest working in their fields. Bonuses are based on the organisations performance.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #404040; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">Continuous discussions through the year including 360 degree reviews, long term aspirations, barriers and focus areas.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #404040; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">Increased focus on behaviours with two axis ratings on effort and results.</span></li>
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<span style="color: #404040; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">It sounds simple and I sure hope it works. Good luck Atlassian, I like what you are doing and for this years performance score I give you 'Exceeds Expectations'!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #404040;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">For more information on Altassians performance reviews see </span></span><a href="http://www.managementexchange.com/story/atlassians-big-experiment-performance-reviews">http://www.managementexchange.com/story/atlassians-big-experiment-performance-reviews</a></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00428263701301068849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236557953054921541.post-76179895354402180042013-04-05T12:44:00.000+08:002013-04-05T13:16:38.693+08:00The Harlem Shake...<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks to 15 or so unfortunate (unwise?) miners, I now know what the Harlem Shake is... Given that the guys are looking for jobs, lawyers or new identities, it might be a bit too early to comment on that particular event. So I won't... much more...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While it's too early to comment on<i> that </i>event, it seems that I am too late to comment on the Harlem Shake in general. The internet is soooo over the Harlem Shake fad. Here's the proof:</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=harlem%20shake&date=today%203-m&cmpt=q" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">http://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=harlem%20shake&date=today%203-m&cmpt=q</a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Note: The miners uploaded to YouTube right at the top of the trend. That's cool.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Devastatingly it provides the graphical evidence that I am not cool. The Harlem Shake had started its death spiral downward by the time I got on board. Thank goodness I kept my clothes on.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">How cool is Google Trends though?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In an effort to be more cool. I have done a bit of research and compared a few topics that entertain, amuse and make news:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sheryl Sandberg - of Lean In fame</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lindsay Lohan - of ???? fame?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">PSY - Gangnam Style</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Harlem Shake</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rio Tinto</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=harlem%20shake%2C%20lindsay%20lohan%2C%20rio%20tinto%2C%20sheryl%20sandberg%2C%20gangnam%20style&date=today%2012-m&cmpt=q">http://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=harlem%20shake%2C%20lindsay%20lohan%2C%20rio%20tinto%2C%20sheryl%20sandberg%2C%20gangnam%20style&date=today%2012-m&cmpt=q</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The standings?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gangnam Style was cooler for longer and, as far as I know, no miners were sacked for riding fake ponies. (Although I would strongly recommend that that they don't say '<i>Eh - sexy lady</i>' at work. Being the only decipherable English words in the whole song it might be tempting but definitely <i>very</i> uncool.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Harlem Shake was the coolest at its best but you had to be quick and got uncool very quickly when soldiers and miners lost their jobs. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lindsay Lohan is way cooler than Rio Tinto or Sheryl Sandberg...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Quite odd given that one is a Harvard grad and the CEO of Facebook and the other made $15.5 BILLION last year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's interesting to note (well to me anyway) that Rio Tinto got a lot more interesting when Tom Albanese stepped down and Lindsay Lohan got a lot more interesting when she missed a plane to LA.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Fun at work?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Previous Blogs have recommended having fun at work. I've even provided a few tips. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just keep your clothes on and follow the safety requirements. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One thing I can't criticise the miners on though... was their level of cool. They caught the peak of the Harlem Shake fad. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If they can pick stocks the same way, they don't need to worry about returning to work at the mines. Their future</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> lies in spotting trends and letting the rest of us know what's cool.</span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00428263701301068849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236557953054921541.post-91880656536079862402013-03-17T17:51:00.001+08:002013-03-17T17:53:59.092+08:00Enjoy a laugh?<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Passion #16: Laughing.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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God I love a laugh. More than, well ahem, doesn't matter... I just love a
laugh.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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All sorts of laughs. From the, <i>I get it</i>
simple chuckle; to the <i>that joke was
TOTALLY inappropriate but bloody funny </i>hope no one
is watching laugh; and the, <i>can’t
believe I am witnessing / doing / hearing this</i> nervous laugh. But there is
a laugh that beats a beautiful wine, better than shaved truffles, more
enjoyable than night swimming or sleeping children. This laugh hurts. It makes
you cry. Your breathing stops. Your belly seizes and it can't be
stopped. You just have to laugh through the pain and oxygen starvation until
it's over.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Not everyone is a great laugher. In fact, some find
it quite impossible. The dear Propeller Head for example: I like to
think that he is married to an intelligent, good looking funny gal. He agrees
but do you think I can get a rip-roaring laugh out of him? No. In
fact, I recently made a terrible discovery about him. He does laugh... but not
at me...</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br />
I was at a work function one night and returned home to a darkened
house, lit pale blue with the digital signal from channel 10. There in front of
the TV, my darling husband of 9 years was found splitting his sides in
laughter. Having never done it for me before, I was intrigued. I crept up
behind him, keen to share this beautiful moment
and discovered him rolling on his sides laughing hysterically. The
cause of this magnificent happiness? </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">RUSSELL BRAND! </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">WTF? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">It's taken me a while to come to terms with the fact
that the Propeller Head laughs – at a sex-craved dandy in skinny jeans. But
after much research, soul searching and acceptance, I've come to the point
where I'll happily watch him laugh for another. Sometimes I'll
even join in... Because laughing is good for you – especially in the office. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Here are my top 5 reasons for
laughing while you work:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">1.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Work IS
insane</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">. There are people, meetings and training courses that defy logic
and common sense. But, “against the assault of laughter nothing can stand,”
said Mark Twain. He was spot on. Your anger and frustration will be wasted on a
ship of fools so laugh at the nonsense of the modern day workplace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">2.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Laughter
helps you lose weight</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">. Ok so this one is a bit dubious. I found it on Dr Kataria’s Laughter
Yoga International page. Surely a reputable source?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">3.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Humour
solves problems</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">. It does. Think about all you know about diversity. If a problem
can be seen from a new angle and with objectivity, surely the range of
solutions opens up?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">4.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Humour
reduces turnover and absenteeism</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">. Here is another dodgy internet fact
for you: Only 15% of people are sacked for being poor performers. The other 85%
are sacked for not having the people skills and ability to relate to others. Humour
brings people together. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">5.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Fun
improves performance and engagement</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">. I understand this intuitively
but when I did my research, I actually discovered that a study of Canadian financial
institutions found that managers with the highest employee performance outcomes
were more likely to use humour in the workplace. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">So it’s for the greater good,
that I try to illicit a small laugh (or even just a smirk) when I write some of
my blogs. If you are reading this at work, feel confident that you are not
wasting time: You are dealing with the insanity of work, losing weight, solving
problems, being engaged and performing at a high level. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Should you have made it to through
my 600-ish words and not laughed, you’ll be in good company. The Propeller
Head, just pointed me to</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"> </span><b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlYlNF30bVg" target="_blank">Goats that sound like Humans</a></i></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium;">on
u-tube. I didn't laugh much but, then again, I don’t find Russell Brand funny
either.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfhCy_9TULLAFf-vAcaeDIPjsS97jXqvyNNwhHj1B6BcqNGdqUwzyYjMthYiy1hEZGcszgp1G8LQN0ysWRdPHrEnLZO_ImHOYmxWKmAIYRJxkYLojWZmcgJQ994pIcVJEht-oI-H-IuAu1/s1600/goat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfhCy_9TULLAFf-vAcaeDIPjsS97jXqvyNNwhHj1B6BcqNGdqUwzyYjMthYiy1hEZGcszgp1G8LQN0ysWRdPHrEnLZO_ImHOYmxWKmAIYRJxkYLojWZmcgJQ994pIcVJEht-oI-H-IuAu1/s1600/goat.jpg" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00428263701301068849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236557953054921541.post-18710610839307574292013-02-24T16:57:00.001+08:002013-02-24T16:57:22.223+08:00Busy networking?<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Three weeks since I packed my desk and left corporate life (for a while at least). EVERYONE I meet is asking how I am enjoying my 'life of leisure?' Including the propeller head ... daily... "I've had no time for 'leisure'" is my standard response. The propeller head then comes back with something about too many coffees and lunches... He's right. There have been a lot of coffees and lunches but I have loved catching up with so many old friends and new. The truth is I have been </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">busy busy busy 'networking'.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That's right. What he sees as social events and gossip, I see as an investment in the future... </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The seeds of a plan for life-after-Rio are starting to come together but I need to test my thinking. What better way than to catch up over a </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">caffeinated </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">drink, some stories and a bite to eat.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He's still a little dubious of my motives, so I did some research on networking just to be sure. This is what was recommended at successwomensnetwork.com.au. Surely a trusted source?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<b><span style="color: white; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What
the ‘experts’ say.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<td style="background: #9E3A38; border-bottom: solid white 1.5pt; border: none; mso-background-themecolor: accent2; mso-background-themeshade: 204; mso-border-bottom-themecolor: background1; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 185.4pt;" valign="top" width="247">
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<b><span style="color: white; mso-themecolor: background1;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What
I am doing<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Prepare
– marketing material / name badge / business cards and your elevator speech
(template sent with your welcome email) <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<td style="background: #DBE5F1; mso-background-themecolor: accent1; mso-background-themetint: 51; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 185.4pt;" valign="top" width="247">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In
progress… I spent 6 hours last week trying to work out how to add some social
icons to my email signature. Anyone? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<td style="background: #EDF2F8; height: 30.75pt; mso-background-themecolor: accent1; mso-background-themetint: 25; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 237.4pt;" valign="top" width="317">
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Come
early and leave late <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">50%. I was early at two
functions and late for 2. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Work
the room <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Easy.
Always on the lookout for coffee, wine, loos.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Act
like the host and not the guest i.e welcome new people<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Easy. Ask for more
wine, coffee, canapés whenever there is a lull in conversation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sit
next to someone you don’t know (remember their name)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">50%.
I sat next to someone I didn’t know but have forgotten their name. Must work
on this one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Follow
up after the networking events – emails, catch ups, social media etc <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes. I even Twittered (???)
at one event…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Book
a meeting at every meeting<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We
always promise to catch up again soon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Be
proactive – invite clients to attend events / online forum / articles / social
media shout outs.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not yet… No clients…
or business…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">HAVE
FUN AND REMEMBER THE MORE YOU GIVE, THE MORE YOU GAIN<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of
course. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By my reckoning that's 7 out of 9 when evaluated against networking tips form the experts. Take that propeller head. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks for all your advice and chats everyone. It's been a great few weeks and my plans are coming together nicely.</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00428263701301068849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236557953054921541.post-63350145243709885902013-02-15T17:45:00.000+08:002013-02-15T17:45:00.447+08:00Business Improvement ... for the home ...<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This 'career break' is tiring. Honest. I am busy busy busy. On what? Well I am not sure. There have been no sleep ins, no boozy lunches, and my plans for more blogs, being a better Mum, writing the great Australian novel and world domination are way behind. How did this happen? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Well I am busy doing stuff... </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'd quite happily stay like this because, frankly, I am loving the coffee catch-ups, chatting to old friends and new and reading the news daily but I had a conversation earlier in the week that I know will set BI hearts aflutter...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm putting up my very own<b><u> Information Centre</u></b>. Yep - that's right, a 'lean' board right here at home sweet home. It will come complete with metrics (safety, environment, social, financial and family), gantt charts, action lists, post-it notes and different coloured pens. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>My wasted minutes, rework and non-value add activities are in for some serious scrutiny.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately the lean board brilliance was not my idea. I shamelessly borrowed it off a friend that had her own 'career break' last year (thanks KS). She's way smarter and more organised than me... </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Establishing an Information Centre is not for the feint hearted. (Our team developed a 70 page document to demonstrate the intricacies). But thanks to the Business Improvement (BI) teams' careful tutelage, I think I am up for it. They worked hard to educate me in the dark arts of lean, six sigma and a range of improvement methodologies. Too many years in operations and a preference for acting on my gut, made me a difficult student but they persisted and I'm thankful. They</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> are all skilled BI
professionals and they never let my complete lack of understanding in their craft
inhibit our great working relationship. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks to them, I finally think I know
what DMAIC is all about. Here goes:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">D
–</span></b></em><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> <em><b>Divine</b></em>. That’s
right. Often misheard as <em><b>define</b></em>. Divine can
be used to describe the intervention required to get some projects off the ground (and the kids out the door in the morning).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">M –
Morning teas.</span></b></em><span style="font-size: small;"> </span>I'm<span style="font-size: small;"> not saying that this is what I’ll miss most about working at the OC,
but...<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong><span style="font-size: 12pt;">A –
Airports</span></strong><span style="font-size: small;">. Late
nights, early starts and possibly in between? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I –
Influencers</span></b></em><span style="font-size: small;">. Each </span>individual<span style="font-size: small;"> in the BI team worked hard to make a difference to the organisation, each other and me.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">C –
Challenge</span></b></em><span style="font-size: 12pt;">. Teaching me. Teach the unteachable to define, measure, analyse, improve, control, encourage, support and add
great value.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Like all great BI projects, I am going to spend the right amount of time in the planning phase. I've raided the draws, hit office works and found a wall space. Next week I might even get started on pulling it all together but the sun is well over the yard arm now and it's time for a process check.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are some photos of my work in progress - just to show I am serious about this... </span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgcON9lGGVLBQ_lcqFqOuWLHf25aoCtJHRMVTwpJ6m95nR4bzaHcXpWk07-7GQ2XN-PxLdsZ_AxTl6-oWxdJoS4Mf1SQP-xY7ROwLE2puUS0F2_DS4aZlmjWd1QGR0-p3_m7lxnAyWvyrg/s1600/photo1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgcON9lGGVLBQ_lcqFqOuWLHf25aoCtJHRMVTwpJ6m95nR4bzaHcXpWk07-7GQ2XN-PxLdsZ_AxTl6-oWxdJoS4Mf1SQP-xY7ROwLE2puUS0F2_DS4aZlmjWd1QGR0-p3_m7lxnAyWvyrg/s320/photo1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've selected a wall ... the old print will have to go .....</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5hjqLpGJJBnLGP-4KACJsu7MkCMwcWiZiLDvZIHBh3Z9IhPO7SK2J-GSS-_6IXiO5KNrd5TP3sgRa1i5ppzxj2vX-FiFHGpAvbpcfSR3qwi4CE6XZFrwtQF87B2csXoFEV7hnkUi82Np4/s1600/photo2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5hjqLpGJJBnLGP-4KACJsu7MkCMwcWiZiLDvZIHBh3Z9IhPO7SK2J-GSS-_6IXiO5KNrd5TP3sgRa1i5ppzxj2vX-FiFHGpAvbpcfSR3qwi4CE6XZFrwtQF87B2csXoFEV7hnkUi82Np4/s320/photo2.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The materials...</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00428263701301068849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236557953054921541.post-28211184355100191172013-02-06T17:15:00.002+08:002013-02-06T17:26:00.111+08:00How to have fun in the office.<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Too young for retirement, too old for backpacking, too unco for joining the circus. I'm 3 days into 'that brilliant little gap I had between fabulous jobs' and wandering around my home office looking for a bit of fun. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So far I have:</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">read 6 pages on how to change the gears on your bike</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">attempted to make a paper aeroplane</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">considered and then reconsidered pulling my tax paperwork together</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">called a real estate agent - just 'cause I know they love a chat</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">hung out 2 loads of washing</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">checked facebook, linkedin, twitter and googled</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don't you dare accuse me of procrastinating though. My inability to focus on higher priority tasks is quite deliberate. I still plan on doing NOTHING for a while yet. There is one thing I miss about the office though<span style="font-size: x-small;">...shhhhh.... it was sometimes fun....</span></span></div>
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<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let me be clear. I didn't work in the googleplex or anything. Just a conventional open plan office. We didn't use the photocopier for </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">shenanigans way beyond it's warranty limits. We didn't have a goofy prankster to entertain us through the climate controlled, ergonomically fitted, meeting filled hours of employment... Nope we just had a team that wanted to enjoy being at work.</span></div>
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<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are some of the things that gave me a laugh in the office:</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We set up a <b><i>War Room</i></b> on the request of senior leaders for, well,.... a daily teleconference.. Thank goodness I didn't go through with the camo netting order.</span><img src="data:image/jpeg;base64,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" 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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>T</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>he Great Cumquat Jam Making Competition of 2012</i></b>. In an effort to rid myself of around 16784 kg of cumquats, I took them to work and created a competition for the most creative and best use of cumquats - complete with an expert CWA judge, fabulous prize and ribbons. Not to mention the respect and admiration of your peers.Guess who won? I swear, Shirley was completely impartial. A woman of her Royal Show judging pedigree can not be bribed... besides that would have been against Rio's code of conduct.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Writing left handed during dull meetings</i></b>... (Not my idea but brilliant nonetheless.. Thanks RR)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Adding words to my corporate buzzword hate-list</i></b>. Fun for a while but dispiriting in some meetings...</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Coffee</i></b>... Brilliant in all its manifestations .. Bad coffee demanded a pitching and replacement trip to the local cafe for intel and a stretch. Good coffee, made the agony of 'syndicating', 'learnings', 'boiling the ocean' and 'swings and roundabouts' almost bearable...</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm missing the insanity of the office just a tiny winy bit... Please free to post what makes you laugh... if you require anonymity, I know a great place that has camo netting!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00428263701301068849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236557953054921541.post-18011685287764031402013-01-28T10:22:00.001+08:002013-01-28T10:22:17.343+08:00Passion for passionIf you've started reading this hoping for a little titillation, read on. I'll even mention 50 Shades of Grey... <br />
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A few months ago I had to take the Tax Commissioner on a tour for work. Let your minds-eye dream up what a tax commissioner looks like. Yep. You are bang on: Shortish, neatish, 50-ish man in greyish suit...<br />
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I ushered him into a conference room, offered boiled coffee and biscuits and started my usual bang-on spiel. In addition to the technical points, I waxed on about how much I loved the facility we were touring, how it was great to work with employees across the entire value stream and how passionate I was about seeing mining evolve into the 21st century. He stopped me at 'passionate'...I was confused and beginning to get a little alarmed. Was my usual passionate pitch upsetting the man responsible for the nations taxes? A little too much emotion unnerving our 50-ish man in grey?<br />
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Quite the opposite. He burst into life. He actually said that he loved hearing the word 'passionate' and it was something he encouraged in the tax office... (I'm sure he meant 'enthusiasm' and not, well ahem, 'passionate' in the photo-copy room kind... ). Knock me for six, my first impressions were completely off the mark and I immediately loved this man, who takes almost half of my salary, to bits!<br />
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It was brilliant to meet someone else passionate about passion. Today's blog pays tribute to the tax commissioner and passionistas everywhere. Engage me in a conversion and you'll quickly uncover a passion. They are many, confused and diverse. In no particular order, here are 20 things I passionately discuss:<br />
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<ol>
<li>Explosives - you can take the girl out of the mines...</li>
<li>The propeller head</li>
<li>Rugged yet sophisticated men </li>
<li>Inspirational women</li>
<li>The team I work with</li>
<li>Sharing and collaborating</li>
<li>Good manners</li>
<li>Saturday mornings</li>
<li>Baking bread</li>
<li>Drinking wine</li>
<li>Diversity</li>
<li>Flexible work</li>
<li>Seeing people grow</li>
<li>Great leadership</li>
<li>Cheese</li>
<li>Laughing</li>
<li>Technology</li>
<li>Gin and tonic</li>
<li>Riding down hill</li>
<li>... The list goes on indefinitely...</li>
</ol>
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Reading is the common link. When I am am not actually engaged in one of my passions, I love to read about them and discover more. The following books have made me laugh, cry, cringe and learn. I hope that you have enjoyed them too. <br />
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<li>Where the Wild Things Are - what's better than monsters, sea voyages and hot dinner?</li>
<li>Birdsong - Miners, mud and missed opportunities,.. oh dear I might cry again.</li>
<li>Jasper Jones - The crazy dialogue of clever kids and the adventures of youth.</li>
<li>The Importance of Being Earnest - A good slapping for those that take life too seriously.</li>
<li>Breath - Risks and rushes.</li>
<li>Raising Boys - Yes I need a manual.</li>
<li>The Old Man and the Sea - Man v fish. </li>
<li>A Confederacy of Dunces - Ignatius J Reilly is flatulent, eloquent and pretty much employable.</li>
<li>A Fraction of the Whole - Crazy schemes and inconsistency ... a story after my heart.</li>
<li><b>NOT</b> 50 Shades of Grey - if there were not already books written about how appalling this one is, I'd write them. </li>
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So go ahead and enjoy your passions. Pick up a book, tickle your kids, tell a dirty joke, pour a good drink or get stuck into that project and be passionate about it!</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00428263701301068849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236557953054921541.post-40365561168212176542013-01-22T17:11:00.002+08:002013-01-22T21:00:52.550+08:00The excitement of resigning...<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What a lovely bunch of friends, colleagues, curious individuals and others you are!</span><br />
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</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have had the most amazing responses to my last blog on resigning.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There have been four distinct themes to your emails and calls:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong><em>Outright curiousity</em></strong> .... No one can understand why I would quit a decent job, with a decent company, on decent conditions in a decent industry. Sorry folks... I am still working on the answer to that one.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong><em>Blessing and confirmation on the expressions I want to avoid</em></strong> .... It's time for a confession now... (shhhhhhh .....) I have actually uttered the words 'learnings' and 'syndicate' in earnest. So ubiquitous is their use, I failed my very own challenge. I'm appalled at my behaviour when 'lessons' and 'discuss' would have been perfectly suitable alternatives. The universe has never spoken to me before, but I take this transgression as further proof that I really have to move on from the loving arms of my current organisation.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial;"><em><strong>Shared excitement</strong></em> ....</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am starting to notice a lot of articles and participating in a lot of discusisons about the benefits of change and resigning. The article below jumped out of my twitter feed. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://addicted2success.com/success-advice/6-big-reasons-why-you-should-quit-your-job-and-follow-your-passion/" target="_blank">6-big-reasons-why-you-should-quit-your-job-and-follow-your-passion</a>. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I latched onto the 'big reasons why you should should quit' bit. Having numerous, confused and obsure passions, I am not sure which to follow though. More on this in another blog ... Make sure you c</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">heck out the video at the end. It's absolutely delightful. I've got a few more days in the office so watch this space...</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Special thanks too for all of your <strong><em>great suggestions on what I could do next</em></strong></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> too. Here are a few gems:</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Throw in mining all together and buy the IGA at Dongarra</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Start an all women mining junior - any all-women tech company shells out there?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Champion for geeks</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Champion for women engineers</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Champion for working mums</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Champion for geeky, women engineer mums who aren't actually that geeky, dont work and not very good mothers...</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Travel</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Spend more time with my kids (they clearly haven't met my kids or have suggested an evil curse on me)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lie on the beach and read books</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Write the great Australian novel</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just go out and get another job and start raging for the machine again (any machine - the propellerhead's suggestion)</span></li>
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</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'll keep you posted.</span><br />
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</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00428263701301068849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236557953054921541.post-11094477460558681522013-01-10T21:49:00.002+08:002013-01-10T21:49:37.048+08:00I did it... I resigned... Now what?<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ideas please. I am serious. Having never quit a perfectly reasonable, well paid job before with no other plans, I'm open to inspiration from all quarters.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">There are no specific reasons for resigning but there are lots of things I am mightily excited about avoiding when I leave the office... </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Send through your ideas, offers and advice but only if you can assure me that I'll NEVER ever have to utter any of the words listed below:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Syndicate</strong> - I'm just a simple engineer. Syndicate will always be a noun for me. i.e. I will form a <em>lotto syndicate</em>. We will win millions and then we'll all buy big yachts and sail away. I know technically, you can use it as a transitive verb (??) but why? It sounds so ridiculous. Why don't we just say, "Go out and <em>sell</em> your ideas Lucy". Rather than, "you need to <em>syndicate</em> this plan..."</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Learnings</strong> - It's not a word OK! Just don't use it. Ever! This abomination has become so prevalent that there is a whole generation of professionals who need to know that<i> lessons</i> come from what we learn.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Don't boil the ocean</strong> - Just say "your scope is too big". Or possibly, as Daryl Kerrigan would say "tell him he's dreaming".</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Socialise </strong>- Not the fun sort. Where we socialise with colleagues over a few drinks.The 'socialise' I refuse to accept is when it's used like 'syndicate'. eg "Lucy - I think you should socialise this new process". We socialise our pets so they don't rip each others ears off in the park. Is it really necessary in the office?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Take it offline</strong> - It simply means that you want to postpone addressing an issue. Unless of course you are referring to actually taking something offline (Facebook, LinkedIn, DoS attack???)</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I know this will be painful and offensive reading to some. I can hear the concern: "If I cant socialise my ideas and syndicate them with my peers, I might just end up boiling the ocean, miss out on critical learnings and taking my brilliant plans offline. How could I survive in the office then?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">So adiós my corporate buzzword little friends.</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00428263701301068849noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236557953054921541.post-28948837627047026072013-01-01T10:26:00.000+08:002013-01-01T10:57:40.787+08:0010 big (and little) dreams for 2013...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have loooooooooved my Christmas break. Almost everything has been perfect. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The food - plentiful </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The drinks - cold and frequent. The sun is well over my yard arm by 11am...</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The company - fun and interesting. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The weather - awesome. Feeling quite smug at Ledge Point while Perth swelters.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The boogie boarding - refreshing and life affirming.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The novels - weird yet engaging in the case of Cormac Macarthy's, The Crossing. And confusing - if anyone has any idea what happened at the end of 'A Sense of an Ending's, ending, please fill me in...</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've had time to read the papers too. If you you look carefully between the ads in the holiday papers, you'll see 'top 10's', 'hot trends', and 'year in pictures' passing themselves off as news while the journos do like the rest of us, and lie around drinking and eating for a few days. Today's blog builds on this fine cop out. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So here are my 10 dreams for 2013...</span></h3>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>I dream of giving up screaming at the kids and working on hiding places instead</b>: </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Screaming at my kids makes no difference</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. None at all. My head can explode in rage and all I get back is a quizzical look, the briefest of pauses and then a continuation of the whinge, whine, demand, recalcitrance that set off the aforementioned rage. Instead I'm building a good list of hiding places in the house. Not for them - but for me. If they can't find me, they won't drive me crazy. The washing line and their own bedroom is working so far...</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>I dream of applying some of the few things I have learnt about lean and six sigma</b>... The team still has it all over me but I occasionally pick up some useful titbits and hope to perform QCO's on getting the kids out the door in the morning, 5S'ing the leftovers in the fridge, PPS'ing the reasons why my kids don't listen.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>I dream of supporting the wonderful women in mining.</b> There are no sharp elbows among the women I work with and those I know in the industry. Seriously. None. There are a few that I treat with caution only to discover that they are supportive, generous, great leaders and shaping the mining industry. They all deserve support, encouragement and development.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>I dream of encouraging the wonderful men of mining too</b>...The leaders I most respect and admire consistently mention <b>growth and opportunities</b> when talking about their organisations and teams. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>I dream of organisations that promote diversity and flexibility</b> as the main levers for engagement, sustainable decision making and business success. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>I dream of workplaces, families and communities that look after each other. </b>Mental Health issues are real and serious. We need to listen more and support each other. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>I dream about geeks being recognised and thanked for their contributions to society and business.</b> So that one day our kids will aspire to be great engineers or scientists rather than pop stars or sportsmen.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>I dream of happiness and health for my family and friends.</b> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>I dream of making the perfect paper aeroplane and drawing great dinosaurs </b>to bring a years worth of smiles to my two little men. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>And finally, I will learn to say 'cheers' in 10 different languages</b>, including Hindi, Mandarin and Indonesian. Being able to toast or say thanks to anyone, anywhere will always be valuable.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy New Year my friends. I look forward to sharing 2013 with you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cheers</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lucy</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00428263701301068849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236557953054921541.post-44765146968245828742012-12-23T12:31:00.001+08:002012-12-23T20:44:45.503+08:00Mulled wine, police choppers and long walks ...I have the most wonderful assistant. She's brutally honest and provided very clear boundaries when I was interviewing her. She said:<br />
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"I don't do: Christmas in July, Country (visits or the music), Late finishes - although very happy to do early starts, or Fancy Dress..."<br />
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I was not really after any of the above so she got the job. We've been getting along just fine in the 18 months or so that she's been working with us mainly due to my observation of her rules. So it was with some trepidation that I confessed to her that I had to attend a Medieval Themed Fancy Dress Banquet. Her opinion of me shattered, I vowed to make it a memorable night and truly show her that dressing up is indeed one of life's great pleasures.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTZbIukeNLGJd1je7TQsoyC3zcYO9DACIqorKeZDzGDd0NgkabWBu8X59-zSDOtdwvU50v-vbBnYw-ircoMl_o2Hldt1wmRArrlUcJn-x7P0C5mS2Z9SXruIvG2iYDORKa6L8VguCw0Mdh/s1600/P1010285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTZbIukeNLGJd1je7TQsoyC3zcYO9DACIqorKeZDzGDd0NgkabWBu8X59-zSDOtdwvU50v-vbBnYw-ircoMl_o2Hldt1wmRArrlUcJn-x7P0C5mS2Z9SXruIvG2iYDORKa6L8VguCw0Mdh/s320/P1010285.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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To get my Medieval on, I borrowed a wenches dress. Yep - someone I know had one just hanging around and offered it... Sir Velence (the Propeller Head) looked resplendent in a Knights costume bought online, with chain mail, foam shield and a plastic sword. The kids wanted to be in on the action too. Max is never held back by convention. Or any other restraint really so he joined Oscar the dragon, Sir Velence and Lady Likesaslot as Buzz Lightyear for a quick family pic before we headed out for a night with the other Dungeons and Dragons support acts and a few gallons of mulled wine to make it all bearable.</div>
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The banquet had the potential to be great fun... If you enjoyed sword fights, suckling pig, candelabras, overflowing bosoms, goblets and Greensleeves... We were on the verge of having a brilliant time when I realised that we had hit the mulled wine pretty hard and should probably get out before the Chain Dancing started. This is where our trouble and brush with the law began...</div>
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Taxis don't visit Guildford after dark unless they are passing through on the way to the airport. Being a beautiful suburb wedged between Midland and Lockridge has never run in Guildford's favour and on this night, no taxis were running in our favour. We started walking in the general direction of 'home'. After a few kilometres walking along the main road, we ditched plans for a taxi (along with sensibility and decided that back streets would get us home quicker. The back streets of Bassendean, Ashfield and Bayswater had the occasional working streetlight and we had comfortable shoes on so we kept walking and walking and walking. Two guys came past on bikes (or one guy came past twice). Another person sat in the gutter with a backpack and didn't look up when we staggered by. Other than that, it was all rather quiet until about 15 mins from home and a police chopper shined its big yellow light down on us and started following.</div>
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We were very drunk and very tired by this stage. I was grateful for the assisted passage but really didn't think much of it until a police car and 2 officers pulled up within a couple of minutes. With their lights shining on our sweaty red faces, Sir Velence was offered, "Good evening Sir - is there any reason you are dressed like that?". WTF? You mean people actually dress like this without a reason? I started rambling about dragons, damsels in distress and pitchers of mead... The cops didn't wait for an answer, took a brief look at my Knights blunt and obviously plastic sword, got back in their car, called off the helicopter search light and took off into the night.</div>
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Two hours after departing the banquet, we made it home and flopped into bed.</div>
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In between doses of panadol the next morning, I was curious about the police, so I had a look at the local news to see if there had indeed, been anything newsworthy happening in the hood last night. It turns out that yes - there was a service station hold up, by a man with a hood and a large knife. </div>
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We were a block from a real and serious crime, yet in my lovely assistants eyes, the main crime committed was Fancy Dress. It will never happen again.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00428263701301068849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236557953054921541.post-36753244796304792822012-12-09T20:28:00.003+08:002012-12-09T20:34:37.161+08:00How to survive a plane crash<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fear of flying? No sir-ee. Not me. Not much scares me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sharks do a bit... Bogan's put the wind up me too. Cancer would be quite scary. Public speaking is fine. Unless I imagine the audience naked... That's scary and the worse bit of advice I've ever heard. Spiders and snakes are creepy too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ok. So there a just a few things that scare me a little bit. But not flying in a plane. No fear. None.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Apologies in advance to those I've inflicted this story on before. Despite my claimed fearlessness, I've lived a fairly safe existence. No bungy jumping, sky diving, canyoning, drug addictions... So my near-death experience catalogue is a bit thin. Whenever I have to talk up the adventures of my youth, my plane crash story is about all I have to lean on. Here it is:</span><br />
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src="data:image/jpeg;base64,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" 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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">In 2003 I
was in a light plane crash in the Pilbara. The plane was a Beechcraft Baron – there
was the pilot and 4 passengers. I was sitting right down the back. It was 3
o’clock in the afternoon. It was hot and had been a long day. I nodded at all the right places during </span></span><span style="line-height: 18px;">the</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> safety briefing but was more concerned with finding a magazine for the 45 min run from Pannawonica to Karratha. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">The dirt runway
was rough and there was a big cross wind so I sat back looking forward to
getting in the air and levelling out. We were up and I was </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">momentarily</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> relieved to be off </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">the</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> runway when we were suddenly sideways –
one of the engines had conked out. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Then the other engine stalled and I found
myself looking straight down a wing at rapidly approaching scrub. No one screamed. We just all looked down our wing pulling us back to the scrub and rocks on the edge of town. We were only metres, if that, from the tree tops when the pilot and plane managed to level out and we started ploughing through the bush on
the edge of town. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">I'd like to think that in the face of disaster, I am </span></span><span style="line-height: 18px;">quick</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> to respond and saved by intellect. But no. I am however, a fast-follower. So when I saw the other
passengers bracing, I thought I would too… We bumped along the ground for a few
hundred metres losing propellers, undercarriage and a few other bits as we
went. When we finally stopped, I again reverted to form and looked where the
other passengers were escaping and followed – despite the fact that I was sitting
adjacent to an emergency exit. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">The passenger I chose to follow was on the high end of 200 cm and 120 kg. He moved fast through that small emergency window though. In a </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">manoeuvre</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">something</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> like a Fosbury Flop, he flung his frame out and on to the wing. I was so far up his bum trying to get out of there, </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">I</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> copped his size 11 in </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">the</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> chin on the way out. We ran like crazy, dusted ourselves off and
thanked god (or science) that we had all made it relatively intact. Later found
out that we shared a few broken ribs and collar bones but that’s tough miners
for you…<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">I learnt </span></span><span style="line-height: 18px;">something</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> interesting about myself </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">through</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> this </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">experience</span><span style="line-height: 115%;">:<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">As the plane was crashing, I </span></span><span style="line-height: 18px;">didn't</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> fear death
or injury. I </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">didn't</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> say a few last ditch prayers. I </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">didn't</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> scream. I simply
remembered that I was going on break. There was another plane back at the terminal and that I’d get
out of this mess … quickly … and get on the next plane out of there. Don't get </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">between</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> me and a holiday. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00428263701301068849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236557953054921541.post-83103067667110409392012-12-05T21:38:00.001+08:002012-12-07T20:38:50.779+08:00How I work...<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are A LOT more geeks out there than I thought. Special mention must go to the Lightsaber owner-drivers club. I'm growing my hair long for a Princess Leia style and will post photos...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite some suggestions for changes to my top 5, your geeky protestations have been deflected. My poster boy geeks remain </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Brian Cox, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Leonardo da Vinci, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Professor Frink, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alexander Graham Bell and, of course, the Propeller head. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Given that one is too famous, one is fictional and two are dead, I have to take daily geek direction from the Propeller head and last week he shared one of his geek heroes with me - <a href="http://lifehacker.com/5963966/im-chris-anderson-and-this-is-how-i-work">Chris Anderson</a>...This </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chris Anderson, not to be confused with another Chris Anderson (the founder of TED) has done some very cool things like:</span><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Establish <a href="http://www.wired.com/geekdad/">geekdad</a> blog - stuff for Dads (and Mums) to encourage the next gen geeks.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Editor of some pretty influential magazines like Nature, New Scientist, Wired and The Economist.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Founder of DIY Drones - yes that's right there is at least one other person on the planet besides the propeller head who is interested in building their own...</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I particularly liked his <a href="http://lifehacker.com/5963966/im-chris-anderson-and-this-is-how-i-work">article</a> on how he gets things done. But I gather that the readers of my updates, while they love geeks, hold some firm views on overachievers so I thought I would compare his responses to ones I'd give... if anyone ever asked...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The similarities in our office furnishings and blog names ('geekdad'...'mininmummy'...) are eerie. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Besides that, there's not much though. So there you have it - he's a super influential, successful geeks geek and I'm well um.... normal....</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00428263701301068849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236557953054921541.post-41298774112751925842012-11-25T21:26:00.000+08:002012-11-25T22:05:30.091+08:00Drafting... not the drawing kind... the path of least resistance kind<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today I rode a bike further than I have ever achieved before... I'm not going to tell you how far I traveled but rest assured it was a looooooooooong way in a very small and impossibly hard saddle. I hurt. Really hurt. Others might have trained or at least, taken their husbands bike for a test ride around the block before taking on an event like the Santos Great Bike Ride but I live an exciting life of last minute decisions and ill-considered commitments and so I find myself exhausted and suffering this evening...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There were a few thousand people in the event so hopefully they are not all feeling the same as I owe several of them a debt of thanks for letting me ride behind them and reap the benefits of their hard work. Most of all I have to thank my good friend and ex job-share partner, Fern. I roped her in to the event and then proceeded to ride on her tail for most of the course. She's fun and generous and pretended not to be pulling me along. It was while we were in the second half of the ride that my mind briefly wandered from the intense pain I was suffering and I thought. "Oh no, Fern's propping me up again, just like at work. She's doing the hard yards and I'm just sitting back and going along for the ride". This doubting self-talk is not typical of me. I suspected low sugar levels so took one of the red snakes she passed over and a barley sugar for good measure.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Deciding that a fit of depression was only going to add more misery to an already insufferable ride, I decided to think about all the good reasons for drafting. It's benefits are obvious in bike riding - when a steaming peloton comes shooting past - but I think there are benefits in the office too. Here they are:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's efficient: </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">NASA said one of its F/A-18 test aircraft had a 29% fuel savings by flying in the wingtip vortex of a DC-8. So if you are feeling tired, burnt out and frustrated, find the closest office DC-8 and hook on. A surefire way to get you re-energized and you'll use less sick leave.</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Drafting is </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">co-operative</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">: if we take turns in the lead position and work together, we can actually be greater than the sum of our parts.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">It can also be</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"> a bit </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">competitive</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">or</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"> </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">tactical</i><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">: stay close behind your competitors leaving yourself more energy for a break-away push to the finish line when they have made a wrong move.</span></span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Be careful though. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Having been at the back end of a peloton once that exploded into a sea of limbs, water bottles and falling bikes, I narrowly escaped with shot nerves and the sad realisation that there are no free lunches. If you are going to hook on to the back of superheros you better be prepared to get up the front occasionally or crash spectacularly with them...</span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00428263701301068849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236557953054921541.post-73086883847024060062012-11-17T19:55:00.000+08:002012-11-17T19:55:40.885+08:00How to be average ... <div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I know a few over-achievers. They are amazing people. Their efforts to save the less fortunate, climb mountains, excel in their careers, raise multiple children and look brilliant every day are worthy of note. They share their wisdom and then gush about our own (more mundane) achievements. They are put out there to set the example and shine a light on the hill for the rest of us but to be brutally honest, I am <b>so over</b> over-achievers. Their tales don't resinate. Their integrity is disconcerting, almost creepy. Their achievements are overwhelming and probably unattainable...</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sour grapes? No. Over-achievers contribute to society, their industries and families in ways I can't begin to emulate. I am thankful for their efforts but I don't want to be anything like them.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think it's because I love 'average', most people I know are average and have average aspirations. After my friends have had a few drinks and tell me the things they like about me -It's normally just after I have slurred "I love you guys"... I'm often told I'm accessible. I take this as 'average' not, well umm, <i>accessible.</i>..</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Average is good. No great. It is to be revelled in. Do you want an easy and enjoyable life? Then harness your 'average'. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's good to be average at school because the teachers will be focussed on the naughty kids at the back and the naughty kids at the back will be focussed on the nerds at the front. Average school students can go a remarkably long way by just sitting in the middle and leaving them to it.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Its good to be average at the doctors, too. No one goes to the doctor wanting high blood pressure or low. We want to be told we are just like everyone else. Skin, weight, lumps and bumps. All average. Yippee..</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm happy with my average family. No early starts for gifted children to get to tennis lessons or maths advanced tuition. No letters from the headmaster on delinquent behaviour. Two very average little boys is perfectly adequate. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Average shoe size and dress size. Fine for buying whatever you want. In this case, there is a caveat on my push for average, it's perfect before the sales... Any woman who has scoured the bargain bins at the David Jones post-Christmas sales will not doubt have rued their average status when a fabulous pair of Jimmy Choo's was a available in size 11 only or those gorgeous Sass and Bide jeans were drastically reduced in size 4 (!!!!) .</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Average at work...? Often neglected while we focus on the superstars and under-performers, but absolutely essential. Who else is going to keep the business running? Average employees are competent and comply with their terms of employment. They grease the machine and should be thanked. They don't tend to mess up their work life balance and don't darken your door with requests for their next promotion. More please.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So put down your book on Richard Branson, unsubscribe to your motivational podcasts and take a good look at your neighbours, peers and friends with small paunches, noisy kids and regular jobs. They (you) deserve a hearty thanks for being average.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">PS... The other caveat on average. Best disguised at performance review time..</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00428263701301068849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236557953054921541.post-72116974256819317952012-11-10T17:40:00.003+08:002012-11-10T19:09:45.241+08:00Why I love geeks .. every single spotty, speccied, stuttering one of them...<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On Thursday night the absolutely delectable <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Cox_(physicist)">Brian Cox</a> was talking on the 7:30 report. When I should have been hearing him say: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, 'Lucida Grande', 'Bitstream Vera Sans', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">I actually think it's the Higgs Boson and the Higgs Boson seems esoteric sometimes when you talk about it, but this is a theory that's been around since the '60s and the proposal is almost bizarre - is that less than a billionth of a second after the universe began something condensed out into empty space and it’s the Higgs field. It's almost as if you could say this space now (holding hands in front of himself) is full of Higgs particles, really full of them. There's actually more energy in one cubic metre of space due to the Higgs field than the Sun outputs in 1,000 years. Bizarre theory. But the theory is that things get mass by bumping into those Higgs particles, by interacting with them, so rattling around, if you like, in this empty space."</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All I heard was:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, 'Lucida Grande', 'Bitstream Vera Sans', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">I actually think it's the Higgs Boson blah, blah, blah, billionth of a second after the universe began blah, blah, blah is full of Higgs particles, really full of them. There's more energy in blah blah blah, interacting with them, so rattling around, if you like, in this empty space."</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My reaction shocked me. Instead of listening intently to the wonders of smashing particles together and the discovery of the Higgs boson particle, I was gazing at this divine creature of science like a star struck tween watching her first Justin Bieber interview.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It got me thinking about geeks in my life and how brilliant they are. For a start, there is the Propeller head and father of our two children. Then there are the brilliant people I work with every day, solving difficult problems and doing more for the advancement of the mining industry than some of our so called leaders. I quickly realised that I love geeks. Does this make me a geek too? Those of you tuned into Big Brother on Thursday night rather than the 7:30 report will probably think I am but I'll use the following as my defense: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Reasons why I don't think I'm a geek:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I know nothing about Star Trek. Almost nothing anyway. There are Cling Ons I think? But I don't know much more than that. In fact I just looked up cling on and discovered that they are actually Klingons.. Sorry nerds...</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've never read the Hobbit. I know that they are small. Do they have pointy ears like the people on Star Trek? Perhaps they are related somehow?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't know the difference between C++ and Java. It seems strange to name one coffee based on it's origin and the other after the average grade on my primary school reports though.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hate hate hate hate hate role playing games. In fact dressing up for a Medieval Night Ball a few months ago was terrifying. There is no visible difference between that and mock sword fights or playing Dungeons and Dragons. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And, I'm too scatterbrained and impulsive to be a geek. Learning how to use a 16 sided dice, write in PHP or sit through all the Star Trek movies requires patience and concentration. I was provided a low dose in both...</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Having established, conclusively, my credentials as 'not a geek', I feel I can objectively share my top 5 geeks:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Brian Cox </b><br />What I really love about this particular geek is his enthusiasm and passion for science. He smiles when he talks and he wants us to be as excited about smashing particles together as he is. I still don't get what he's talking about but he makes me want to. Judging by his Twitter profile there's about a million other people who find him just as nerdilly spectacular as me. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Leonardo da Vinci</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Surely the king of geeks. Sculptor, musician, mathematician, botanist, writer, geologist (!!!), architect, painter, artist, poet, scientist and engineer! No wonder Mona Lisa is smirking. Those super-strong connections between his left and right brain dreamed up helicopters and solar power about 500 years before we really needed them!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Professor Frink (the Simpsons)</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Every town needs a Professor Frink. While he invented a death ray, he didn't really want to use it. His other brilliant gems include a house that sprouts legs and runs away when burglars arrive and hamburger earmuffs. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Alexander Graham Bell</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Without the phone, would we have the smart phone? I rest my case.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The Propeller head</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The man responsible for introducing me (well introducing me to their ideas anyway) to the wonderful contribution of geeks is my husband the Propeller head. He is the only person to have ever said "when nano-bots take over the world' at a dinner party" and managed further invites. His hobbies include building drones and working on the next 'big app'.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Geeks change our world in wonderful ways and I love them all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I salute you geeks. Make that a Vulcan Salute!</span> </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00428263701301068849noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236557953054921541.post-9841371628592412202012-11-04T11:46:00.001+08:002012-11-04T11:47:22.172+08:00Engagement part 2<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sunday is traditionally a great day for confessions... So here's mine.... I wrote Engagement part 1 in an attempt to drag myself out of my pit of despair... it was a great exercise because it made me realise that engagement is a choice.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Having just returned form holidays to a tonne of work, end of year targets and a long time until the next holiday, I was doing a bit too much moaning... Everyone I was talking to (or moaning to) agreed politely that the structure, culture, cost saving, project list, blah blah blah were all making us feel disengaged. It took a respected peer to say "you're not real happy are you Lucy" to make me reflect that I was sounding just a bit negative... a misery guts... So I did some navel gazing new millennium-style and looked up 'Engagement' on the web.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I fully expected to see all the great reasons for having engaged employees:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Companies with engaged employees have 52% higher performance operating income than those with low engagement scores*</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Companies with high levels of employee engagement improved 19.2% in operating income while companies with low levels of employee engagement declined 32.7%*</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Companies with both highly aligned cultures and highly aligned innovation strategies have 17% higher profit growth than companies with low degrees of alignment**</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Engaged employees are more likely to promote your organisation, your products, have less sickies and innovate.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The thing that grabbed me though, was an article about getting on with it and working with whatever culture you have. <a href="http://www.strategy-business.com/article/11108?gko=f4e8d">http://www.strategy-business.com/article/11108?gko=f4e8d</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lots of us complain about poisonous cultures and the resultant lack of engagement. This turns the defeatist argument on it's head.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">*Towers Perrin-ISR (2006) The ISR Employee Engagement Report</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">**Strategy + Business:The Global Innovation 1000: Why Culture Is Key, Oct 2011</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ps.. If anyone catches me moaning about work this week, you have my permission to beat me around with a hard copy of the attached.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00428263701301068849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236557953054921541.post-37417432512124332442012-11-04T09:19:00.001+08:002012-11-04T09:19:18.500+08:00It's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyone who has worked with me would have heard me use the expression "It's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission".This little gem is whipped out frequently, either to give guidance to team members or to excuse myself for making independent decisions. It's effective.. most of the time...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Working for a pretty conservative organisation made me somewhat nervous about the application of this wisdom until I read something a few years ago from Colin Powell: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">“You know
the expression – it’s easier to get forgiveness than permission. Well it’s
true. Good leaders don’t wait for official blessing to try things out. They are
prudent, not reckless. But they also </span><span style="line-height: 18px;">realize</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> a fact of life in most organisations:
if you ask enough people for permission, you will inevitably come up against
someone who believes their job is to say ‘no’. So the moral is ‘don’t ask’.
Less effective middle managers endorse the sentiment “if I haven’t specifically
been told ‘yes,’ then I can’t do it,” whereas the good ones believed “if I
haven’t explicitly been told ‘no,’ then I can”. There is a world of difference
between these two points of view.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Who am I to disagree with a four star general? Using the 'Powell defence' enables me to get things done in a large organisation. I've crashed a few times though and have leaned heavily on the 'forgiveness' side of the expression...</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Every day we
are presented with opportunities to use our judgment. So use it. Weigh up the
threats and opportunities and be bold in your decision making. No change or
innovation comes from sitting on your good ideas. The resources industry is
changing rapidly and with good planning and confidence your decisions will
shape the future.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00428263701301068849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236557953054921541.post-82587943699367354032012-11-01T20:40:00.000+08:002012-11-13T17:40:11.944+08:00Engagement (part 1)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sometimes I feel incredibly disengaged with work. I'll sit in meetings nodding and smiling at my colleagues but really I am thinking "how the hell can I get out of here and do something more interesting?" I had a particularly harrowing meeting a few months ago that coincided with my 4 year olds kindy concert. At the time of dropping my son off, I was not at all concerned about missing a bunch of kindy kids go through the noise and painful antics of "ag-a-doo-doo-doo, push pineapple, shake the tree,.. ." It took an arrogant peer dismissing some work that I'd done, feeling that I was being let down on a change I was pushing through and HR bogging me down in a policy point impacting my team that made me really question why I was at work...</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That night I gave the propellor head a full debrief. He gave me a glass of wine. I went through all the usual wine-fired planning sessions (buy a newsagent, start consulting (what?), move to the big Australian, be a stay at home mum and adjust lifestyle accordingly,...). I then enjoyed the rest of the weekend. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By Monday I was back in meetings nodding and smiling...</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The fact is I did not really want to quit. I just wanted to enjoy what I was doing and make a difference. I wanted to feel engaged.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's some research on engagement:</span><br />
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<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Engaged people have less than half the sick leave of the disengaged*</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Engaged employees are 87</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> less likely to leave the organisation than the disengaged**</span></li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Changing the organisation around me to make employees feel more engaged is a task for those with more influence and determination than me. Here's what I do for me when I am feeling disengaged:</span></div>
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<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Talk to people, and work on projects where individuals feel excited, happy to share and enthusiastic. It rubs off.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Its very tempting to grizzle to colleagues and most of the time they'll grizzle back. It's fun for a while but still leaves you in a pit of despair.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Think of all the jobs worse than my own. I don't mean sewer repairs but other corporate jobs like mine that I still wouldn't want.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Keep smiling and nodding your head... something better will happen soon...</span></li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Having engaged employees is good for business too. I'll cover that in part 2!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: #6d6e70; font-weight: 300;">*CBI-AXA (2007), </span><span style="color: #6d6e70; font-style: oblique; font-weight: 300;">Annual Absence and LabourTurnover Survey</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: #6d6e70; font-style: oblique; font-weight: 300;">**</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6d6e70; font-weight: 300;">Corporate Leadership Council, Corporate Executive Board (2004)’Driving Performance and Retention through Employee Engagement: a quantitative analysis of effective engagement strategies’ </span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00428263701301068849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2236557953054921541.post-69062038940219456192012-10-30T14:49:00.002+08:002012-11-13T17:43:12.953+08:00Pitching for flexible work <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Pitching yourself for flexible work arrangements </strong></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It took a phone call from a</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> colleague to make me realise some possibilities in this space…
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I was about 6 hours from catching a plane to Queensland for a family holiday. Those of you with children will know the military operation that is travelling with children: portacot, nappies times 50 in the suitcase and carry on, wipes, wipes, wipes, spare outfits, sleeping cloths, swimming clothes and clothes clothes. Sunscreen, nappy rash cream, baby toothpaste and toothbrushes. Pureed food, breast milk, formula, rusks, a blanket for the plane, pram, car seats….</div>
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Anyway. This friend of mine had seen a GM job advertised and she thought we should apply for it. I always thought that you got tapped on the shoulder for these types of roles and was not losing any sleep waiting on the tap. She thought we should apply. I didn’t really think about it at first. I simply wanted to get back to packing so I said, I’ve got nothing to lose but no time to think this through. How about you write a letter and send my cv. We’ll see what happens….</div>
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I went on holidays and forgot about it. <br />
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When I got back, I discovered that I had secured an interview. It was time to start thinking and preparing my convincing career business case.
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All great partnerships come when you are greater than the sum of your parts. So I worked on a pitch that described that. For the price of one general manager, Rio Tinto was going to get:<br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Over 40 years experience</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 MBA’s</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Degrees in economics and mining engineering</span></li>
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</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Experience in operations, studies, finance and approvals</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Your experiences and opportunities will be different but my recommendations on writing your own career business case would go like this: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Be open with your strengths and interests. No one does a job well that bores them.</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don’t be afraid of a non-conforming bid. It may be just what your business needs.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Build your network and gather ideas from others to find out what has worked for them.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Be sure to put a win-win case together. The best outcomes for you and your organisation will be the ones that you are both happy with.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Good luck!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00428263701301068849noreply@blogger.com0