Tags

  • Published on

    Reading: Behind every good man...

    Readings Societal Wellbeing
    Earlier this year, my wife and I celebrated 25 years of marriage. When we announced this milestone to several friends and colleagues they were genuinely thrilled for us—because, sadly, many marriages don't last the test of time. Rather than working together over a lifetime, couples seem to reach for divorce proceedings when the going gets a bit tough. In our case, I could not have achieved what I have without my wife. I'd like to think I've reciprocated to help her realise her dreams.

    I'm a firm believer that behind (actually, beside) every good man is a very capable woman. Together, more is possible. It's as simple as that.
  • Published on

    Reading: Winning...an unhealthy obsession?

    Readings Societal Wellbeing
    Like hundreds of millions of viewers around the world, I have been watching the Olympics on television over the last week or so. Cycling, weightlifting and athletics are the sports that capture my imagination. The technical skill and mental capabilities of the athletes astounds me. How do they move so fast, throw so far, lift so high? In most cases, years and years of preparation go before a single moment, an opportunity to excel, to win.

    Winning is important to competitors, and to nations. You just have to look at the response of those athletes that expected to win but didn't. At what point does winning become an unhealthy obsession? Winning needs to be held in context. Is the ultimate goal to vanquish others, to prove a point, or to fully realise one's one potential?
  • Published on

    Reading: Punctuating your way toward your goals

    Management Readings Societal Wellbeing
    How confident are you when it comes to grammar?
    • Do you think an apostrophe was one of the 12 disciples of Jesus?
    • Or a semicolon is a regular colon with an identity crisis?
    • Do you scatter commas into a sentence with all the discrimination of a shotgun?

    If you struggle with grammar, you may well be doing yourself a gross disservice. Kyle Wiens, lays it on the line in this article. He won't hire people with sloppy grammar. Whether you are looking for a job, working on a report, or simply tapping out an email communique, poor grammar may see your goal missed or your message overlooked. 
  • Published on

    Reading—to relax and learn

    Readings Research Societal Wellbeing Time Management
    Are you a reader? I used to be. But university intervened. Thirty years ago, after reading my way through university (text books, journals and articles—not novels or anything of general interest), I lost my appetite for reading. When asked "What are you reading?", I'd answer with "Nothing, university cured me." After plowing my way through heavy material for four years, I had reached the point where I simply did not want to pick up anything longer than an article. I still read a little, but my diet was based entirely on articles published in the popular press (Times, National Geographic, The Economist, HBR), and material I needed to read for work.

    A few years ago, after a long hiatus, a switch flipped. I rediscovered reading again—reading for pleasure and relaxation, that is. I can't recall the time, the place or the exact trigger. Like earlier in my life, I still read to learn. But now I also read to relax. Here's a selection of titles I have read recently:

    • A Beautiful Mind: Sylvia Nasar
    • London, The Biography: Peter Ackroyd
    • Into the Wider World: Brian Turner
    • The Bridge of San Luis Rey: Thornton Wilder
    The following titles are stacked up awaiting my attention:
    • Titan: Ron Chernow
    • Thinking Fast and Slow: Daniel Kahneman
    • One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich: Alexandr Solzhenitsyn
    • Created for Community: Stanley Grenz

    I tend to read about times, people and places—history and biography. I've discovered that, by reading this sort of material, I relax and learn at the same time. Articles like this motivate me. Reading about the past helps me understand today's world.

    If you read, I'd be interested to hear your story.
  • Published on

    Decimal currency...an example of coping with change

    Societal Wellbeing
    Forty-five years ago, on 10 July 1967, New Zealand adopted decimal currency. The then Finance Minister, Robert Muldoon, championed the change from pounds, shillings and pence, to dollars and cents. Forty-five years on, we take decimal currency for granted. Yet at the time, many older people struggled to make the change. After all, they had had a lifetime of operating within a completely different paradigm. This set me wondering...