andrewnicol.net

302 |365 Rainy Nights

Some people, like me, love rainy nights, love the sound of rain on the roof while being enclosed and protected by the warmth of a house. Some people I have met on the other hand, don’t like rainy nights; they bring back bad memories and cause concern.
 
It never ceases to amaze me as to how influential the past is to our lives. How seemingly small things to one person, are big things to others. How things of enjoyment to some, are things of pain to others.
 
It’s easy to assume everyone likes the rainy nights, just because I do.
 
It’s easy to assume everyone likes … just because I do.
 
Not true.

301 |365 Puzzle

puz·zle (pŭz'əl)
v. puz·zled , puz·zling , puz·zles

• To baffle or confuse mentally by presenting or being a difficult problem or matter (verb. Tr)
• To be perplexed. (verb. Intr)
• Something, such as a game, toy, or problem, that requires ingenuity and often persistence in solving or assembling. (noun)

Hey – They just wrote a definition of my life, I am both puzzling and puzzled.
 
But then aren’t we all.

296 |365 Twenty-One

It’s Stass’ birthday today. Happy birthday!!
 
She’s twenty-one! Not twenty-one again, but twenty-one for the first and only time. How cool is that!
 
My dilemma with people turning twenty-one is that I can remember what I was doing in 1989 and it confirms that my life is extinguishing, in a positive way, at a rate that is more rapid than I originally thought. It’s positive because each day I get to learn, to love and quite possibly even grow in wisdom.
 
So with all this newfound wisdom that in reality comes from a deep pool of craziness, I offer this thought to Stass or anyone else that would care to listen (not than any of you asked). Here it is:
 
You never get yesterday back. Each day we have a choice to either consume or invest our time. Sadly if we don’t choose to invest time, it will get consumed.

285 |365 With a click of the fingers.

This is Simon from Agora. When I walk in he often clicks his fingers, two or three times, 3 seconds apart. Strange I know, except that it has a meaning, he’s reminding me that I have things to do for the good.trust. He’s reminding me that when I delay, kids continue you die.
 
One every three seconds, while I continue to do my day job, drink my coffee or even write this post.
 
Things are moving forward on for the good.trust just not at the speed I would like. But with every click of his fingers I am reminded of the priority.

269 |365 Abnormal and Non Standard

It’s late in the afternoon on Saturday and I head outside to hunt down the photo of the day. I chat to some of my neighbours who are washing cars and preparing for the next days travel, ‘normal things’. Then I head over and start taking photo’s of a tree because I like it’s lines and it reminds me its winter.
 
Compared to the normal things I am decidedly abnormal, nonstandard and strange. But then aren’t we all. Each one of us is created completely unique. Not one of us is normal or standard.
 
It is easy to forget that each person you meet is unique.
 
Each one has different strengths, desires, pasts and presents that make them who they are.
 
Our goals should be to value the uniqueness of individuals rather then try and make everyone normal.

238 | 365 The worlds greatest boss?

I have a strange abnormal admiration for the window cleaner guy. Not only does he charge significant coin but now he seems to have an employee to do the dirty work.
 
Make no mistake he has provided the valued staff member with a waterproof jacket. Which is handy given that the boss hoses down the windows directly over, around and through, the employee as he scrubs the windows with a brush.
 
Definitely a nominee for ‘the worlds greatest boss’ awards.

234 |365 Partial Reflections

Our lives are all partial reflections of others.
 
We all in someway reflect the people and events that have had an impression on us.
 
In some cases, repulsive and negative things done may be reflected in us. Things we would rather forget and wish they had never happened.
 
For the most part we reflect the good people in our lives. They may be parents or teachers or colleagues or friends or Jesus, and regardless of how independent we think we are, we are all small reflections of them.
 
So if my life is a partial reflection of others, how will I ensure that their reflection of me is a blessing, vivid and good?

231 |365 I have a question on my mind

Is this train leaving or arriving?
 
It’s a question, and there is incredible power in questions. With great questions come amazing answers and stories. Because of questions, problems are solved and ideas are formed.
 
Yesterday, at a client who uses other companies, I asked, “What do our competitors do really well?” It’s an amazing question because you don’t get some canned answer of what they would like, rather you get a real answer about the service they enjoy. It also gives permission to ask, “What could they do better?”
 
Questions are the key to listening. They really are!
 
From time to time you will find people who have a different view to you (shock horror). You can either spend all your time trying to explain your view, OR you can spend all your time trying to understand their view by asking questions.
 
Talkers do the first. Listeners do the second.
 
Sometimes asking questions is really hard for both of you. But after you have listened and understood, you are almost always invited to share your opinion, to input into the conversation, to contribute.
 
AND
 
You will almost always say something wiser and more relevant.
 
All because you asked great questions.

206|365 Sports Star

A bunch of fans crowd behind the tent of the Castrol Edge race team. Amongst them, this fan, with a poster at the ready, eagerly awaits for the autograph of Greg Murphy, an iconic New Zealand sportsman.
 
Greg is a New Zealand V8 supercar sports star. He is a star because drives really fast cars. He is a star because he bets Australians. He is a star because handles the public and media really well. He is a star because he wins.
 
Gregs stardom came purely through hard work, focus, practice, lots of losses and a few wins (comparatively).
 
We can all be stars, maybe not iconic ones, but certainly in the life of people around us.
 
We also become stars through hard work, focus, practice, lots of losses and a few wins.

204 | 365 Community

People greeting, food eating.

Parents talking, kids squawking.
 
Life sharing, friends caring.

Community.

183 | 365 Halfway Number 2

You may have heard that it takes 40 days to make a habit, or 28 days or some other iterative. Wrong, wrong and wrong again.
 
Between yesterday and today I am halfway through 365. I missed one day in 183 days, which for me is amazing. The only other things I have done for 183 days straight in my life, is get up, eat and breathe.
 
For me after about 50 days, remembering to take the photo became a habitual, but actually taking the photo requires another step up in discipline again. For example, it was a mission to make it to 100, and today’s photo is because I remembered, not because I had a flash of creativity.
 
I am learning about habits and discipline. Disciplines like going to the gym, running, reading, studying or quiet times. For me it takes about 30 – 50 days for the thought process to become habitual, to become ingrained as a priority in my life.
 
But every time, every single time, I still need to choose to take action, to step out and run, or do my quiet time, or take a photo.
 
If you think I have the habit thing sorted out, I don’t. It’s like today’s shot on my drive to Tauranga. The glare from driving into the sun, the dirty window, makes my view lack clarity. Same for my knowledge of just about everything.

[183 | 365 ‘Halfway #2’ - Down the Kaimai’s driving into the sun, behind a slow truck]

182 | 365 Halfway Number 1

Somewhere between today and tomorrow I am halfway through project 365, which is taking a picture each day for 365 days.
 
Looking back and ahead, I think I would like to take more people shots because they show more of life than objects, or candles, or coffee drops. If I do this, it will take another level of discipline again because I will need to go looking for interesting people shots.
 
Speaking of interesting people, today I was online on Skype waiting for a call that never came, but then my friend Steve gave me a call.
 
The first thing Steve did was encourage me, it just rolls off his tongue honestly and naturally. He has this incredible ability to build people up and I am often reminded by Steve’s actions how important that is.
 
I’m reminded today that life is about people.
 
[182 | 365 – ‘Halfway #1’ – Steve the encourager and a reminder how much I love technology]

170 | 365 Glocal

My ONE shirt was used as a map on a couple of occasions last night at Agora Goes Live. This is a shot of Octaves Ibounga and a couple of the team from Jerk Freaks (a jerk dance team), pointing towards their home countries of Congo and Egypt. The Jerk Freaks are part of our Glocal community.
 
Glocal is a term I read recently. It’s a term that came about in 1989 and describes the changing convergence of people and cultures. Glocal describes a culture that combines both local and global. A culture where we can locally affect global, and global can connect directly back to local.
 
New Zealand is becoming more and more a glocal community. Global people from varying cultures, birthplaces and history converging locally.
 
Very exciting.

169 | 365 Candle in the Dark

As a teenager lighting and sound were my thing and I can remember attending a course with a renowned lighting designer for the performing arts, whose name alludes me.
 
At one point during the course we had to create mood for a tent scene on the stage using lighting effects and one single candle.
 
Having that one candle on the stage made the design difficult to say the least. In a pitch black theatre, where you literally can’t see your hand if it is an inch from your face, a candle is exceptionally bright. The light it generates can’t easily be softened or turned down. People sitting in close proximity of the candle were illuminated by its presence alone.
 
20 plus years on, I can still remember a lot that I learnt on that course, about how the eye works, about how we see black and white in the moonlight, about creative license, and about how bright a single candle can be.
 
Every now and then you meet people who are like candles in the dark. Every now and then I meet someone whose flame burns so brightly in the dark patches of this world that it lights up everyone around them.
 
If one small flame can make a difference, maybe I can as well.
 
 

161 | 365 Orange Goggles

You’ve heard of beer goggles right. The experience of allowing alcohol to somewhat taint a persons normal scale of attractiveness for the opposite sex.
 
Well maybe we don’t actually need alcohol to taint our view of people.
 
Maybe we allow our picture, our framing story of a person’s life to form an inaccurate view of a person we barely know. A wrong view no less.
 
Last night we had dinner with some friends and in the course of the meal we were chatting about one of our friend’s parents. I was really surprised to learn some cool and funky things about the dad. I have known that person from a far and never would have pictured him in the context I was told about. I was pleasantly surprised.
 
I think I do that more often than I care to admit.
 
It was as though I was looking through an orange bottle at a person. My framing story was wrong. My view was tainted.
 
 
 
161 | 365 Yesterday I forgot to take my camera with me, so this is a shot from my phone.
 
 

158 | 365 - Creative Cake

I’ve been thinking lately about how we are all creative. Every single one of us, in some way enjoys creating. Its as if we were created to create. And yet we are all creative in very different ways.
 
Some people create through art and paintings. Some people create through music and dance. And then other people create through welding or building or software or written words or stories or laughter or process or clothing or teaching or parenting. Why you can even have creative accountants.
 
And then once we have created. We look at what we created and say “it is good”, and our creation helps create us.
 
Today’s photo is a part of the Birthday cake, Karina, my very creative wife made for Kyla’s tenth birthday. It is the zero of the ten, and is a banana cake with icing edges and a slightly hollowed centre with blue jelly on top.
 
Very creative.

151 | 365 - Ubuntu

 “Ubuntu is a concept that we have in our Bantu languages at home. Ubuntu is the essence of being a person. It means that we are people through other people. We cannot be fully human alone. We are made for interdependence, we are made for family. When you have ubuntu, you embrace others. You are generous, compassionate. If the world had more ubuntu, we would not have war. We would not have this huge gap between the rich and the poor. You are rich so that you can make up what is lacking for others. You are powerful so that you can help the weak, just as a mother or father helps their children. This is God's dream.” - Desmond Tutu

This is a photo of Cheree at CBC. Her and hubby own the VW van. We were talking about how I felt I owned a bit of their van. He talked about community, and I took this pic and it reminded me of Ubuntu.

Why YOU don’t change.

It was a moment of sheer intelligential brilliance. “Immovable Deadlines”, I pondered.

When an immovable deadline exists, it is easy to deliver. When I have to speak on Sunday, or deliver a presentation to a big client. The deadline is immovable, and I always meet the deadline. Always.

I have known this about myself for years of course, but now I have a term to define it. To be more successful, all I have to do is figure out a way to make movable deadlines, things I put off, IMMOVABLE.

Brilliant!

Dazzling, even if I do say so myself.

I can’t believe I didn’t think of it sooner. My life is going to be so much better. I will be a better leader, husband, friend. I am sorted!

Then, by chance I read some notes I made from 2 years ago. Written across the note are these words “IMMOVABLE DEADLINES”

I cuss slightly in my head and am reminded again how hard change is.

Change takes thought.

Reflection.

Time.

Resolve.

Discipline.

Then it takes all of those things all over and over again. And again. And again.

Its hard work!

And that’s why YOU don’t change. And YOU need to sort it out. Work harder. Hold the goal before YOU. Don’t YOU give up.

I say YOU, because clearly I haven’t learnt.

Those poor happy people...

I was talking to an ex-colleague the other day who fulfilled her dream and went to Costa-Rica. She said that she stayed with a really poor family by some beech for 2 weeks, and they were the so incredibly happy.

Poor happy people!

Then I found a recent article that states a full 27 Million Americans are now on anti-depressants. 10% of their entire population.

Rich unhappy people!

Maybe poor people don’t take anti-depressants because they can’t afford them. I am sure there are plenty of sad poor people around. OR maybe if we, (Western culture ‘we’), weren’t so worried about climbing the socioeconomic ladder, we wouldn’t be so sad.

Maybe then, we would focus on doing things that bring true happiness and not focus on buying things that brings happiness.

Maybe…

 

Attack that author and you attack me!

I’m reading a book at the moment by an Author that I respect and who’s books I have enjoyed a lot in the past.

In this current book he takes about one paragraph to have a go at authors (generally) who promote routine feeding of babies and wraps it some psycho stuff about a baby needing love not enforced routine.

I immediately start to write off the author. I start to think, “what would he know”, “psychological rubbish”. I stop reading.

Stop hearing his message.

I don’t take it in.

All because of one paragraph in a book of 300 pages.

As I considered this tonight on slow drive home from Auckland Airport I realised this: I am writing him off because by attacking these authors, he is actually attacking me.

I stop listening because he has said something is wrong with something I have done.

Something that has worked for me.

Something I believe in.

Just 1 paragraph which is not the theme of the book, just his option, and he is written off (well almost).

Interestingly, I am sure I do this to people all the time in conversation. Have a dig at a world view that a someone they respect has communicated and by attacking the world view, I attack the person I am talking to.

I attack their belief.

They stop listening.

…

I am not sure I can stop having an opinion but it is worth thinking about.

The most trusted of 2007...

There I was waiting. Killing time, hanging around for my appointed time at the doctors. Having parked myself on a padded bench seat not much more comfortable than an old church pew I search for something to read.

I flick through a readers Digest (June 2007) and discover an article about the most trust New Zealanders and Brands.

Top Brand is Cadbury, which is interesting because unlike Whitakers they don’t make “good honest chocolate”. In the bottom slot at number 25 was Palmolive. A couple brands of interest to me are New Zealand Post at #14 (a number I am sure they would like to improve), and Farmers at #24 (which actually really surprises me given their history).

Anyway the #1 most trusted person in NZ in June 2007 was …#1 Sir Ed (No surprise). He rates above Sir Peter Snell (#4), Queen Elizabeth (#19), Sam Morgan (#30), Helen Clarke (#58 ironically the most trust politician), Matthew Ridge (#71).

Now of the 75 people who were on the list, who do you think is at number #75? None other than Bishop Brian Tamaki.

Yip.

Want to say more but wont.

Makes you think a little about what it is that make people trust you or your brand.

I think words like consistent, authentic, connected, reliable and considerate would come to most people’s minds.

These are words that normal kiwi’s don’t associate with politicians or Palmolive or Brian Tamaki.

I am sure they all think they are trustworthy its just people don’t believe them.

If people don't believe your message. They dont trust you.

Sir Edmund Hillary

Sir Ed was a hero of mine and I don’t use that word lightly.

Obviously because he climbed Everest and was an amazing adventurer, and fiercely competitive.

Of course it was because of the work he did in Nepal, building schools, hospitals and medical centres.

But what made him a hero the most to me was his typical bloke authenticity. He had some really dark patches in his life and admitted them. He was open about how he lacked self confidence in his earlier years.

And finally he was a reminder that we can achieve our goals with a intense determination, team work, a bit of cunning and hard work.

Sir Ed is a man I have never met, but greatly admire. I shed a tear when I heard of his passing.

He will be missed by his family, country and the people he helped.

He was a true hero.

An Adventurer

Authentic.

Are you in the top 10% of performers?

Michael Port wrote this recently.

Business Week polled 2,000 executives and middle managers with the intent of getting a picture of the future state of work. Overall the results were pretty positive. Although one result was shocking, sad, and funny all at the same time.  It turns out... "Over 90% of respondents believe they're in the top 10% of performers." Huh? Houston we have a problem. Apparently, 80% of these folks are kidding themselves.

It made me think about 2 things:

1. How many of my team think they are in the top 10% of performers? I think it would be significantly more than 10%. They may be in the top 10% of the jobs they do, but not in the top 10% of the company.
2. It also made me think of the "differentiation" process that Jack Welch used at GE. Reward the top 20% stunningly, look after and develop the middle 70% and remove the bottom 10%.

Food for thought and discussion I think.

Are you in the top 10% of performers?

Michael Port wrote this recently.

Business Week polled 2,000 executives and middle managers with the intent of getting a picture of the future state of work. Overall the results were pretty positive. Although one result was shocking, sad, and funny all at the same time.  It turns out... "Over 90% of respondents believe they're in the top 10% of performers." Huh? Houston we have a problem. Apparently, 80% of these folks are kidding themselves.

It made me think about 2 things:

1. How many of my team think they are in the top 10% of performers? I think it would be significantly more than 10%. They may be in the top 10% of the jobs they do, but not in the top 10% of the company.
2. It also made me think of the "differentiation" process that Jack Welch used at GE. Reward the top 20% stunningly, look after and develop the middle 70% and remove the bottom 10%.

Food for thought and discussion I think.

Saying things to wind people up.

"I don't think you have thought through this" were his words after I had told him that we didn't need to discuss an issue and that we would handle it on the day.

He said it half heartedly, but he made a good point. He needed to talk about it. When I say "we'll discuss it on the day" it winds him up.

You see according to the styles of influence, cognitive scale, a high abstract person (like myself 99%) is always thinking and generally has thought about it and doesn't need to verbalise, whereas a mid-range cognitive person (my friend) needs to verblise it to make sure they have understood it and are clear on the plan.

Me basically telling him I have a plan leave it til the day is not what he needed to hear. Him telling me I hadn't thought about it was not what I wanted to hear. If it had gone on, we would have been frustrated with each other for no real reason.

The result - we talked and his views were the same as my thoughts - both happy.

How easy it is to miss these points sometimes!

Saying things to wind people up.

"I don't think you have thought through this" were his words after I had told him that we didn't need to discuss an issue and that we would handle it on the day.

He said it half heartedly, but he made a good point. He needed to talk about it. When I say "we'll discuss it on the day" it winds him up.

You see according to the styles of influence, cognitive scale, a high abstract person (like myself 99%) is always thinking and generally has thought about it and doesn't need to verbalise, whereas a mid-range cognitive person (my friend) needs to verblise it to make sure they have understood it and are clear on the plan.

Me basically telling him I have a plan leave it til the day is not what he needed to hear. Him telling me I hadn't thought about it was not what I wanted to hear. If it had gone on, we would have been frustrated with each other for no real reason.

The result - we talked and his views were the same as my thoughts - both happy.

How easy it is to miss these points sometimes!

Congratulations

My friends Rob & Tracey Lark had their third child today. A third girl to really keep Rob busy when they become teenagers. Born at 8:53, 7lb 7oz. Everyone is well, no name yet.

Congrads to you both.

One person makes all the difference!

Just one person in any one company can make it or blow it. One person can sent you away feeling like the most important person in the world or make you feel like they don’t value your business.

Yesterday Alf & I were flying to Christchurch for the day. We had a heap to discuss prior to getting their so I left Hamilton on the 6am flight to Auckland to connect with the 6:50 flight to Christchurch. Alf was on this flight joining me in Auckland and I had preallocated a seat for him next to me, because we were checking-in in different cities.

My Hamilton flight always gets in after the Christchurch Flight is boarding and I am one of the last on the plane. I get onboard and some other guy is in the seat next to me! So texting Alf I find out he is in 17d. I explain to the cabin assistant Alf had been preallocated into the seat next to me, and could me be moved into the seat opposite. He said he will check with the Captain and while he is doing that some other guy comes from the back and sits in that seat.

Now the cabin assistant has a choice. Does he try to make something work, or just walk away. There are after all spare seats in row 2 behind me, and I’m sure one of them wouldn’t mind moving forward to row 1. He can help me or bug the snot out of me and do nothing.

He does nothing and says nothing further.

Alf and I missed out on really quality time together that we will never again enjoy :( (secretly I think alf planned it to get some sleep) and we arrived in Christchurch less prepared than we should have.

Oh, the airline was Air NZ, not that this is a surprise because there is no other alternative for me out of Hamilton.

It all comes down to one person. How often does one person blow it in agoge and we don’t know or care? How often do I blow it?

Oh one last point. The guy sitting next to me heard all of this. He could have offered to move to the seat opposite (before the other guy came up), and been closer to the door, and had more leg room. Personally I would have offered to do that. But he said nothing and in a funny way I feel sorry for that guy.

Authentic Community

Last Thursday after we got into the Fast 50, I took a few people from work out to dinner with me to celebrate. At the table was Hav who just has an immense passion for agóge; Rob jnr who has such a detail mind and who keeps so many things I hate doing on track; and Cherie who is simply one of the most bona fide people I have ever met. Anyway I am sitting in this restaurant with a funny look on my face, watching my friends and just soaking it in and totally overwhelmed. There was something about the moment. A sense that in spite of everything hard we have been through, we're going to make it. I know this sounds a little corny, but you know what I am saying. It was an ordinary moment in an ordinary setting that for me became infused with something bigger. With community. Inspiration. Hope.

In two weeks time I have to talk on authentic community and I was chatting to a friend of mine yesterday about what that means. Community literally means 'in common'. People who gather together with something in common. Authentic according to dictionary.com theoretically means "not false; genuine". To me it means more than that.

It means being Real.

Honest.

Vulnerable.

Loyal.

An authentic person doesn't wear 'masks' to make them appear to be different than they are. They are honest and real about their struggles and failures. They seek help and are vulnerable.

I asked my two team meetings recently "How are you going? Really? " and generally I received genuine. Real. Honest. Vulnerable answers.

I think this small business called agóge. This business with people from all over the world, with varying educations, from different religions and diverse upbringings is starting to become an authentic community. A community that could actually make a huge difference in peoples lives.

It humbles me.

Ok, I admit it, I was wrong!

I have always understood that we are all made unique, entirely individual and wonderfully complex. But the implication of these thoughts often escapes me in action.

I think the problem is that I have never really, honestly believed that we are hard wired differently. A lot of the people that work for me that are smarter than me, had more significant and influential experiences than me, and have far more knowledge than me. Because they are genuinely more intellectual than I am, I struggle heaps when they don't see the big picture, or when they hear what I say and then do things completely differently.

I posted the other day about the styles of influence course I attended. As I have reflected on it, and spent time with the CBC guys and Vinney and Don, I have come to understand that I can be critical and biased when talking to people.

I think that we all have unspoken expectations of people, and then get frustrated when people fail to meet those expectations. We start thinking that they are intentionally doing this to bug us, and then our attitude towards them changes. When our attitude changes, our ability to influence the person positively dramatically reduces.

When all this happens who has the problem us, or the other person?

Me or you?

I have been humbled completely as I have considered some of these lessons.

Styles of Influence

It is incredible to consider that in the last 2 days I have learnt more about myself and how I interact with other people, than I have probably done in the last 2 -3 years. On Sunday evening I had Vinney from idynamx staying with us from the US. He is a very astute and intelligent guy and it was fascinating to talk with him about Style of Influence and the implications into our lives.

On Monday I attended a one day course run by idynamx where we compared our personal styles of influence with other people I work with outside of agóge. To say that I found the day just intelligently stimulating and personally challenging, would be to dramatically underestimate its impact on my think.

Below is a summary of my unique design. I am, according to the Styles Of Influence, test a Creative Designer.

Creative designers want to get a job done and get it done fast. They influence others in a positive way through this use of clear thinking and a strong personality. Creative designers can influence in a negative way through intimidation or forcefulness. Generally creative designers are individualists who enjoy a great deal of variety. These people enjoy thinking up new ideas and helping to get other people to implement them. At times, they can be hard to get along with and seem like a bully or overly dominant. When a task is in full swing, these people may want to "bolt" before the project has been completed. They work best in an environment that gives room to be creative and yet one that has a certain measure of accountability.

Fly by Wire

Boarding your plane and taking a seat next to an Air NZ pilot wouldn't excite most of you, but it was one of the most interesting flights I have taken. I sat next to Trevor an Airbus A320 captain and pilot trainer as he was being repositioned back to Auckland.

Trevor has been flying for 40 years and you can tell straight away he is an experienced and safe flyer. In his 40 years flying he has never had a major incident, never had an engine failure, nor forced landing. This is as much a testament to aircraft maintenance as it is to his attitude and skill.

Once we established that I was on my way to my PPL (so knew an incredible amount about flying), we talked Navaids, GPS, airports, handling of 737 vs A320, maintenance, CRM (Crew Resource Management), industry changes, ATPL training, the airworks accident last year, sims and pilot attitudes and leadership.

Interesting Facts

• Wellington Airport was not closed on Wednesday. Trevor landed his Airbus, it's just the ground crew couldn't work in the wind.
• Dunedin Airport is the hardest (=riskiest) airport in the country to land a jet in.
• Airbus A320's self trim (Makes them heaps easier to fly)
• At FL30 (30,000ft) and engine failure in a 737 required an immediate and positive from the pilot to stop it going over on it's back. An A320 will re trim, and put the plan into a descent.
• Wherever possible they take off with reduced thrust to save the engine life. In the A320 they take off with the cabin pressurization off, which again saves engine life.
• Great pilots come as a result of great attitudes.

Disjointed implications

• The media never give you the whole story.
• I'd rather fly in a A320 (or a next generation 737)
• If reduced thrust take-offs improve engine life, then to what other areas or things could this principal apply?
• Being great at anything, sport, flying, spirituality or leadership is all about ATTITUDE.

Trevor said he was going to email me a funny clip about CRM. If he does I will post it here.

What is initiative?

It's an interesting question isn't! What is initiative? Can you train people to have initiative? Can a person be held accountable for not displaying initiative? Does the culture of your company breed initiative?

An old philosopher Albert Hubbard says this "THE WORLD BESTOWS ITS BIG PRIZES, both in money and honors, for but one thing. And that is Initiative. What is Initiative? I'll tell you: It is doing the right thing without being told"

Hubbard tells the story Andrew Rowan said to the President,

"There is a fellow by the name of Rowan will find Garcia for you, if anybody can."

Rowan was sent for and given a letter to be delivered to Garcia. How "the fellow by name of Rowan" took the letter, sealed it up in an oil-skin pouch, strapped it over his heart, in four days landed by night off the coast of Cuba from an open boat, disappeared into the jungle, and in three weeks came out on the other side of the Island, having traversed a hostile country on foot, and having delivered his letter to Garcia-are things I have no special desire now to tell in detail.

The point I wish to make is this: McKinley gave Rowan a letter to be delivered to Garcia; Rowan took the letter and did not ask, "Where is he at?"

Garica wasn't told how to act, or where to look, who to contact, he just took the letter set out and made the right thing happen. Read the whole story if you have time.

Seth Godin calls it being a torchbearer and says this

Now, I'm not talking about working hard, or being dedicated, or putting your mission first. Being a torchbearer has nothing to do with how late you work at night, or whether you give your cell-phone number to your boss. No, I'm talking about the people with that rare skill, the ability to dig deep when the need arises -- to get past the short-term pain and to pull off an act that few would have believed possible. In the new economy, people are doing things that have never been done before. Faced with the unprecedented, in an environment that's unstable, many people say, "It can't be done." The torchbearer is the one who does it.

I love Hubbard's quote. I think initiative is doing the right thing without being told. I think training helps, culture is important, accountability is paramount and these things can help people fell comfortable with taking initiative. I also think some people have been trained their whole lives to lack initiative and they must now retrain. Eventually it comes back to a readiness and ability to initiate action, the right action. Ultimately it comes back to the individuals deep resolve to do the right thing every single time. If that desire is not there they will never carry the torch across the finish line nor find Garica.

Initiative is doing the right thing without being told.

Undercover surveillance at Starbucks

Starbucks is a rip off! $5.60 for a below average Mocha which pails in comparison to the Macho you get at "The Naked Grape". The Grapes' Mocha costs less, is interactive (yes, I say interactive) and tastes awesome! I sit at a table on the outside corner of Starbucks at Bayfair so I can read and watch the world go by, while I wait on Karina.

As I start to read I hear the family two tables back from me are speaking Spanish. I think of Costa Rica again, and this is the fourth circumstance that has reminded about it in the last week. I wonder if Costa Rica is beckoning me or if it is just like noticing a certain colour and make of car, merely because a friend has just brought one.

I intermittently read my book, sip on a bad mocha and watch people. I love watching, learning and contemplating people. Here are a few of my decidedly unscientific observations:

• Men either go to the mall alone or with their partner, NOT with other men. Kind of makes sense I don't recall ever ringing Robbie or Alf and asking if they want to go shopping with me. Thinking I should do this one day as it could be hugely entertaining.
• Teenage boys go in packs of 2 or 3. They are at the mall for two reasons only, girls or food. Shopping is not on their mind, if it were they would shop alone or secretly with their mums.
• Almost all of the people I saw texting were alone, I only saw one person texting who was not alone and that person was obviously with her mum.
• Older women dress to make themselves appear young, while the teenage women dress to make themselves appear old.

As I considered what my eyes were telling me, I thought about how we are relational beings, people made to interact with other relational beings, then this morning I finished 'Through Painted Deserts'. One of the few profound lines in Don's book says "Relationships between people indicate something of the nature of God - that he is relational, that he feels love and loss."  - an intriguing thought.

The week ahead?!

I wonder how people who just get through life plan? Do they plan to just get through another week or do they merely allow it to happen. I am sure that some people would argue that planning makes life boring and tiresome, zapping all the spontaneity and fun from things.

For me I have to plan to prevent a new found mental disorder, distraction. Maybe I have ADHD that would explain a few things (random, distracting). It's weird but the weeks that I don't plan are the weeks that I come away feeling like I just got through, rather than lived. Planning weekly helps me to refocus on what I really want to be and achieve, it helps me to focus on what is WILDLY important and to some how try and achieve balance in my life as if there is such a thing. To be honest I really don't like the word balance, I think of it as two kids on a seesaw suspended momentarily at a point of blissful equilibrium. Each one must stay completely still least, the change in weight sends one skyward and the other to the ground.

Trying to find balance often feels that way. Just when I think I am there some slight event happens and wobble becomes the order of the day. That's what happened today, I planned to do a few things and the only thing I ticked off was myself. That's not to say I didn't have a productive day, it was just productive in different ways.

I have heaps more to say on the subjects of wobble, balance and seasons. All stories for another day.

Appointments with people I didn’t know I had…

I yearned to go sailing yesterday. I knew I wouldn’t get the opportunity, but I longed for the silence and solitude of sailing 'the way a man holds the woman he has while thinking of the woman he loves'.  I had been graciously given a day to clear my head, so I headed for Tauranga for the fresh sea breeze, for the beautiful beaches and ocean. I headed for the next best thing to sailing. Tauranga is home for me, a place of rest and many memories. My plan was to systematically and rationally work through all the decisions before me. There was no-one I planned to see, or talk to. That was my plan…

My first appointment came when I entered a little independent bookstore. I had been there many times before, many years ago. It’s one of those quaint bookstores that has wall to wall books, it’s hard to really know where to start looking without the help of the staff. I walked in and was greeted with a huge “Mr Nicol, great to see you!” The owner bounces out from behind the counter and I’m greeted with a huge handshake. It’s been 16 years I work out later, and he still remembers my name, and he remembers that I struggled with reading. I joyously tell him I devour books now. We chat a while and he leads me to the book I am looking for. He then tells me about a book that is going to become huge “For men only”. I buy both, shake my old friends hand, and leave.

I now resolved to read “for men only” that day. I know I have choices to make, and hope the book will clarify my course. I head for the top of the Mount, and read for an hour or so, then head down past the cafés. As I walk past I am actually watching the way the guys are interacting with the females. How many are actually listening, how many are just present in body. Then I notice Greig and Jo. My second appointment!

My third appointment was with a hairdresser for a very complex haircut (#1 clipper cut). She talked about how much she hated work, and she was thinking of moving back to Hamilton (why would you?) to work where she had worked in the past. She really said (even though she didn’t know it) that she longed to work at a place like Agoge. How lucky am I to work there!

My forth appointment was with my folks (I needed a cup of tea and a chat). My fifth appointment was with my wife, for a long chat about my day and head space.

It was an intriguing day to be sure. I read the book, walked on the beach, drank coffee, took photos, listened to music and thoughts heaps. What struck me the most was the appointments I hadn’t planned. They were appointments made for me. Sometimes I think we are just too busy or self absorbed to see these appointments, but they are there all the same. I do a lot of planning and make heaps of appointments from week to week.

I wonder how many appointments I miss because of them?